How God Uses Trials and Tribulations to Keep You on the Straight and Narrow
I sought God’s Kingdom first today as Jesus told us to do!
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you,” (Matthew 6:33).
I was led to do this by the Holy Spirit through studying how God’s word gives the instruction about how all must enter His Kingdom.
“Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God,” (Acts 14:22).
The revelation that stood out to me contains two major things I think our generation is missing!!
One, I found out that tribulation is the key to entering the strait and narrow gate like Jesus taught. The meaning of “tribulation” in the Greek for this passage gives the idea that tribulations are trials and persecution in a Christian’s life that bring pressure by affliction through suffering that causes a character change to take place by forcing what’s wrong in your character to surface, and purify you (as through fire).
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified,” (1 Peter 12-14).
Greek meaning
Tribulation
2347 thlípsis – properly, pressure (what constricts or rubs together), used of a narrow place that “hems someone in”; tribulation, especially internal pressure that causes someone to feel confined (restricted, “without options”).
Did you see that meaning?? What a revelation! God uses “much” tribulation to confine and hem you in to keep you on the straight and narrow path! It’s God’s involvement to help keep people on the path to enteral life! Thank God we don’t have to keep the balance to stay on the straight and narrow path which is almost impossible to do on our own!
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it,” (Matthew 7:13-14).
When God allows trials, persecution, and tribulation that come against our lives, whether we are innocent, falsely accused, or are going through it because of something we have done wrong, It is God’s form of helping us through His mercy as a “way of salvation!” Praise God! MUCH TRIBULATION SERVES as a form of God’s will, through discipline, to hem in and confine us to the narrow path so we can enter the straight gate to eternal life!
Christians who avoid persecution, resist, and do not take the route of “MUCH tribulation” (not just tribulation – much tribulation) don’t enter God’s Kingdom or heaven! Jesus said strive to enter in at the straight gate..
“Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able,” (Luke 13:24).
It is very important to know the distinction between striving and seeking! When God throws much tribulations at “Strivers,” it causes them to have to strive hard against many negative odds! God is being good to us by allowing many tribulations, because it keeps us in a striving mode to enter His Kingdom! It is a good sign!! I’ve seen how many don’t want to be associated with JMMI because of the amount of persecution, as if it’s not a good thing for their reputation, but through my study today I see they are the casual seekers. Anyone who is on this path of much tribulation understands and embraces going through great tribulation. People who are not on this path and feel they have something to lose by being associated with Apostle Taylor and JMMI are who Jesus called SEEKERS! They take the casual and friendly approach to enter into Heaven, but Jesus already prophesied that these people won’t be able to enter.. Casual seekers don’t make it into the strait gate. Only STRIVERS AGAINST GREAT PERSECUTION AND FIERY TRIALS DO!! God knows what we need to keep us on the straight and narrow path to enter the Kingdom of heaven!
If you reject the way of tribulation and people who go through it, because of fear of man and wanting an unsanctified peaceful life, then you will miss entering Heaven! If we don’t suffer with Him we can’t reign as kings with Him!
“If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us,” (2 Timothy 2:12).
People who reject and despise discipline and correction, through much tribulation, are going to hell because of their attitude alone! They don’t understand that much tribulation keeps and pressures you to stay on the straight and narrow path to enter eternal life.. If you despise this, like the children of Israel, you can’t enter the promised land (Deuteronomy 1)! The Bible says they hated the “way,” the hard tribulation of the way God took them through, but God knew what they needed to purify their character and get into the promised land! It’s no different with the staff here at JMMI! There is a reward from Jesus for enduring discipline, but you must embrace MUCH TRIBULATION on your journey, and see it as good!
