Yes indeed the tribulations are part of our earthy experience and like the afflictions they are used by GOD to perfect Christ's nature within us. And has become our necessary means of bring this out I will again draw from Pastor Hoekstra's teaching on prayer without ceasing, as found in e-swords Bible program. With limited editng and I will also continue to use the ESV translation.
"More on a Biblical Example of Spirit-led Praying"
"We . . . do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His Will . . . being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of GOD; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father Who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light." (Colossians 1:9-12)
"In our previous meditation, we began to examine a classic illustration of Spirit-led praying. The basic request of this majestic prayer concerned learning about, and walking in, the Will of GOD. We "do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His Will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord (I will leave this as it is because by doing so I am expressing that it is our own earthy walk that is being expressed here, though we have been changed to being a spiritual being by now), fully pleasing Him." Now, we consider more on a biblical example of Spirit-led praying.
A significant aspect of the Will of GOD involves fruitful laboring to the LORD: "being fruitful in every good work." The abounding Grace of GOD is able to produce abundant ministry in our lives. "And GOD is able to make all Grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, have an abundance for every good work" (2Corinthians 9:8).
The very core of GOD's Will is next: "increasing in the Knowledge of GOD." Getting to know the LORD is the supreme issue of Life. "I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my LORD" (Philippians 3:8). The corollary prayer in Ephesians has this as its fundamental request: "that the GOD of our LORD Christ Jesus, the Father of glory, may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the Knowledge of Him" (Ephesians 1:17). A key verse for our Grace devotionals suggests the connection between GOD's Grace and Knowing Him. "Grow in the Grace and Knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ" (2Peter 3:18).
Another vital part of GOD's Will for us is spiritual empowering: "strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power." With the LORD of Grace Himself as our strength, there is no limit to what we can do. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). Yet, such Divine Power is often imparted for reasons other than we might imagine: "for all patience and longsuffering with joy."
The final aspect of GOD's Will mentioned is gratitude: "giving thanks to the Father Who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in (the) HIS Light." Since all of these riches are GOD's Grace available through humble, trusting prayer, no wonder that the LORD concludes with a reminder about grateful hearts."
Tribulation, a Part of our Earthy Experience:
Deuteronomy 4:24, 25-31 For the LORD your GOD is a consuming fire, a jealous GOD.
"When you father children and children's children, and have grown old in the land, if you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of the LORD your GOD, so as to provoke Him to anger, I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you. And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But from there you will seek the LORD your GOD and you will find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your GOD and obey His voice. For the LORD your GOD is a merciful GOD. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that He swore to them."
Matthew 24:13-14, 15-28 "The one who endures to the end will be saved. And this Gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
"So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy place (let the reader understand, this took place between 66-70 AD and it can be repeated again), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There He is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather."
John 16:25-28, 29-33 (Jesus is here speaking) "I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from GOD. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father."
His disciples said, "Ah, now You are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! Now we know that You know all things and do not need anyone to question You; this is why we believe that You came from GOD." Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with Me. I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
Acts 14:19-23 "But Jews (this term or phrase distinguishes the Hebrew children from their political-religious over lords, where ever it is used) came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the Gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of GOD. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the LORD in Whom they had believed."
Romans 5:1-5 "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with GOD through our LORD Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this Grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of GOD. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because GOD's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us."
1Thessalonians 3:1-5 "Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and GOD's coworker in the Gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain." (this last stanza is what is now and has been taking place in all Counts and Nations, who practice the ancient paganism's of the seasons and holidays under the guise of them being now an excepted Holiday of GOD's own directing and being of "Christian" origin. Not heeding the warnings against having other gods before Him and taking His name vain. These being part of the spiritual law of the Ten Commandments.)
Revelation 2:8-11 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: 'The words of the first and the last, Who died and came to Life. "'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of Life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.'"
Revelation 7:13-17 "Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?" I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. "Therefore they are before the throne of GOD, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He Who sits on the throne will shelter them with His presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and GOD will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
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