We have anticipated the coming of the end-time Great Tribulation. However, there was a historical great tribulation, similar to what has happened in the U.S.

As God's children, we must undergo adversity to build endurance, character, and hope.

Winston Churchill's wartime advice, 'Never give in,' is good advice for us now as we approach the horrible time of the Great Tribulation.

Even suffering that may not be as a direct result of our faith is part of the trials of this age. It will bear positive fruit if it is approached in faith.

Some have a warped idea of godliness, not pursuing it with a desire to resemble God, but believing that if they are righteous, God will materially bless.

God has called us to become His children and live as He does. But with this gift comes a few things that are less enjoyable but necessary for the process.

Entrance into the Kingdom of God will not happen without many tribulations (Acts 14:22). We may need to adjust our expectations of what discipleship entails.

The rigors God puts us through are not to crush us, but to shape us, transforming us into His image. True gain is walking through the anguish in victory.

God narrows in our way because He loves us, just as we hedge our children because we care about their lives. God loves us too much to leave us the way we are.

The Parable of the Sower and the Seed exemplifies a number things that can happen to prevent us from having a place in God's spiritual harvest.

The hard things God wants us to do are preferable to the harsh bondage to sin. The hardness makes us hardy enough to be included in the first harvest.

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

Pentecost and Memorial Day may seem to be quite different, but we should not be too hasty in concluding that they do not share any common features.

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.

Paul encourages the Thessalonians to thank God for their salvation, surrender without complaint, ask God for wisdom, and look for opportunities to serve.

Our hope is based on having a living Savior. At times we are discouraged and overwhelmed, but God has not left us—though unseen, He is in the trials with us.

The book of Hebrews provides reasons to recapture flagging zeal, focusing on the reason for our hope and faith, establishing Christ's credentials.

Only a relative few can meet God's standards because they are extensive and demanding. This fact is one reason 'many are called, but few are chosen.'

We must embrace failure as a tool for spiritual growth. Trials are essential in shaping character, building faith, and reinforcing dependence on God.

The constant tests to which God submits His people enable them to build character by responding in faith. God perfected Abraham's faith through difficult trials.

Persecution is a fact of life for a Christian. Jesus Christ says we are blessed if we are persecuted for righteousness' sake — here's why.

Persecution and martyrdom are not popular topics among Christians, but they are facts. The fifth seal shows the cry of the martyrs and God's response.

God uses trials to test our hearts, but He never places a trial before us to tempt us. God uses trials we bring on ourselves to draw us closer to Him.

We must consider our ways, especially in times of stress when continuous disruptions throw us into confusion and impede physical and spiritual progress.

Under the best of times, God's people are not immune to persecution. Persecution for righteousness' sake is evidence that God's people have Christ's Spirit.

We can be assured that we are God's heirs and offspring if we are led by the spirit, remaining on the sanctified path of fellowship, growing continually.

If we are rescued from our tests and trials, we will not be able to perform. We need struggle, tribulation, pressure, and trials to develop patience.

Jesus cautioned His disciples not to have any destructive fear. The worst fear of all is that which would cause us to deny Christ—namely, the fear of man.

Putting on a spiritual garment of sackcloth in mourning is necessary in humbling ourselves as a part of the process in examining and scrutinizing our lives.

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.

James emphasizes patience five times, suggesting that it is a capstone of saintly character, encompassing long-suffering, forbearance, and self-restraint.

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.

The biblical city of Smyrna may be one that many know the least about. The city's name reveals the themes that the Head of the church wants us to understand.

The group that one fellowships with is less important than the understanding that there is one true church, bound by a spiritual, not a physical unity.

Our focus should be to seek God's kingdom, reciprocating God's love, committing ourselves to a life of service, fulfilling His purpose without complaining.

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.