TRIBULATION

Most Christians are not completely clear on the definition of tribulation. This teaching will completely help you to understand the meaning of this term. The teaching is very simple, but you should study until you completely understand it.

In a nutshell, tribulation refers to mental pressure. We, as Christians, experience this mental pressure quite often. Picture this: the devil is trying to steal kill and destroy whoever he can. If you are doing something for the true God, who is he going to go after? I am referring to the devil with the previous pronoun. He is going to come after you and he is going to try to give you as much pressure as he can so that he can make you quit. Those believers who stand up to the mental pressure that they experience are the believers who become victorious in their lives. The following Scripture just came to my mind and I will share it with you. It speaks directly on the subject matter of tribulation.

And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. -- Galatians 6: 9

Let us make sure that we understand this Scripture which is really very simple. Well doing means doing things for the true God. If we faint not refers to mental pressures. Notice the condition. In due season, at the exact right moment in time, we shall reap or become victorious and here is the condition IF we faint not. This is referring to thinking in your mind – in your thoughts. The enemy can many times give you a bunch of mental pressure to the point where you wonder if you can stand it. But God expects us to be able to handle a certain amount of tribulation. If things get out of hand, He will step in to help you. Being a webmaster of a large Bible study site, I have experienced a great deal of tribulation to the point where I’ve gone to God many times and asked Him for his help. I have neighbors that are absolutely insane because they went up against myself and my wife and wrongly accused me of things that I never did. Remember one of the names for the devil – it is the accuser. He accuses God’s people wrongly and without justification. So do not be weary or give up when you’re doing something right for at the right time you will become victorious if you do not faint in your mind.

Let’s take a look at a dictionary definition of tribulation since I believe that will help you to understand the term even more so.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English language, tribulation is defined as great affliction, trial, or distress. I believe that this definition will suffice for you. But the main part of this teaching is to teach you how to deal with tribulation. One weapon that Satan cannot stand is silence. If you can discipline your mind to ignore the devil and his tactics, you will be greatly victorious in countering his tribulation. In fact you will turn it around so that he is the one that receives the tribulation. One of the greatest statements I ever heard when someone else was teaching God’s Word was “don’t react”. And yet the world will teach us the opposite. It will teach us to seek vengeance which obviously results in some type of reaction from you. This principle of not reacting is one of the most difficult principles you can ever learn. It takes time and practice, but you will see results immediately.

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. -- Colossians 3: 2

This is a great way for you to counter the works of the adversary in the form of mental tribulation. Let me give you one example. If you know this Scripture and maybe 50 other Scriptures, when the adversary hits you with mental pressure, you can go over the Scriptures that you know by heart in your mind. Look at the above Scripture. Set your affection and/or thinking on things above – on the Word of God, not on things on the earth. Can you see the power in the Scripture? But we all have free will and we need to discipline our thinking to think about things pertaining to the true God. We are not to be thinking on things on the earth where the devil is the present god of this world. There is the genuine and the counterfeit. You decide which one is going to take precedence in your life.

Let me go over something with you that is very tricky. The enemy will do almost anything to get your mind off of the Word of God. You need to be careful when you’re watching television pertaining to all the influences that are bombarding your mind. You have to be very careful when you make purchases, because in many ways you’re likely to make a mistake and that is the result of the enemy bringing upon you mental tribulation and tricking you.

Let me give you a very simple present example. I have wanted to begin this teaching for at least one week, but I was waiting for the exact right moment in time – the moment that God wanted the teaching to begin. I have neighbors that are fanatics – they are insane – when it comes to their yard and their grass. They have contractors here almost 52 times a year. They are only home for about three hours a day and never, I mean never, come out of their house –maybe for one hour per week. The woman makes a lot of money and money usually brings power and power brings corruption. They have taken every single material things out of their home and replaced it with new items. The old items were perfectly fine and functional. As I do this teaching in the freezing weather, they have contractors out there right now trimming their little bushes and trees. They can do nothing with their own hands and in my opinion, they are cripples. But yet they think they’re doing the right thing and who do you think makes them believe that? Their actions have gotten out of hand and God worked in my heart this morning to start this teaching with plugs in my ears. But the more of this teaching that I get through, the quieter it gets. There is only one thing and one thing alone that defeats the god of this world and that is the Word of God. So think on the things of God and mental tribulation will have very little effect on you. Just remember that God expects you to deal with a certain amount of mental tribulation. Let us take a look at another Scripture that I have repeated time and time again on this website. If you can accomplish what this one Scripture says, you will very seldom if ever, experience the effects of mental tribulation which as I said before is mental pressure from the world. The following Scripture is most powerful in your walk with God if, and there is a condition, if you can master it. Learned by heart – I have said it thousands of times. It is ingrained in of fleshly tables of my heart and you should put it there also.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think [or speak] on these things. – Philippians 4: 8

Let’s take a look at another powerful Scripture that will help you to defeat mental tribulation.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. -- II Timothy 1: 7

