Overcoming Suffering with Angela~ transcript from broadcast March 19, 2021

OVERCOMING SUFFERING

Good Morning Blessings Beloved – thank you for joining me today on ROF Ministries broadcast.  I surely pray you all are holding tight to Jesus, what a trial it has been lately, thankfully He is our strength and security in this upside down World. 

I so appreciate you all, very much and thank you for understanding, praying for and supporting me while I was pulled away recently due to some health issues.  I truly missed you all so very much and it was frustrating to me at times if I’m honest.  Sickness is a strange thing and it purifies our souls in so many ways.  I call it when the Lord directs you to “sit down.” 

As the love of many is growing colder, so goes humanity it would seem.  Thankfully, Jesus always pulls us through.  I have somewhat been in “observing” mode…  Spending time with the Lord and watching – so today I have some instructional pearls to share for our growth in Him.  We are not alone in these trials, the Father is working all things which seem a hindrance to us to grow us in our faith and trust in Him, while at the same time purifying us from all reliance and trust in man and man’s ways.  I am constantly asked why bad things happen to seemingly loving people and I even wonder that myself – I have no answer to the little details, except to say the Lord is using it for our good, somehow, someway in His miraculous ways He is using the pressing to fortify the vessel – us, insuring we keep fixated on Him.

The past few weeks have been extremely difficult for me and many of you, as well.  I do not like being sick, it hinders – it places guilt and all sorts of things.  Talk about being a gazingstock and the object of much rebuke and ridicule – just get sick nowadays.  The church people act like you are weak in your faith and the Worldly people point at you as a leper.  It’s a lose-lose situation…  Which carries much shame and when you add in the guilt piece, it can be very overwhelming.  So I’ve spent a lot of time seeking the Lord to open my Spiritual eyes to just a glimpse of the why’s I am going through this fiery trial and all He would give me is…  “Compassion…”  He was showing me without suffering in the flesh like I have been, I would walk without the deepest of wells of compassion.  To comfort another, you must have authentic compassion with sincere empathy – He told me compassion is what infuses the oil with the finest of fragrance….  Healing oil applied without the aroma of compassion is based on rote – it requires experience to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  One would think, after what myself and many of you have gone through physically the past couple of years, our compassion would be great – I guess He is teaching us patience along with all the rest of it.  I still feel compelled to apologize for my absence, sometimes the guilt is so overwhelming I cannot breathe.  I’ve managed to keep up on emails, the prison ministry and making sure kids are wearing clean clothes and food on the table and that is about it.  On particular days, breathing itself has been an accomplishment.  So I just want to thank you for your patience, your prayers and especially your compassionate love during this time.  I will say through it all – I’ve been very blessed by the presence of the Lord and hearing His voice and when I am able, I make notes, many notes.  It is a burden because I always want to share them and yet cannot.  But, that’s okay too – in His time, I will share.  Several of you have been holding me up and assisting me in every way and I cannot thank you enough – I am always encouraged, giving glory to the Lord and honor to you because I know right now unless He lays me on your heart, I’m not within it…

Ironically it seems we often feel like a misfit no matter what and then Jesus pulls us closer and we divinely fit perfectly with Him – so all that we go through is purposed and planned.  Many of us are ridding ourselves of expectations on others and most importantly ourselves, while becoming even more reliant on the Lord.

Speaking of the beauty of brokenness, HeatherFeather wrote a most beautiful poem, that I printed off to read to you all.  I have read it numerous times for encouragement – and as you will see it surely is Holy Spirit inspired.  I am going to read it now and I pray it blesses you like it has me so many times.  It is called SEEDS by HeatherFeather.

SEEDS POEM

Isn’t that just beautiful?  Such a description which mirrors most of our journeys as well.  Thank you Heather for sharing your pearls of love today so that we are encouraged by the Lord.

