Evil Defeated (Part 7)

Philippians 3:10 "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering."

Do Christians have painful memories? As long as there is evil in the world the devil will try to dredge up memories of your failures, mistakes, and shortcomings. It's that constant presence of evil that makes life’s journey painful at times. We all wish we could have eighty years of the “good life” but that isn’t real life, is it? Suffering is a part of life no matter how close you are to God. If you're human you will fight suffering as much as you fight evil. 

God is faithful and will walk with us each step of the journey. He will never leave us or forsake us and His grace and strength are always sufficient. Even though some days you may doubt it. God has provided healing in His atonement for all, but not everyone is healed. God has promised blessing for all, but not everyone is rich. Paul knew Him as a deliverer, but also shared in His suffering as a soldier of the cross.

Even though God has forgiven us and we have forgiven ourselves and others, painful memories tend to keep coming back. During my prayer time recently, I asked Lord how I could stop the memories from coming back?
He reminded me of this verse in Philippians:

“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering.”

He told me to thank Him for the experience every time it popped up in my mind. He also reminded me that I have the privilege of feeling a little of Christ’s suffering during His trial and crucifixion.

When I look at the experience from God’s perspective, suffering becomes a privilege I can share with Him. We get to know Him in a deeper way. I would not have chosen some of the deep valleys I have gone through, but now I am thankful for it.

Jesus, our Master and Friend, said we could expect trouble when we follow Him. We shouldn’t be surprised! But He is there with us, feeling our pain, strengthening us, loving us, giving us grace and wisdom to defeat the spirit of evil that seeks to destroy us.