I was listening to a sermon online
recently where the preacher, Bishop TD Jakes, asked this question “are you
willing to suffer a little to get to the next level?” My answer was, I am not.
I love “the next level” which is like a cliché amongst believers where I live and
about which we get excited even when we remain on the same level. Going to the “next
level” is an enduring dream for believers around here. This should not be
strange though, since the bible talks about us going from glory to glory, shining
brighter and brighter and so on; consequently, there is no doubt that God’s
working in our lives is not only continuous but takes us higher and higher. He doesn’t
start and complete everything He promised us in one day. So, we are
consistently getting better in every area of life. We should therefore be
making quantifiable progress in every area of life. So that people can see and
testify to God’s goodness in our lives. I am convinced, that with God, there is
always an outward evidence of any development going on inside of us. God wants
men to see it and give Him glory. Of course, not often from the very beginning because
there is always the period when “God is digging downward in us ensuring that
our roots go even deeper; deep enough to carry the next level of His goodness.
At this stage, there is no outward display so God is working “secretly” to facilitate
our readiness.
3 John 1: 2 “Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and
prosper and be in good health (physically), just as (I know) your soul prospers
(spiritually).
So the problem is not with the
next level, we love God’s next level, it is always with God’s method of getting
us there which is made worse by the fact that He does not warn people around us
to pay attention to what they say about what we may be going through because He
is the one at work. So whilst one is dealing with the pain and inner turmoil,
they also deal with lying tongues, strange counsel and scornful looks which are
all part of satan’s package to ensure that one aborts the process. He knows that
if he succeeds with getting one to abort the process, he has succeeded in
facilitating their separation from God unto sorrow or depression and loneliness.
Job was obviously a man greatly blessed of God who was sensitive to God’s
methods and did not want to have any of those painful experiences so, he ensured
that he had no sin at and that his children’s sins were also forgiven. He was
so careful that he covered sins that may be committed. He definitely did not
want to offend God preferring to avoid the painful experiences which he had
assumed were only a product of sin not realizing that at a certain level, one
was bound to have those experiences; those ones that make one wonder if God is
still with them.
2 Corinthians 4: 17 – 18 “For our present troubles are small and won’t
last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and
will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we see now; we fix our gaze
n things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but
the things we cannot see will last forever.”
James 1: 2 “…when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity
for great joy.”
We are aware that God does not do
evil. So we know that these experiences are instigated by our enemy, satan, who
hopes to destroy us via the experience but God who knows that the victory is won
and we are well equipped to enforce it coming through the experiences to “ a
wealthy place” just like Job did. Job went through what may have seemed like
the worst of the worst but he came out to a very wealthy place. Jesus Christ,
when He died, seemed like a lost case because he was even buried; yet He came
up again. The joke is always on the enemy who expects us to drown in his river
of pain but again and again we keep surviving. Job thought his end had come but
it was just an inconvenience that preceded another level of joy. Whilst we obviously
may not like the suffering, it happens and often without warning. I believe
very firmly that God bears with us at times like this knowing how tough it is
for us, but we must be careful not to ruin everything with our words. As God
watches over us closely, providing all the needed support in these tough times,
He steps in like He did for Job, just when think it is all taking a turn for
the worst. Until we go to glory, there will always be a next level and God’s
plan is for us to get there. It will be sad if a believer lived their entire life
only talking about the next level whilst remaining on the same level. Much as we
hate the pain often associated with going on to the next level, our desire to
keep going higher must outweigh the hate. Unlike Job who in his difficulty did
not know he would come through, God has done more than enough to let us know
that we would; and that the joy which awaits us outweighs the pain and glory
will be returned to God who deserves it all.
James 1: 12 “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and
temptation. Afterward, they will received the crown of life that God has
promised to those who love him.”
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