During this time in seclusion the Lord kept pressing into me about passing everything through the gauge of the Holy Spirit and His written word, showing me how humans (including me) have a tendency to rely on their own understanding to the point many are calling evil, good and good, evil these days.  He showed me how this grieves the Holy Spirit so very much and that we are vessels which contain the Holy Spirit and when the Spirit is grieved, so are we.  There are times we are grieved and cannot find placement for it, so we look to the World as if it has power to grieve us.  The Lord told me to return to the simplicity of the Word.  Keep it simple, test all things – those who are wise in their own eyes are filled with mixture right now and it is much more productive to be simplistic in our faith at the moment.  Because a grand fall is coming soon.  Resisting evil looks much different by the Spirit than what man instructs it to be, I am finding out.  My heart is continually broken and grieved lately and anyone who is contentious about or towards anyone else, makes me weep.  There are many parts of the Body of Christ, it is my prayer they embrace one another rather than seek to destroy. 

What we seek within another, or rather those who gather together – we will find.  If we look to the light, we will see a flicker of a flame who is also seeking the Lord and when His wind blows it will grow.  But, if we seek to find darkness within those who might worship or gather in a different way than us – it is darkness we will find.  The Lord gave me a word… “seekers” which is the same as One who is after His own heart – Seekers do not cut off the ears of those who outwardly serve Him differently, but instead see the purity of treasure in what it means to simply seek the Lord, knowing we all fall short.  And to witness this back and forth, places a drain on the sensitive at heart, no doubt, causing a “grieving” internally to occur – because the Holy Spirit is so very grieved by such activities.  It just seems like many of us at the moment of suffering in some unique way.

Did you know Jesus asked the Father to be released from drinking of the cup of suffering, stating that He didn’t want His will to be done, only the Father’s?  This is in Mathew 26:39 & Luke 22:42

That’s really hard to imagine, isn’t it?  There are two cups mentioned in the Bible – The cup of suffering and the cup of wrath…  It just seems to me, to what little I am understanding lately is that we either drink of one or will be appointed to drink of the other…  but that is for another day’s discussion.

I need to show you something in Mark 10:32-45 and its pretty amazing.

• I love their honesty…  we desire that whatever we ask you to do, that you will do it…  Aren’t we like that a lot when we talk to the Lord?  Whether we to admit or not, we at times have done the same haven’t we?
• He asked them – what would you like me to do for you?  Grant us at once (no patience) that one of us be on your right hand and one to your left so we are glorified.  Jesus told them they did not know what they were asking for…  He knew what He was getting ready to drink of – the cup of suffering and He also referred to the severe immersion that He would be overwhelmed by.
• He did tell them they too would drink of this cup, be immersed and overwhelmed – but only the Father could decide who was on His left and right as it is for those to whom it has been prepared – which is also referring to the sheep and goats, not sure if you caught that or not.
• Jesus wanted them and us to understand there is no glory without suffering and that if He Himself could not escape it, neither can we.  He is always to be the prime example we follow – He is a good Shepherd, qualified and trusted to lead us by His still small voice. 
• The other ten disciples heard this conversation Jesus was having with James and John and they got very indignant (showing anger, believing you are treated unfairly, offensive, insulting, showing strong displeasure) and they would not stop cutting up that Jesus pulled James and John aside to Himself.
• He explains to them that most want to dominate others – except for them and they are not appointed to rule over others, but to serve them – Jesus called it rendering service to others and giving His life as a ransom to many.
• We share in that same cup with Jesus…  I noticed in this teaching that only 2 out of 12 disciples were willing to drink of the cup of suffering that Jesus drank of.  Today, I believe it is less than that.  Oh sure many talk a good talk… but don’t walk it out, not at all and end up resisting sufferings as if it is the enemy instead of it being an opportunity to be used as a vessel to give God glory.
• There is a huge difference at suffering due to our own bad choices and suffering innocently at the hands of another.  What really counts with the Lord is when we are innocent and yet crushed, persecuted, betrayed and broken at the hands of the not so innocent.  The Bible calls this shedding of innocent blood and our blood in this case will be on the hands of the one who caused us pain so we can relax now, forgive, release and bless – while trusting the Father to deal with them and hopefully bring them too into the saving knowledge of the truth, just as He did us.

Romans 8 is incredible – I cannot read the whole chapter today – you just have to read it sometime soon though.  I am just going to read verses 14-18 – it totally blew me away in the Spirit!

