As we follow the pattern set by Jesus Christ, we will suffer as God prepares us for roles of great glory as members of His Family.

Of all people, one might think, Christians should be the most blessed, yet they often fall under heavy trials. Why does God allow this? What is His purpose?

God is able to allow a setback or a handicap to help us transcend our trials, building sterling character. The weaknesses we live through make us strong.

When you're up to your neck in trials, it's easy to forget you are in training to be a member of the God family.

In God's hands, trials and afflictions are tools to produce refined character and joy, and to move us away from worldly choices and back to His purpose.

Christ's suffering was not confined to crucifixion, but also consisted of rejection, humiliation, and the duress of persecution. Glory follows suffering.

Acts 27 teaches that we must distinguish among several types of suffering. Regardless of the type of suffering, we must remember that God will deliver us.

Spiritual maturity does not come about without difficulty, and suffering is one of God's tools to perfect us. Suffering refines endurance and character.

Calamities, trials, anxiety, evil, and calamities, as well as blessings, happen to Christians in order to become fashioned and molded into God's image.

Affliction is a necessary aspect of life, yielding strength of character, while ease and comfort weaken us. Christ was perfected as High Priest through suffering.

God does not delay because of indifference, but wants to provide maximum opportunity for repenting, overcoming, and building character.

Every previous event and decision in our lives has shaped our resultant character, including the bad decisions that led us down a wrong path.

During the past century, the world has experienced 'practice contractions.' These birth pangs will increase until Christ returns to establish the Kingdom.

Even the accuser of the brethren made no accusations against Job, the first of several curious absences—things left unsaid—in the book of Job.

Paul conveyed to the Philippians his optimism that his imprisonment was actually a blessing, enabling him to magnify his effectiveness and bear more fruit.

Like a loving parent, God brings just the right pressures to bear to bring about necessary change in His children. Each trial has a place in His purpose.

Time after time, the children of Israel accused Moses of leading them to their deaths, failing to trust God in spite of His track record of provision.

Ironically, the blind man who could not see physically eventually sees spiritually, but the Pharisees, who could see physically, could not see spiritually.

An atheist rationalizes his belief in no God by stating that suffering could no longer be blamed on an omniscient deity, allowing him to live without guilt.

Daniel 7:25 reveals the strategy of the enemy: a concerted effort of the Beast to physically, mentally, and if possible, spiritually wear out the saints.

Although many have gone through sore trials, virtually no one has gone through the nightmarish persecutions suffered by the early Christians in Imperial Rome.

Persecution involves a wide spectrum, ranging from torture, physical beating, social excommunication, imprisonment and death. Our boldness should match Paul's.

If we yield to God's manipulation of our lives, we will handle stress constructively, developing a relationship with Him, bearing spiritual fruit.

Christ's sacrifice was not merely substitutionary, but representative, with Christ giving us a pattern for life - mortifying our flesh and putting out sin.

Lessons learned from COVID, as well as possible reasons God allowed or caused the pandemic to sweep through the church and wreak havoc on Feast observance.

Many people live in a state of discontent. Tragically, what they set their hearts upon often displaces the love for family and a relationship with God.

When we mortify the flesh, refusing to feed the hungry beast of our carnal nature, we suffer. Suffering for righteousness' sake helps us to know Christ.

We need to give thanks for everything, blessings and trials. Christianity ought to be an exhilarating experience, but it depends on our outlook on life.

Jesus has already suffered the things we have, and now serves as our compassionate High Priest and Advocate. He provides the pattern we are to emulate.

Love for this world will inevitably bring disillusionment. Because the world is passing away, our priorities should be to fear God and keep his commandments.

Since God's thoughts are higher than ours, we must keep an intimate GPS-like dialogue with our heavenly Father so we can stay on the right path to the Kingdom.