Bible-Prayer-Europe Equipping Center

Suffering

Ministers wives, as well as other Christians, face times of suffering.  The Bible states that suffering can come as a result of sin or as a result of righteousness.

Sadly, many ministers wives are not suffering because of righteousness, but because of sins of the flesh.  Theses types of sins are specifically mentioned in Galatians 5.19-21.

Here is a list of these sins.

adultery, fornication, lasciviousness (homosexuality etc.), uncleanness (pornography etc.)

idolatry (covetousness), witchcraft (drugs)

hatred, variance (disagree no matter what), emulation (impersonate, try to be somebody else, lose your identity in someone else), wrath (railing, judging, and carrying out of judgment), strife (fussing, gossip, backbiting, etc), seditions (clicks, husband vs wife, etc) heresy (little pockets of false doctrine), envyings

murder, reveling (wild parties,etc.), drunkenness, and such like

Hosea 4.6 also talks of ignorance of God’s Word.

Lack of knowledge

Rejection of knowledge

Forgetting of God’s law

The Bible states that the wages of sin is death.  Harboring fleshly sin “kills” something in a person’s life.  For example, adultery can “kill”a marriage.  Emulation, or trying to be somebody else, can destroy the opportunity that a person has of becoming the unique individual that God planned for them to be.

There is no place for fleshly sin in a Christian’s life.  Jesus came to give God’s gift of abundant life.  He came to set the captive free.  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (I John 1.9)

A minister’s wife should never suffer because of ignorance of God’s Word. Hosea 4.6 states, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me; seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”

A minister’s wife should study the Bible and know God’s promises for herself and her family.  The Bible should be her instruction book for daily living.  In knowing, remembering, and following God’s instructions and guidance a Christian can avoid many sins and circumstances that cause suffering.

 It is also important to remember that there are times when suffering comes because a person is following Jesus Christ.  “ Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (II Timothy 3.12)  Jesus suffered persecution and His followers can also expect persecution.  It is a part of the normal Christian life.

Persecution means to afflict or harass constantly, so as to injure or distress. (Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary)  It also means to oppress cruelly, or annoy constantly.  Persecution comes through people.

A Christian who is truly following the Lord Jesus, will experience times of persecution.  Therefore, the Bible clearly states the pattern of conduct for a believer during persecution. 

Conduct

1)      Realize that God will bring an end to the persecution.  Determine in your heart to endure to the end.  The apostle Paul stated, “…what persecutions I endured; but out of them all the Lord delivered me.”  (II Timothy 3.10-11)

2)      Keep the persecution in perspective.  Do not let persecution deter you from achieving the daily goals that God has set for your life. Keep your focus on the Lord Jesus. Realize that persecution is a part of the normal Christian life.  (I Peter 4.12)

3)      Rejoice and take pleasure in persecution. This can be done through the Holy Spirit’s power alone.  Choose to rejoice and thank God that He is bigger than your enemies and that He will bring something good out of the situation. Thank God for delivering you out of the persecution.  (II Corinthians 12.10)

4)      Don’t be terrified by your adversaries or persecutors.  Neither get entangled in an argument with them.  Instead, “love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you, and persecute you”. (Matthew 5.44)

5)      Realize your own weakness and your total dependence on Jesus.  Jesus is your source of strength.  You will never be defeated with Christ Jesus in control. (II Corinthians 12.9)

Suffering is never pleasant, whether its cause is sin or it comes because of righteousness. Whatever the cause the minister’s wife needs to realize that God is greater than anything that she faces.

When a situation hits that will cause suffering the Christian needs to do the following:

 1)      Assess the troubling situation to see if its cause lies in sin.  (Pray about it. God will show you if there is sin involved.)

2)      If God shows that the situation is a result of sin, then confess that sin to God, repent of the sin, and ask God to work in that situation.  God is able, “ To appoint unto those who mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. (Isaiah 61.3)

3)      If the situation is not a result of personal sin, then rejoice!  Praise the Lord while going through the suffering, because God is greater than the situation.  God will use the suffering as a time for blessing and growth as a Christian.  Do not abandon prayer or Bible study in suffering times.  Do not allow any bitterness or resentment.  Instead relax and know that there will be an end and there is a reward for the faithful.  God’s glory will be revealed.