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Understanding Suffering for Spiritual Growth

Explore the purpose of suffering in the spiritual journey, learn key insights from John 15:13, and examine categories of suffering for blessing with Bible guidance from Pastor Jim Rickard.

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Understanding Suffering for Spiritual Growth

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  1. Pastor/Teacher - Jim Rickard Thursday, February 25, 2010 Grace Fellowship Churchwww.GraceDoctrine.org

  2. DoxologyPraise God, from whom all blessings flow;Praise Him, all creatures here below;Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.—Amen.

  3. Memory VerseJohn 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

  4. John 15:2Suffering for BlessingPart 15

  5. A. Introduction: Suffering acts as a guardian or parent in life.B. Suffering is used as a measure- ment of life.C. Suffering for Blessing Rationale.D. Five categories of suffering in the spiritual life.

  6. E. Definition of the three stages of Spiritual Adulthood and accompanying Suffering for Blessing.F. Suffering and Spiritual Adulthood.G. Providential Preventative Suffering.H. Prayer and Suffering.

  7. I. Momentum Testing.5 Categories:Disaster Testing, People Testing, System Testing,Thought Testing, Prosperity Testing.

  8. 5. Thought Testing. (continued)Rom 12:2-3

  9. p. The most important question in life has to do with thinking: “What do you think about the Christ?” Mat 22:42; 26:66

  10. Since thinking is such a crucial issue, there are mandates throughout the Bible with regard to Thought Testing.Rom 12:2-3

  11. 1) To be able to think, you must develop a vocabulary for life, and the technical vocabulary of the Word of God.

  12. Phil 2:5, “Keep on having this mental attitude which was in Christ Jesus.”

  13. God’s Word causes the believer to think in terms of common sense, rational and sane Divine Viewpoint and avoids living influenced by Satan’s Cosmic System.

  14. q. You cannot think in your soul with things that are outside of your soul. Therefore, God’s Word must be transferred to your soul in order to think it. Isa 55:6‑9

  15. Psa 26:2, “Examine me, O Lord, and put me to the test; refine my emotions and my heart.”

  16. Emotions are to be subordinate to your intellect and Bible doctrine. The heart must be tested for its content of doctrine and its control of emotions.

  17. r. Fear is a Thought Test of emotions in the area of a mental attitude that has worry, anxiety, apprehension, trepidation, and despondency.

  18. 1) Inevitably, fear leads to arrogance, the narcissistic syndrome, and even to psychosis.

  19. 2) Arrogance, fear, worry, anxiety, anger, and other emotionalism are all irrational, a contradiction to the Plan of God.

  20. 3) Fear cannot coexist with the Plan of God because you are overcome by the problem or enmeshed in the disaster, which destroys the spiritual life rather than advancing it.

  21. 4) Believers in all stages of spiritual growth can find themselves suddenly in the fear-panic ploy of the Cosmic System. You must be prepared!

  22. 5) The solution is found in the Faith-Rest Drill which includes having a Personal Sense of Destiny, by which you claim a promise to stabilize the mind.

  23. Psa 56:3,“When I am afraid, I will trust in you.”

  24. 1 Cor 2:5, “So that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, (human viewpoint), but on the power of God, (Divine Viewpoint).”

  25. 2 Cor 5:7,“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

  26. 6) Faith always selects something that is stronger than the pressure that comes from stress brought on by fear.

  27. Psa 56:3-4, “Each time I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?”

  28. 2 Tim 1:7,“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity (fear), but of power and of love and sound judgment.”

  29. 1 John 4:18, “Fear does not exist in virtue-love, but virtue-love drives out fear; for fear causes punishment. In fact, the person who is afraid has not been matured by virtue-love.”

  30. s. There are pseudo‑solutions to life's problems based on human viewpoint. Five are prominent today.

  31. 1) Rationalization is a pseudo‑system for problem solving as self-justification. Blaming everyone else for your failures and your sufferings.

  32. 2) Anger solution is solving problems by temper tantrums and being in a state of irresponsibility by refusing to take the responsibility for your own bad decisions.

  33. 3) Defense mechanism is a system of mental attitude designed to divorce you from reality and pressures that are too great for you to bear.

  34. 4) Denial is human viewpoint thinking of ignoring the problem in hopes that it will go away. The pseudo‑miracle syndrome.

  35. 5) Sublimation is finding a new outlet, hobby or system of entertainment to avoid reality.

  36. t. The Biblical answer to pseudo‑solutions related to thinking is found in 2 Cor 10:4‑6.

  37. Grace Fellowship ChurchThursday, February 25, 2010Tape # 10-023 Suffering for Blessing, Pt 15Momentum Testing, Pt 8Upper Room Discourse, Part 342John 15:2-8; Rom 12:2-3; Isa 55:6-9; Psa 26:2James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 2010

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