The principle here is to overcome negative thinking in the form of tribulation by countering the negative with three positives. You see that the negative is the spirit of fear. Now all that we have to do is to think of three positives and you will counter that one negative. Let’s say you are out going for a run. You seem to hurt a part of your leg, but it’s not that bad. You think the following: overall, I’m doing good on my run; it is a beautiful sunny day; and I am almost done with my run. This may sound silly to you but if you counter a negative with three positives, you will get a favorable response in your mind and your body. It takes a habit pattern to develop this way of thinking. Try it and see if it doesn’t work. Let’s take a look at II Timothy. If there is one Scripture that would help you to overcome anything that the adversary throws at you, this is that Scripture.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. – II Timothy 2: 15

You see that the more you study the Word of God, and you must apply it, the adversary cannot touch you. You are starting to show yourself approved unto God and that should make you a workman that needs not to be ashamed because you rightly divide the Word of truth. If there were another website anywhere on the internet, I would gladly refer you to it. But I have not seen or read another website or another teaching that rightly divides the Word of God. This is the only site. You can believe it or not – it doesn’t matter to me. I care only what the true God thinks and feels and approves. I do not know how many people actually read these teachings, but it doesn’t matter to me. I do this for God. As far as tribulation is concerned, I used to be on about 40 different search engines. Now I am on about four. They all quit - they fainted in their minds – they gave up. The tribulation was too much for them because they did not know the Word of God rightly divided. That’s the power that we have at our fingertips.

Let us take a look at some of the dynamic promises of God as we apply His Word in our everyday lives. We are staying in the New Testament for most of this teaching because the Church epistles are written directly to us today.

And have put on the new man, which is [being] renewed in knowledge after [according to] the image of him that created him: -- Colossians 3: 10

We are to put on the new man which is being renewed according to the image of him that created him. We are to take the old man and all of our old ways and put them aside in our mind and try our best not to let them escape. The more we renew our mind to the image of God, the more we become like God because we imitate him according to His Word. When we know the Word, we realize that tribulation has always become a part of life and we should be strong enough to handle tribulation. Everyone in this world suffers tribulation, but we go through it to stand and become an example for God. People suffer for no reason at all, but any tribulation we go through has benefit and profit. We learn from it and become stronger every day. I am not saying that we should wish for tribulation, but when it comes we are ready because we have renewed our mind to the Word of God and that makes us more than conquerors in every single situation.

Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; -- Colossians 3: 12

If we could always keep our cool and have mercy towards the people who suffer, we have a chance to express the love of God toward these people. That blesses God, the suffering people and us because God will reward us. We are meek which means we are teachable and we have the fruit of the spirit referred to as long-suffering which in more simpler terms means patience. If we have these characteristics in our personality, it is less likely that the enemy can overcome you with tribulation. You will have to experience this on your own to see the results. At unusual times, I will actually pray for my enemies and I seem to get a rush like I’ve never had before where the power that these enemies had over me is just not there anymore. We probably will get to the Scripture that says that the love of God never fails. Can you imagine that? The next verse of Scripture shows us more of the characteristics that we should have that defeats tribulation.

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you so also do you. -- Colossians 3: 13

It takes a great man of God to forgive others and yet it works for our benefit. We should also forbear or to put up with one another because we are all different in our personal ways and personality. If any man quarrels against another man, we need to follow Christ’s example and remember that as Jesus Christ forgave you, you are to forgive others. This is a great renewed mind principle and it takes someone who stands strong in the Word to be able to operate it. I myself have had problems in this area. There is a time to forgive and there is a time to manifest self-defense. You must be able to discern which behavior is correct for each different situation. But again, if you learn to express these qualities, the enemy has a hard time pressuring your mind with tribulation. Why? Because your mind is focused on the Word of God and so your mind therefore becomes full of strength – strength that cannot be overcome. If only we would realize and apply such simple principles, we would see the more than abundant life being manifested in everything that we do. As I said time and time again, do your best and God will do to rest.

And here is the conclusion that I promised you we would get to. The next verse in Clossians gives us the greatest answer that we can never have.

And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. -- Colossians 3: 14

The literal translation of charity is the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation. You have to express the love of God in your life. And you should know that the word charity when used in the Bible means the love of God. It is also known as agape. Possibly some of you are aware of certain Greek meanings for the word love. Man’s love is known as fileo love. Man’s love is much weaker and has shortcomings involved in it. It does not last very long and many times it’s a counterfeit. But the love of God is the genuine love that emanates from God Almighty. The more Word of God that we know and apply, the greater we can manifest the love of God. I am going to say this right now instead of at the end of this teaching, the love of God never fails. Can you believe such a statement? It’s true – it never fails. That’s quite a statement. There is no time like the present to show you the Scripture where the Word of God talks about the perfect quality of the love of God. Let’s go to that Scripture and we will review the attributes of the love of God in detail.

Charity suffereth long [it is slow to anger and is patient], and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not provoked, thinketh no evil. – I Corinthians 13: 4, 5

There you have it, the last three words of the second Scripture. The love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation does not think evil. Can you imagine renewing your mind to this point? It is something we can always strive for and that is for us to never think evil. When you reach such great heights in the Word of God, you will become unsusceptible to tribulation. The only person that walked with the true love of God in manifestation at all times was Jesus Christ. We can strive to be like him and to do our very best and then God will help us. We need to make an effort and we need to be aware of the Word of God in every facet of our lives. This is how we overcome the enemy and he is not as strong as you think. God bless and I hope you enjoyed this teaching. It has great keys in it to living the more than abundant life.

And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. – John 8: 32

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