• Something beautiful about suffering as it’s an open door to being constantly led by God’s spirit
• The Father’s spirit is constantly bearing joint testimony with our human spirit that we are NUMBER ONE HIS CHILDREN AND HEIRS OF GOD HIMSELF but get this…
• It said we will be JOINT HEIRS WITH JESUS PROVIDING WE ARE SUFFERING WITH HIM
• And it ends with our suffering with Him so that WE ARE GLORIFIED TOGETHER WITH HIM…  Hence, on His right or left – I added that part in btw…  which is another reference to sheep in which Jesus is their Shepherd or having the ways of goats.
• This passage concludes with the sufferings of our present season cannot compare to the glory which is about to be revealed upon us.  Wow…  So in each trial, we surely need to hold onto this promise in the Lord’s word. Amen? 
• Again – we drink of Jesus’s cup of suffering now – We are glorified together in HIM through the process.

He said we should let our light shine before all men…  Consider that light as the fruit of overcoming a disaster – WE overcome with HIM and together we are glorified!  When someone asks – we point to Jesus every single time.  His children, the brethren never ever boast on their own accomplishments – we always point to HIM, knowing apart from HIM we can do nothing.  So if you gotta boast – boast on JESUS!  Yayyy

SUFFEREINGS GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IS:  It takes what you know about Jesus and turns it into knowing Him – our transformation is of the mind – going from knowing about Him to knowing Him and when we know Him we no longer resist how He is growing us or cast it away like a devil.

I hear so many people throwing out the word “victorious”…  and victory too….  But in what?  I mean don’t you have to be in a fight to have victory?  How could one claim they are victorious and yet – deny they have anything whatsoever to overcome?  I get tired of people saying, nothing bothers me – when the truth is, everything bothers them – and if it didn’t, then why speak it in the first place?  I mean who goes around saying nothing bothers them unless they are bothered to begin with?  Lololol

So without a trial or fight – how could we be victorious with anything?

Without hurdles how could be deemed an overcomer?

Without sin how would we become sinless in nature – sin less = sinless – going from a not care attitude or even denying you have any in the first place to transitioning as a new creature of which when you do sin you have a conscientious heart which desires not to sin in order to be favorable in their Father’s eyes.  When sinless you simply sin less than you used too – because you feel bad when you do sin.  Please do not discount the fear of the Lord placed within you – it is a most precious and valuable asset that most do not possess.  It’s a very high and treasured gift, so we must treat it as such.  Before our conscience was seared, we did not feel the suffering pain of sin to the point we could even go and sin no more – but now we do – what a gift repentance truly is, thank You Lord for the opportunity granted upon us to say I am truly sorry and mean it inside the heart.

Without sickness, how could healing miracles be performed?

Without pieces of us all over the place, how would we be made whole?

Religious people will say – clean yourself up and come to Jesus – but Jesus says, come to me, I will clean you up.  Our shortcomings is His glory just waiting to spring forth and bloom within us – as long as we keep seeking Him as James and John, with a pliable and willing heart – if we agree to drink from His cup of sufferings now and glory together with Jesus today – we will not drink of His cup of wrath which is to come, thankfully.

By now, since we’ve been together for quite some time…  We’ve grown so much we are definitely complaining within our hearts way less than we used to – yes, I know many try to hide the complaint by a religious false face – the outside is not what matters here – it is more if we have a complaint in the heart and believe me, I’ve had many – another reason for us to be grateful for the correction of the Lord.  What is beautiful about this is we now can “catch” ourselves in the act, which is a crucial part in going and sinning no more.

