Victorious Life

Listening to some televangelists talk about the victorious Christian life, one gets the clear picture that faithful Christians will be healthy, wealthy and wise. Some teach that if you lack anything or want something, all you've got to do is "name it and claim it" and it's yours. 

Why then did the prophets have such difficult lives?  Why did the apostles become identified as "fools for Christ" (1 Cor 4:10)?  Why did Jesus suffer?  When the Psalmist wrote, "The Lord is my stronghold of whom shall I be afraid" (Ps 27:1), why was he needing a stronghold?  James even suggests that difficulties serve to mature our faith (cf. Jas  1:2-4).  

We will be victorious in heaven and God will see us through difficult times in the meanwhile, but the Lord doesn't promise a carefree life to the faithful - quite the opposite, disciples are called to a life that includes sacrifice (cf Lk 14:33).  

Paul said that he learned "the secret of being content in all circumstances..." (Phil 4:12).  The victory was that he had Christ (Phil 4:13), not that he had it made. Jus' Sayn.