How can we stand firm in difficulties with the help of the Bible?

We all know that thinking about the future can be scary sometimes. There are many things to fear in this world. But the Bible teaches us that those who follow Christ and are on his way should not be afraid of the future because of two things:

One day Jesus will return and make up for all the mistakes.
One day Jesus will return and make everything new.
When you are in the midst of a terrible event, tragedy, or major life change, it can be hard to hold on to these promises of Jesus’ return. But facing life’s problems by trusting God’s promise of judgment and His new creation, well, the difference between a life of freedom and a life of fear.

In Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul wrote to a church that was afraid of the future. Some misunderstandings and rumors were spread and they were told that Jesus had already returned and left them alone. The Thessalonians lived in complete fear because they thought Jesus had forgotten them and left them without any help to be persecuted.

We all sometimes feel that God does not see us or has forgotten us. If you have experienced this feeling, then you understand a little about the situation that the Thessalonians are involved with.

The rumors that Jesus has come and gone are just that, rumors. Paul wrote at least two letters to this church to clear up the misunderstanding and remind them that Jesus’ return should never cause fear, but should bring hope and assurance.

As Paul wrote to encourage them, he made two points in the second letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 1, verses 3-6. Despite their suffering:

The faith of the church grew stronger every day.
The love they had for each other grew.
Their faith and love grew even in the midst of sadness, calamity, loss and fear. And according to Paul, all this shows that God is just and they are worthy to enter the kingdom of God.

It is interesting that in the midst of persecution and terrible suffering, they did not doubt their faith and did not move away from the church. Instead of being more afraid, their faith and love deepened. In other words, they didn’t just survive, but they thrived in sorrow and this somehow proved God’s justice.

The translation of this section means that there is a connection between our response as followers of Jesus to suffering and that this suffering is a sign of God’s goodness and justice.

Many times when we are faced with sadness, pain or stress, instead of falling on our knees and praying, worshiping or becoming more immersed in our faith, we panic. Panic causes worry, fear and the question, where is God at all?

Fear can tempt us to walk away from our church community and tear apart our faith. It can make us unwilling to read the Bible and serve our neighbors. But the Bible tells us that it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, if we remain faithful to our faith during times of suffering, we will become more spiritually mature. Our perseverance in suffering leads to stronger faith in God and deeper love for others.

What we need to understand is that spiritual growth in suffering is not normal. Going through suffering, hardship, pain, loss or problems does not automatically deepen our faith and love for those around us. This “result” is both a gift of God’s grace and a choice we make to fight for our faith in Jesus.

Decide that I will not budge. Even when my whole being wants to leave God, I remain faithful to Jesus.’ – This kind of perseverance is what deepens faith and love for others.

Today in the article : How can we stand firm in difficulties with the help of the Bible? We reviewed useful information about the Bible and the way of Jesus. If you wish, you can view other articles of Ali Vahidi about Christianity