Earth. We, as Christians, as believers in God, are not of this world. Our citizenship is in heaven. We were with Christ from the beginning, and we will return to Him when we die. On earth, we will have trials, troubles, struggles. The Lord knows about this. He knows what we are going through. Everyone has different kinds of struggles. When we do through troubles or trials or struggles, we feel pain, even as Christians. The Lord knows this. All of this is necessary, however. He is shaping us down here so we can fit in up there, in heaven. Our spirit is growing, just as a child has growing pains in the teeth and even in the body as a teenager. Growth requires pain. Also, going through this life on earth, we will tremendously appreciate the peace of Jesus Christ when it reigns in our hearts. When we die, struggles and pain will no longer exist. We will be with the Lord. He is weaning us off of this earth, just like a puppy weans off of the milk of the mother. We get tired, anxious, feel pain, and suffering. Yet, we have joy in the morning, that is, when the trial is over. It is painful getting formed by the Hand of God, but he is doing it because He loves us and wants us to have a stronger spirit.

We have a wickedness inside of us that tells us not to trust in God. This is why we worry. We know His Son Jesus Christ has died on the cross for the washing away/forgiving of our sins. We know that Jesus is risen from the dead. We have no problem with this. Our problem lies in the other part of faith. That is, knowing that God is in control of every situation we face. We struggle so much with this. Even when we know for sure that God is in control, we still face worrying. Why? It is the battle with the flesh and the battle with Satan. Our flesh and Satan tells us to worry about our situations and misleads us into a destructive type of emotion and behavior. It is good to know that this is really not our nature. We belong to the Lord and to heaven above. Life itself is a big trial, consisting of mini-trials. And some trials we face do not seem so �mini�. So, what are we to do? Acceptance is a huge part of the factor. Accepting that we will face trials of many and various kinds. Accepting that we will face worry, even though Jesus told us not to worry about our life. Accepting that we do have evil within us at the present time, even if we like it or not. Yes, we are holy in God�s eyes, but we still have sin within us. Sometimes it seems like we don�t even have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. But, don�t let yourself or Satan mislead you into this thought. Satan is the biggest liar of them all.

We face trials everyday. At work, home, family, friends, colleagues, even on vacation! We even worry when we have off work because we don�t want to go back to work. It�s an endless cycle, unless you are absent from the body and present with the Lord. We must understand that we are only on earth for a short period of time, comparing it with eternity. The Lord will carry you through the good times and the bad. Even when we know a trial is coming our way, the Lord knows about it. This is very hard to comprehend and understand because we are the ones feeling the pain and suffering. You may say, �Oh, Lord, if you only knew my heart�s pain.� He does! We are being molded. Shaped. Chiseled. It hurts. It really does. But it is all out of love for you. You will never be tested beyond what you can handle. You will walk through the fire, but not be burned. What�s the worst that can happen? Death? Great!, then you�ll be with the Lord. The same problem(s) you are facing right now, other believers are going through the same thing. We are not of this world. We are not. If we were, we�d really enjoy it, but we really don�t. Everything breaks down on us. Cars, houses, flowers, grass, bodies, emotions, you name it. Everything pierces our hearts. We are not of this world. This is the best joy you can get, knowing that we don�t belong here. It�s like a space mission for God. The only thing we can do is hang in there. Wait until God is done with his work in us.

Life is very tough. It�s a wonder how non-Christians can make it in the world today. I don�t know how they do it. We as Christians have hope. We know that God is doing all of this out of love for us. It�s a painful process, but in the end, it�ll pay off. One day, we will be with the Lord. It�s only a matter of time.

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