I was thinking about “the Word…”  You know, the written word which is to be our guide and how imperative it is to our lives these days once applied.  We do have a part to play in all this – sort of like you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink.  The Holy Spirit is continually drawing us into the Word of the Lord – Jesus was the word in flesh walking and mingling – but do we heed to this drawing?  The Word contains authority, but do we submit to its ways and teachings in order we be changed.  So many people these days, even those who are leaders take the Word and conform it to themselves – which is dead wrong.  The Word should be conforming us to it – we are not to take the Word and alter it in any way for comforts sake – it is alive and active, searing and marking – transforming us into the image of Jesus so that we too are manifesting the Word in our flesh – which is a piece to how He is raising our flesh up to be incorruptible – which is in the Word btw, so don’t get your feathers ruffled lolol.  God’s House, of which we abide within is the Household of Faith and only those who seek to live a surrendered life will have one and obedience is everything – I mean everything.  Obedience is not even that hard, not when you have a heart after God’s own heart.  The gift of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus it says in the Word, but so many are prophesying vain imaginations of signs and wonders out of their souls, which is wickedness beyond compare as this trickery is coming from within the natural church and many ears desire to be tickled in such a way, so it is not only tolerated – but encouraged and embraced.  We as leaders and followers of Jesus have a lot of clinkers which still need to be purged from the cobwebs in our minds which are ego centric in nature.  Somehow the enemy has laid a stone and we’ve dashed our foot on it believing our way is the only way – No, Jesus’s way is the only way to the Father, but… There are many ways to Jesus, actually the way to Him is as unique as you are… ahhhh… Now we are getting somewhere…  Can you all swallow that?  If it’s a struggle to reconcile that, let me know and we will talk about it, some of you got it immediately.  One way to the Father = through Jesus, many ways to Jesus – which is our personal and individualized intimate relationship with Him and its special – so special and unique to Him and you.

We really need to stop measuring others salvation upon are they measuring up to us.  We have clans and clicks and if someone is not within ours – we often look down upon them and deem them unsaved, Lord help us – we don’t know who is and is not possessing a heart after God’s own heart.  Many are goin around bashing other church leaders and followers who are just “different” and stuff and I just cringe – not for the leaders so much, but for those who are doing this…because for us in our limited sight are not fully awakened yet to the mystery of how our Father uses particular vessels to work all things together for the good and according to His purpose – its everywhere really – but we will talk way more about that next time knowing we need to be more focused on our own walks than others.  There are so many parts to His Body and each of us who seek Jesus will eventually arrive in His timing.  This is the barrier to why the glory of the Lord is not rising but is diminishing upon the Earth.  I was talking to the Lord the other day about His glory – and us, being containers of His glory, which should be on full display for all the inhabitants of the Earth.  Jesus said He will not share His glory with another – glory is minimized because we desire to share in His glory for our own benefit, not only His.  It is time to get real now – to observe ourselves personally and intimately about the truth of us and less about the truth of others because one day – each one of us will come face to face with Jesus alone, look into His eyes and the truth of whether we knew Him or not will be undeniable.  We will have no defense attorney that day to plead our case of – but I gathered with so and so.  So more about GLORY – The Holy Spirit really convicted me to the truth I do not even know what that familiar term that I hear all the time means.  How can you speak of something you know not fully of – is what He said to me.  I bowed my heart before Him and let Him instruct me.  Glory in Greek means:  respect, honor and majesty – and once He did this to and for me I was humbled in tears and repentance – I am nothing, worthless really and without Him I was on death row, so I pleaded for forgiveness for the times I sought to be respected, honored and be treated highly with favor in anyway.  He began to show me all those things come naturally in a supernatural way AFTER I am cleansed from the desire to attain it, many actually lust after it – but remember it is HIS GLORY that overshadows our own.  It is then and only then we fear the Lord with wisdom to be that vessel. 

So I shared all that to say this…  Is suffering purposeful?  Is the flesh in pain used in a mighty way to save us eternally?  All the time.  Sadly, we often only have compassion and empathy for another if we too have suffered in the same way already ourselves and another piece of that is – we condemn those who sin differently than we have or do.  And to take this a little step further – we grant mercy upon those who struggle in the same ways as us, while withholding it from those who need it the most.

It is my prayer that this little bit of sharing I did today encourages and uplifts you to be joyful in your sufferings which glorify the Lord on High – our King Jesus.  So that when the pressing comes we not run from it, pretend it isn’t happening so we look strong and untouchable or deny it is His way.  Remember, we are not to boast on self, but only on the Lord.  It is time to remove the false face of “I got this…”  To be an overcomer in truth, there must be obstacles on our paths to refine us in order we point to Jesus in truth, not just because it is popular.  Remember, He said we must know Him to avoid weeping and gnashing of teeth – I find it ironic He allows us to be in situations where we do weep and gnash our teeth during the process now to avoid spending eternity doing so.  God is just so perfectly good all the time, isn’t He?  He is the completed Author and Finisher of our faith and all that is required is a heart that is seeking Him…  and it is just that easy and it is just that hard…

THE END IS WHERE WE BEGIN!