How can we calmly withstand 


hardships, particularly injustice?


Difficulties are inevitable, since we live


in a sin-infected world, but believers in 


particular experience persecution and


 struggle in this world for upholding


 righteousness, both from other people


 and the devil himself. 



Christ warned in John 15:20, "If they 


tormented Me, they will persecute 


you." 


Paul stated "our battle is not


 against flesh and blood, but against


 the rulers, against the powers, against


 the world rulers of this darkness, 


against the spiritual forces of evil 


in the heavens" in Ephesians 6:12



We must have the patience to withstand 


hardships since they are a part of 


being a Believer. Rather than complaining


or feeling bitter, let us "endure with a


 tolerant, receptive spirit."



Romans 8:28 And we know that


 for those who love God all things work


 together for good, for those who are called 


according to His purpose.


God does not waste our



losses or crosses. 

God is not the author of evil in our world;


 nevertheless, God does periodically allow 


us to endure through dark seasons. 



God does not abandon us in our situations 


haphazardly. No matter how difficult our


 circumstances are, God will always have 


a purpose and promise in them. 



God is and will always be faithful to 


lead us to greater good.

God maintains the order of all things and directs


it toward His intended end. God is able to 


make us fruitful even amid our afflictions.



Our adversities, betrayals, broken promises, 


losses, and crosses may be our moments 


of harvest... harvesting... collecting and 


fruition.

God is the Lord and 


the Creator of the Universe. 



Consider this: 


We are God's creation. We were created to do 


good things that God planned ahead of time


 for every one of us.



God knows exactly how to prepare us for what


 He has planned for us. These good works are 


done for the benefit of others, not for evil.


These good works may include, but are not


 limited to, prayer, charitable giving, care for 


the destitute and sick, and other similar 


activities. 



Such good works encompass all facets of what 


we do by God's grace and for God's purposes. The 


more we see ourselves as God's masterpiece, the 


more we will live for and through God. As a result,


 even in the midst of it all, we will gladly cling on 


to God's promises and contribute significantly to


 God's greater purpose.

The lyrics of 


"Baba Yetu" 


(which means "Our Father" in Swahili) 


are a translation of the Lord's Prayer. ... 


Our Father, hallowed be thy Name.

God may use our grief, suffering, and disasters 


to accomplish His purposes in our lives.

Whatever our circumstances, 


God's purposes always take


precedence!

Ultimately,

God allows both good and bad things to happen in life, 


and we can trust God to work all things out for the 


good of those who love Him.



When God places us in extreme affliction, He 


compensates with greater gifts of grace.

God is all-knowing and all-powerful.


Those who love God can place their trust in God's


 grace, mercy, goodness, and power. 



God's Master Plan will come to pass, 


regardless of who, what, when, or where... for every 


individual, and no devil in hell will be able to stop, 


disrupt, or slow down God's plan.


With His power and capacity, grace and wisdom,


 blessing and supply, God's purpose is perfect. 


We must remind ourselves that whatever God has


 called us to do, His plan will always lead us to a


 life of meaning and fulfillment. We must have 


complete faith and trust in what God has said to 


us regarding the present and future.

During the process of giving birth to God's vision


 for our lives, problems can develop! When God


 calls us to bring forth a vision or a mission, 


obstacles may occur.

Satan will set a trap for us in order to cause us 


harm and destruction. But when God intervenes, 


He transforms what Satan meant to use to destroy 


us into something that works for our benefit instead.

God has the power to shift 


the course of a catastrophe 


for the better.

To an extraordinary and humbling 



extent... the circumstances in our 



lives can determine who we are as



Believers.

God wants us to be equipped and confident that


 His tender mercies, amazing grace, and 


forgiveness will lift the agonizing burdens of 


our past shame, guilt, condemning thoughts, 


and/or concerns.



In His lovingkindness, God has preserved every


 tear we have ever wept. He has observed every 


need.



God is aware of every thought we have, and He


 absolutely loves us!

God has a way of orchestrating a series of 


unlikely events to work together for our good. 


God understands what is going on behind enemy 


lines and what it will take for us to become 


effective warriors for Him.



God will not abandon His people... even when


 they are at their most vulnerable, lowest, and


 saddest.



God does not want our history or present to 


terrorize, frighten, bother, or enslave us.



God will occasionally enable us to have a 


breakdown in order for us to have a 


breakthrough.

"And we know that God causes all things to 


work together for the good of those who love 


Him and are called according to His purpose."


This scripture tells those who love God and


 strive to respect and follow God's commands


 that even when foul, evil, vicious, horrible, 


disgusting things come into their lives, God will 


use those people, places, and/or things for His


 and our good.

One of the most fascinating aspects of being 


a Believer is understanding that when we put


 our trust in God, all of Hell explodes against us


intent on wreaking havoc upon our lives. 



