Have you ever felt drained from life? No, I’m talking about feeling as if life was sucking the life out of you? Every time you think you are making progress, something from an unexpected source, feels as if it is pulling the oxygen from your lungs. Even more so, when you decided to completely surrender your life to the the Lord, you were hit and hurt on every angle. We must remember that with the Lord, the pain we experience produces a purpose.The Lord always provides us with examples of affliction, sufferings, patient endurance and triumph.

In 2 Corinthians the 11th chapter, we learn of some of Paul’s sufferings for Christ Sake:

• 5 different times, he was whipped by the Jews and received 39 stripes.
• 3 times he was beaten with rods.
• He was stoned once.
• He shipwrecked 3 times.
• He spent an entire day and night adrift at sea, left for dead.
• He had been robbed, gone without food and water and enough clothing to keep him warm.

One beating alone could have handicapped or even killed Paul. Yet after allllll of this, Paul says: “I believe God.” Paul looked beyond his personal afflictions and recognized his sufferings equipped him and empowered him.

Paul endured many afflictions. He went from being an atheist to an activist of Jesus. I felt something right there- I’ll say that again:

PAUL WENT FROM BEING AN ATHEIST TO AN ACTIVIST!

What about you? After all the hardships, pains and tragedies in life, will you believe God? Or will you give up at the sign of struggle or the moment your prayer isn’t immediately answered? After all, Jesus told us:

Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

The world may press us hard, but God’s strength, presence, and comfort will not allow us to be crushed. If you see someone not like themselves on today, help them by noticing them. Give a smile, give an encouraging word, pray for them, give a listening ear. Be willing to help someone live.

“May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! He is the compassionate Father and God of all comfort. He’s the one who comforts us in all our trouble so that we can comfort other people who are in every kind of trouble. We offer the same comfort that we ourselves received from God. That is because we receive so much comfort through Christ in the same way that we share so many of Christ’s sufferings. So if we have trouble, it is to bring you comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is to bring you comfort from the experience of endurance while you go through the same sufferings that we also suffer. Our hope for you is certain, because we know that as you are partners in suffering, so also you are partners in comfort.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:3-7‬ ‭CEB‬‬