God faithfully will Afflict you!

In times of providence where God blast away our comforts, we need to remember the following:

Psalm 119:75 I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, And that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.

Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous one, and Lord Jehovah delivers him from all of them.

Hebrews 12:10-11 our fathers – For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

From John Flavel’s book Keeping the Heart (1630-1691)

There are 9 things that he taught that I want to remind myself of! ( I have paraphrased what I believe he is saying)

1. Through the providence of His will over my life (Eph.1:11) God is faithfully pursuing the great design of electing love over my soul. He is ordering all of this (the circumstnace) in order to sanctify me and make me ready for eternity with Him on high.

2. Even though God has reserved the right to Himself the liberty of afflicting me, He has tied His own hands –  to a certain extent- because He has promised that He will never leave me or forsake me in my afflictions. It is a season of time meant to bring about His loving purpose unto me. (1 Peter 1:6)

3. I need to recall to mind  – often –  that God has control over the affliction – not Satan – and not the circumstance itself – It is God who is in control. Eph.1:11

4. God does not respect me more when I am doing well – nor does He destain me when I am low, therefore it should not trouble me that He has brought me down.

5. If God has brought me down in order to ruin the power of temptation over my life, then why allow such sad thought to be about the blasting of my outward comforts? Stop thinking so highly of myself that God would bring me here but rather rejoice that He loves me enough to make me more like Christ.

6. God may be doing exactly what you have been long praying for and have been waiting for. His ways are certainly NOT our ways.

7. Be reminded that if you could see the design of the outcome, that you heart would rejoice.

8. By fretting and being discontented, you do yourself more injury than all the afflictions you are currently lying under. My torment of the soul by my fretting and worry is far worse than the external circumstances that God is ordering.  I am to bring every thought and worry captive to will of God. 2 Cor. 10:5 “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

9. It is sometimes good to compare yourself to others’ circumstances that are far worse that what you are dealing with – but deserve.

You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free (not from the circumstance but the way you think about it) John 8:32