We Christians are not always aware that our suffering results from God's judgment on our personality. If we are to be worthy of the Kingdom of God we must submit patiently to our sufferings, always turning to God for help.

When we are frustrated, in pain, resisted, or knocked down in some other manner, we are not to complain or blame God, people, or the devil. We are to stay before God faithfully and patiently, in the meanwhile always praising God and letting our desires be made known to Him.

Suffering is such a blessing if we use it to drive us to Christ! Before we suffer we grow careless and foolish. We let our spiritual guard down. We speak idle words. We are not fit for the Presence of God. Then calamity overtakes us and we turn to God instead of giving in to fear, dread, and blaming others. How sincere our prayer becomes, how pure, how strong, how fervent!

The purpose of our suffering is to purify us from sin, to drive us to God in prayer. It is through such pain and fear that we are pressed into God. If we receive suffering correctly our self-will, that supreme enemy of God, is crucified. It is then we find peace and holiness.

Every time you are confronted with disaster or trouble of some kind, pray! Keep on praying! Use your trouble to drive you to Christ.

God has a great throne in Heaven where His will is done. But the angels, led by Satan, rebelled against God. At this point God charged His angels with error and conceived a tremendous plan. God's plan includes placing His new creature, man, in charge of His creation.

But God had to go one step further. If He assigned all authority in the heavens and on the earth to man, there would be a clear danger that man would fall through pride and disobedience. He would become another Satan. Also, God is not willing to give His glory to another.

Therefore as part of His plan to place man in control of His creation, God created a throne room in each individual. God is in the process of moving His throne from Heaven to the hearts of His sons. Then the sons will be part of Himself through Jesus Christ. They will not be separate from God, and so when God gives them authority and power He is giving it to Himself. He is not giving His glory to another.

Basic salvation includes our being forgiven through the atonement made by Jesus Christ. This does not change what we are and we still are on the throne of our own personality.

The baptism with the Holy Spirit includes the Presence of God's Spirit upon us and in us. However, this does not change our motives for we still are on the throne of our own personality. This is where the Pentecostal people are today.

To be continued.