Kingsley Nwaekwe

Can you imagine going through hardships that make you feel as though you have a death sentence written against your name?

Can you imagine being burdened by problems?

This is how Paul felt.

But if you pay attention to what he says in verse 9, Paul says, Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, but that was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead.

He's essentially saying these difficult times, these tough times have taught us to lose all faith in ourselves and to place all of our trust in the God who raises the dead.

All of us go through tough times.

All of us go through seasons where it seems as though the odds are stacked against us and pain becomes a feeling we're all too acquainted with.

In Psalms 119 verse 71, David said, It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes.

And I've always asked the question, how can it be good for you to be afflicted?

How is there any good for you to go through pain, tribulation, and hard times?

But here's the thing.

Afflictions.

Tough situations do more than simply show what kind of character we have.

Tough times shape and form out character.

Now, I believe that affliction, although unpleasant, is necessary for the Christian man or woman.

Because if it were not for the struggle you're going through, how would you know that God will never leave you nor forsake you?

If it were not for the affliction in your body, how else would you know that by his stripes we are healed?

If it were not for the financial challenges you faced, how would you have known that the Lord is a provider?

Problems can sometimes be a blessing, saints of God.

So be encouraged regardless of what you're facing.