But understanding that God is God and that no 


matter what occurs, God is the Master of all... 


even the wind and waves obey God, overcomes


 panic and evil. 



God uses what was planned to be 


evil against us and turns it to our 


good.

Heartbreak, loss, bereavement, false accusations,


 rejection, and treachery disguised as caring and 


familial behaviors inspired the creation of this


 website.


In other words, in addition to "The Judas kiss,"


we suffered significant labor pains.


"The Judas kiss."

Judas was one of the twelve initial disciples 


who followed and learned from Jesus.

Judas had a closer relationship with Jesus than 


others during His mission since he was part 


of Jesus' "inner circle."

Our adversaries frequently 


masquerade as allies.


To conceal its underlying goal, evil 


typically wears a disguise.


Satan persuaded Judas to undermine Jesus' ministry


 and get Jesus out of the way. With a kiss... a sign 


of affection and devotion... Satan unleashed a 


tsunami of venomous hatred.

Judas turned Jesus over to the authorities. 


The pre-arranged signal was that whoever 


Judas kissed would be apprehended and taken 


to be crucified.


Mark 14:44

With such a personal display of love and respect,


 Judas betrayed Jesus. A kiss was a good gesture


 of respect for a student who admired his teacher.


Judas' actions were paradoxical. At the same time


 that he was betraying Jesus and allowing Him to


 be crucified, his actions indicated, 


"I reverence and honor You."

When Jesus was betrayed by Judas' kiss, He 


could identify with David's hardships, 


writing, "If an enemy insulted me, I could tolerate 


it; if a foe rose against me, I could hide." But it 


is you, a man like Myself, My comrade, My 


close friend, with whom I once enjoyed 


wonderful fellowship as we moved about among


 the worshipers in God's house" 


Psalm 55:12-14.


Job lamented foreshadowing Jesus' sorrow


"Those I love have turned



against me."


Job 19:19

Judas was "stricken with remorse" at what he 


had done (Matthew 27:3). He returned the coins


 to the temple before fleeing and hanging


himself.


(Matthew 27:5)

As we all know, betrayal can be devastatingly 


searing to our hearts and souls... especially 


when it happens with someone we care about or 


truly love.

We have come to realize... there's no greater hurt 


or insult than being betrayed and wounded by 


those who professed to be a true, tried, and 


trusted sister, brother, or friend.



Nothing hurts more than being disappointed 


and betrayed by people we thought would 


never hurt us... especially during our most


difficult season of grief and loss.

 

Being attacked and conspired against by the enemy


 is bad enough, but when the fiery darts come from 


those we've loved, looked up to, and trusted...the


heartbreak and sorrow multiplies.

These words of Jesus, spoken almost 2,000 years ago... 


remain very relevant for many Believers around 


the world today.


My suffering and loss, like most others', has been 


tremendous, but we can be certain that those 


experiences were not in vain. We believe that 


God uses our sorrow and grief to draw us 


all cloaser to Himself.

Therefore we will boast all the more gladly 


about our weaknesses, so that God’s power may


 rest on us.


That is why, by God's grace, we delight in our


shortcomings, hardships, persecutions, and


challenges.


For when we are weak, then 


we are strong.


2 Corinthians 12:7-10 


We believe that God allows us to go through 


difficulties, tribulations, and the crucibles of 


life in order for us to grow, mature, build, 


and strengthen our faith and character... as we 


learn to trust and rely on 


God and God alone.


We believe suffering not only leads us to 


character perfection, but also to a closer, 


more intimate relationship with God.


We know that God never puts us through


 more than we can handle, and God will 


not put us through tests beyond our ability 


to withstand.


We have no right to assume that God will do


 or allow anything to harm or impede our 


spiritual development. We believe suffering 


is a sign of God's favor, not disfavor.



We believe that God allows pain, tears, and 


heartaches. We believe life's hardships and 


troubles are meant to catapult us to greater 


heights... helping us to grow past our issues, 


focus on and accept life lessons learned, and


 get in harmony with God's Will... even when


 we don't understand it.

We know God can do things well beyond our 


limited comprehension. We believe God has the 


power to reach down and touch the source of 


our greatest need.


Through our up-close and very personal 


knowledge, observation, and experiences...


we know God is able


to make all things right.

Joseph's brothers were cruel to him and sold 


him into slavery, prompting him to experience


 a series of painful but divinely planned events.


Everything worked out in Joseph's favor, and God


 richly blessed him in the country of his hardships.



We know that, no matter how deep the pit, God has


 the supernatural ability to miraculously orchestrate


 even the most painful events in our lives to produce


the most incredibly amazing experiences we could


 ever hope for.


Some of the Bible's greatest saints, according 


to Scripture, had to overcome enormous obstacles.