The second major thing is the word MUCH! As a result of “MUCH” tribulation we enter the Kingdom. The amount of tribulation we must go through in our life must be in large volumes for us to enter the Kingdom.. This explains why I go through so many tribulations and so much persecution in my life and ministry! It’s a sign that I’m entering into God’s Kingdom or eternal life through the strait and narrow gate! A lot of Christian are deceived by the devil to think they shouldn’t go through that much tribulation!! As a matter of fact, they think if you go through large volumes of negative circumstances and persecution, then you must be doing something wrong or that you are on the evil path! Most Christians think when they go through back to back trials something is wrong or that it’s strange. The danger is when you are not going through this intense regiment from God! Most Christians think it strange when an abnormal amount of persecution comes against them, but the scripture admonishes us think it not strange concerning the fiery trail which is to try you as though some strange thing has happened to you but to count it as you being a partaker of Christ’s sufferings (1 Peter 4:12-14).
“Woe to them that are at ease in Zion…” (Amos 6:1)
The second flow I studied was:
The process to becoming a prince with God
The process a prince goes through to become a king
The process a king goes through to become an emperor
The process a believer goes through to become a god.. or son of God or a junior or little god
The process to be indwelt by all three members of the Godhead at once, and recognizing each of them distinctly within you
Finally, I studied the process Jesus takes His kings through to cause them to receive their own individual kingdom from Him
Jesus said to the disciples, “Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel,” (Luke 22:28-30).
When you continue through the temptations and do not leave because it gets hard, Jesus appoints unto you a kingdom as His father appointed unto Him!
For the disciples to receive a kingdom and a throne from Jesus, they continued with Him through, “MY TEMPTATIONS…” In the Greek, that means the discipline and rigorous training He took them through.. It also means tests and trials, through experimental testing. At this point, they were only with Him for less than 3 1/2 years! Jesus said that because the underwent His austere discipline, training, and experimental trials without leaving, and endured it He was appointing unto them as kings, their own kingdoms. However, you must continue, meaning to stay engaged in the training! Some think they are ok because they haven’t left like others, but they have checked out of this discipline by being disengaged, while still being here. They are here but are not truly continuing with Jesus’ discipline and the Lord looks at it like you have left, just like the others that have left.
How God Uses Trials and Tribulations to Keep You on the Straight and Narrow
I sought God’s Kingdom first today as Jesus told us to do!
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you,” (Matthew 6:33).
I was led to do this by the Holy Spirit through studying how God’s word gives the instruction about how all must enter His Kingdom.
“Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God,” (Acts 14:22).
The revelation that stood out to me contains two major things I think our generation is missing!!
One, I found out that tribulation is the key to entering the strait and narrow gate like Jesus taught. The meaning of “tribulation” in the Greek for this passage gives the idea that tribulations are trials and persecution in a Christian’s life that bring pressure by affliction through suffering that causes a character change to take place by forcing what’s wrong in your character to surface, and purify you (as through fire).
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified,” (1 Peter 12-14).
Greek meaning
Tribulation
2347 thlípsis – properly, pressure (what constricts or rubs together), used of a narrow place that “hems someone in”; tribulation, especially internal pressure that causes someone to feel confined (restricted, “without options”).
Did you see that meaning?? What a revelation! God uses “much” tribulation to confine and hem you in to keep you on the straight and narrow path! It’s God’s involvement to help keep people on the path to enteral life! Thank God we don’t have to keep the balance to stay on the straight and narrow path which is almost impossible to do on our own!
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it,” (Matthew 7:13-14).
When God allows trials, persecution, and tribulation that come against our lives, whether we are innocent, falsely accused, or are going through it because of something we have done wrong, It is God’s form of helping us through His mercy as a “way of salvation!” Praise God! MUCH TRIBULATION SERVES as a form of God’s will, through discipline, to hem in and confine us to the narrow path so we can enter the straight gate to eternal life!
Christians who avoid persecution, resist, and do not take the route of “MUCH tribulation” (not just tribulation – much tribulation) don’t enter God’s Kingdom or heaven! Jesus said strive to enter in at the straight gate..
“Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able,” (Luke 13:24).
