“Maybe Its not About You”

Genesis 45:7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. Nobody wants to suffer, nobody wants difficulties, and nobody wants to experience pain and hardships. We have excluded those things from our messages to the Christian community. Nobody really wants to hear that this may be a season for them to endure suffering, hardships and difficulties for the glory of Christ and his Kingdom. Dennis Johnson, in The Message of Acts, offers needed insight on suffering: "Can churches preoccupied with preparing a menu palatable to self-absorbed baby boomers afford to tell seekers the hard truth that Paul and Barnabas laid on young Christians in Asia Minor?" That suffering is a part of our experience. So-called "health and wealth" and "name it and claim it" gospels abound. There's no gospel of suffering in such circles.

But suffering and persecution and tribulation and difficulties are a valuable and necessary part of or walk with Christ. Psalm 34:19 many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. 2 Timothy 3:12 All who live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Jesus said in Luke 9:23 if anyone comes after me let him deny himself, pick up his cross and follow me daily. Listen to me today, if you are going through a season of suffering, of difficulties of trials and tribulation, don’t be discouraged. Don’t start whining and complaining, don’t go into your cave and shut everybody out. Understand, God uses our suffering and pain for our benefit and the benefit of others. Here is something I want you to wrap your sanctified mind around. Maybe what you are going through is not about you. When we are going through the first thing we want to know , why is this happening to “me”, what is going on with “me”, Lord get “me” out of this. Maybe it’s not about you.

Jesus was beaten worse than any person in history, crucified, hung on a cross suffered bled and died, so that you and I might through him have an eternal relationship with the father. His suffering wasn’t about him, it was about him it was for us. Joseph in the book of Genesis suffered being sold into slavery, thrown in Jail, taken away from his family, lied on and mistreated. But when he finally revealed himself in Egypt to his brothers who had sold him and wanted to kill him, he said, in Genesis 45:7, God sent me before you to preserve you and save you. He was saying everything I went through was not about me it was for your benefit.

If you are going through difficult times, God wants you to hear this today, please listen to me. God says it’s all a part of my plans and purposes for your life. God does not waste any of our experiences, pleasant or unpleasant. Let me share 4 reasons why you must go through affliction, persecutions and trials. 1. It drives us to God in prayer Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. James 5:13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. Ps 107:6 2. It makes us rely on Christ’s power But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Cor 12:9 3. It produces endurance and patience Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance Rom 5:3 4. It gives us compassion for others Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Cor 1:3–4 Maybe what you are experiencing is not about you. Maybe it’s God using you to prepare the say for someone who needs to know that in difficult times God is able to deliver. God wants to use your difficulties, trials and tribulation to help someone who needs help. God comforts us so that we can comfort others. God grants us mercy so that we can be merciful to others. God stands whole-heartedly with us in our suffering so that we will stand whole-heartedly with others who are suffering. God never leaves us alone in our suffering so that we won’t leave others alone in theirs. Suffering is a part of our Christian experience, don’t waste it, use it to the Glory of Christ and God the father.

Say this with me, “what God brings me through will not go to waste”.