We believe God's purpose for our lives is 


sometimes hidden in our hardships.


God's shaping, sculpting, and transformation


 process can be unpleasant and painful at times; 


but, many people have achieved their greatest 


spiritual and personal developmental advances


in the midst of their agony and suffering.


God, our Creator, the Master Gardener, and 


Sculptor, has a way of grooming, pruning,


 cutting, burning, filing, purifying, and 


expelling anything that is not of Him.



God buffs, polishes, molds, forms, and 


refines our passions and desires so that 


when the good is implanted in us, we can


 grow, thrive, and completely trust Him, 


the most remarkably powerful influence 


we can know.

Through the seminary of affliction, we 


believe God grooms, prunes, molds, and


 shapes us in ways we could never have


 imagined or understood... had we been left


 in the world floating on our worldly egos.



We believe that after passing through the


 humbling seminary of affliction, one can 


learn, grow, know, and do better.


This polishing process of perfecting is not easy, 


but it is necessary for us to bloom, thrive, and 


reflect God in all aspects of our lives.


We have personally witnessed how God can 


use our hardships, struggles, and tribulations to 


prepare us for higher callings.


We believe such tests and trials are inevitable 


and, in most circumstances, transitory, but they 


serve a purpose, a divine purpose that can be


profoundly beneficial to others and ourselves


 in the end.


We believe God can transform our painful


 experiences into beautiful and powerful


 purposes! We also believe God can


 transform our moments of adversity and 


grief into times of amazing expression!


We know that God's power can be seen in our 


challenges, afflictions, disagreements, and 


adversities, and God's glory can be revealed


 through us.



May our personal difficulties, challenges, and 


hardships serve as a springboard for us to 


become noticeably better individuals.



We have seen that the overcoming is never the 


overcoming of the one or ones who challenged


us, but the overcoming of the weaknesses and 


improvements needed in our own character... 


awakened/aroused by such a one.

We believe during periods of crisis, we get


 insight into specific areas of suffering, which


allows us to empathize and encourage individuals


who are experiencing similar difficulties.

As gold is refined and impurities are separated 


from it in the fire, and steel is strengthened in the 


smelting furnace, so our faith can only be 


purified and enlarged when we learn to rely 


on God in times of difficulty.



The "Fiery trials of life," as Peter calls them 



(1 Peter 4:12), help strengthen our faith.



Character and righteousness, we believe, are 


forged in the furnace of affliction to teach, prepare, 


equip, perfect, and cleanse us for greater works.

We are God's work of art, his jewels in the


 rough. Each individual possesses diamond-like


 characteristics that are simply waiting to be 


mined.



The diamonds' beauty is enhanced by the 


 intense pressure they are subjected to


 during the refining process. 



The same can be said for each of us. Our beauty 


and worth, like the diamond, are derived from


 the harsh pressures that trials and tribulations


 inflict.

We can find comfort in knowing that 


God's Touch still possesses the same ancient 


Power to part our Red Sea experiences.

The Bible reminds us that the same ancient Power


 is promised to help us today. That same ancient 


Power can turn our dry, desolate desert experiences


 into pools of water.



That same ancient touch... lovingly guides us 


through our wilderness seasons' challenging


 terrain. As everything written in the past was


 written to teach us.


We are grateful for each dry, barren desert experience. 


We thank God for allowing the low periods in our 


lives to occur.



Most of us can look back on our difficult times


 and see how they made us stronger.



God's period of training and teaching has been 


extremely beneficial to us. These lessons shaped


 by difficulties, struggles, tests, wounds, healing,


 joy, and sadness are all just rungs on the ladder.


We recognize that the lessons we've learned 


via our trials, tribulations, and sufferings...


could not have been learned any other way.


Our life experiences have taught us that God is


able to deliver us from any hardship.


Whatever our circumstances, we know that with God 


directing our steps, our scars, loss, and disappointments


 are being perfected.

Through our many trials, tests, and tribulations...


we are now discovering and embracing a deeper


understanding of our purpose, ourselves,


and God. 

@godofmiracle

It is never too late have faith in God🙏❤️

♬ original sound - GodofMiracle

 "Man proposes, but God disposes."


"What the devil meant for evil,


God intended for good."

We strongly encourage everyone not to waste 


their pain. If we give it to God, God will use 


it for our benefit.

We are praying that God's grace 


will propel us forward.



In His love, 

   

Writing has been immensely therapeutic for my soul.

It has aided me in comprehending, embracing, and 

overcoming tremendous grief and pain.

It has also provided me with the greatest sense of 

compassion that my hardships are merely a chapter 

of my redemption story.

This endeavor has been a privilege rather than a chore;

 it has been an undeserved honor.

 
carolecgood@carolecgood.com
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