It is very important to know the distinction between striving and seeking! When God throws much tribulations at “Strivers,” it causes them to have to strive hard against many negative odds! God is being good to us by allowing many tribulations, because it keeps us in a striving mode to enter His Kingdom! It is a good sign!! I’ve seen how many don’t want to be associated with JMMI because of the amount of persecution, as if it’s not a good thing for their reputation, but through my study today I see they are the casual seekers. Anyone who is on this path of much tribulation understands and embraces going through great tribulation. People who are not on this path and feel they have something to lose by being associated with Apostle Taylor and JMMI are who Jesus called SEEKERS! They take the casual and friendly approach to enter into Heaven, but Jesus already prophesied that these people won’t be able to enter.. Casual seekers don’t make it into the strait gate. Only STRIVERS AGAINST GREAT PERSECUTION AND FIERY TRIALS DO!! God knows what we need to keep us on the straight and narrow path to enter the Kingdom of heaven!
If you reject the way of tribulation and people who go through it, because of fear of man and wanting an unsanctified peaceful life, then you will miss entering Heaven! If we don’t suffer with Him we can’t reign as kings with Him!
“If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us,” (2 Timothy 2:12).
People who reject and despise discipline and correction, through much tribulation, are going to hell because of their attitude alone! They don’t understand that much tribulation keeps and pressures you to stay on the straight and narrow path to enter eternal life.. If you despise this, like the children of Israel, you can’t enter the promised land (Deuteronomy 1)! The Bible says they hated the “way,” the hard tribulation of the way God took them through, but God knew what they needed to purify their character and get into the promised land! It’s no different with the staff here at JMMI! There is a reward from Jesus for enduring discipline, but you must embrace MUCH TRIBULATION on your journey, and see it as good!
The second major thing is the word MUCH! As a result of “MUCH” tribulation we enter the Kingdom. The amount of tribulation we must go through in our life must be in large volumes for us to enter the Kingdom.. This explains why I go through so many tribulations and so much persecution in my life and ministry! It’s a sign that I’m entering into God’s Kingdom or eternal life through the strait and narrow gate! A lot of Christian are deceived by the devil to think they shouldn’t go through that much tribulation!! As a matter of fact, they think if you go through large volumes of negative circumstances and persecution, then you must be doing something wrong or that you are on the evil path! Most Christians think when they go through back to back trials something is wrong or that it’s strange. The danger is when you are not going through this intense regiment from God! Most Christians think it strange when an abnormal amount of persecution comes against them, but the scripture admonishes us think it not strange concerning the fiery trail which is to try you as though some strange thing has happened to you but to count it as you being a partaker of Christ’s sufferings (1 Peter 4:12-14).
“Woe to them that are at ease in Zion…” (Amos 6:1)
The second flow I studied was:
The process to becoming a prince with God
The process a prince goes through to become a king
The process a king goes through to become an emperor
The process a believer goes through to become a god.. or son of God or a junior or little god
The process to be indwelt by all three members of the Godhead at once, and recognizing each of them distinctly within you
Finally, I studied the process Jesus takes His kings through to cause them to receive their own individual kingdom from Him
Jesus said to the disciples, “Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel,” (Luke 22:28-30).
When you continue through the temptations and do not leave because it gets hard, Jesus appoints unto you a kingdom as His father appointed unto Him!
For the disciples to receive a kingdom and a throne from Jesus, they continued with Him through, “MY TEMPTATIONS…” In the Greek, that means the discipline and rigorous training He took them through.. It also means tests and trials, through experimental testing. At this point, they were only with Him for less than 3 1/2 years! Jesus said that because the underwent His austere discipline, training, and experimental trials without leaving, and endured it He was appointing unto them as kings, their own kingdoms. However, you must continue, meaning to stay engaged in the training! Some think they are ok because they haven’t left like others, but they have checked out of this discipline by being disengaged, while still being here. They are here but are not truly continuing with Jesus’ discipline and the Lord looks at it like you have left, just like the others that have left.
ADs Space