Episode 1197: Suffering and the Believer Part 8 The Understanding

Hello everyone. In today's Bible study we take a hard look at the purpose of God in suffering.

Why, Kevin? Why do you feel it is necessary to talk about suffering again? We know all about suffering, we see it and live with it everyday.

Well, for starters, people typically view sufferings through the eyes of their sinful nature. According to scriptures, the word of the Lord, this is how we all view everything we see, hear, think, and believe.

Ephesians 4:17-19 (NKJV) The Nature of Every Sinful Human

17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, (how does every human born into this world live? Will you please, please listen to the LORD God.)

(1) in the futility of their mind, (what is devoid of truth and distorted, irrational immoral appropriateness, complete perverseness, and total depravity)

(2) 18 having their understanding darkened, (all their knowledge and wisdom produces a godless, totally depraved reasoning process)

(3) being alienated from the life of God, (they live in a different kingdom ruled by Satan, the father of sin and death, having no capacity to communicate with the God of heaven and earth.)

(4) because of the ignorance that is in them, (they are willing ignorant of God's righteousness and cannot know nor please God in any way)

(5) because of the blindness of their heart; (picture a corpse with blinders on buried under a trillion miles of steel)

(6) 19 who, being past feeling, (completely calloused towards all things God)

(7) have given themselves over to lewdness, (they love only their sins and immorality and nothing related to God and His righteousness)

(8) to work all uncleanness (everything that they intend, think, say, and do is evil and wicked in the eyes of the Holy One of Israel)

(9) with greediness. (they do these things with all their might with reckless abandonment.)

Now the word of God makes it clear why there is suffering in this world and why it cannot be prayed away if you have enough faith. Friend that is foolishness. No amount of prayer will take away the curse of futility which is a constant state of aggressive progressive decay and destruction.

The only thing that can stop it is death or uncreation. The reason why things are not worst that they currently are is because the Lord is restraining it. The Day of the Lord is coming wherein that restraint by the Holy Spirit will be removed then all hell will break out on earth and in the heavens.

With all that said, then how do the believer deal with sufferings in this current word? That is exactly what this Bible study addresses.

Today's study is 1 hour and 23 minutes in duration. I have broken it into eight segments. This is segment 8 of 8 titled Suffering and the Believer. Part 8 The Understanding