When facing painful or difficult times, it is common in the Christian community to speak of spiritual warfare or being under attack by Satan. Often we seek to ease our spirit by saying, "their is a reason for everything," meaning that some unknown greater good is being worked out in or through our suffering.
We assure ourselves that God won't allow more burden than we can carry to be put upon us - that He is monitoring whatever cosmic force is applying pressure to our lives,more addy to put a stop to it before it reaches overload in our lives.
All of this sounds good and may even be true - sometimes. But, it ain't necessarily so. To begin with, The Bible doesn't say that God won't allow more burden than we can bear, it says, "He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear" (1 Cor 10:13). The fact that God tells us to "bear one another burdens" (Gal 6:2), suggests that their are times when we may be over-burdened.
The grand notion that there is a reason for everything is true but not always so grand. Sometimes the reason is our poor choices or downright stupidity (sorry, was that your toe or mine I just stepped on?).
I'm not saying that painful times are never the result of spiritual attack or that God never monitors the amount of suffering we are allowed to endure (the book of Job is precisely about those two realities). What I am saying is that sometimes God is the one bringing or allowing the pain into our lives as discipline for our own good: "God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness" (Heb 12:10).
In times of pain or difficulties, it is therefore important to ascertain whether it is an attack, a natural consequence or discipline from God to effect a change. Don't fail to seek the Spirit in prayer, Bible study, Christian counsel and circumstance. Jus' Sayn.
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