Posts Tagged ‘suffering’
I recently learned I have ALS
Question: I have recently been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gerig Disease, I think it’s called in the US). I am a strong, committed, and faithful believer in God; however, I am not immune to fear of the unknown. I know I only have a very short time left on earth, and will soon be joining…
Read MoreDoesn’t Psalms 91 promise protection from harm?
Question: Hi, Thank you for this opportunity to send in questions. I read through another question on your site, one about why God allows suffering, innocent children to die, etc. Your response was enlightening. Thank you. I would like to find out if you know why God actually allows the suffering (let’s say a child being…
Read MoreI wouldn’t have chosen to be born, if I knew the struggles and temptations I would be facing
Question: Hello, I’m writing in response to the question sent in in regards to choices. I was a little confused by the response: “Nor can you claim that life is unfair because you now decide that you don’t what to live by your choices. It is the same as the child who refuses to help in…
Read MoreHow can God expect me to remain a Christian in the face of the death of my son?
Question: Hi there, I recently lost my newborn son due to a premature birth about a month ago. It has been really hard on both me and my husband. We have been gradually picking up our regular routines since it happened, like going back to work and church, but I still feel like missing church…
Read MoreGod, Satan, and Suffering
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2016Summer7GodSatanAndSuffering.mp3 by Tommy Peeler God Has a Plan
Read MoreSolace in Solitude
by Andrew Hamilton Sometimes, you have one of those days. You had a stressful day at work, or you received some bad news. You have a lot on your mind. Where do you turn? “The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. It is good that he…
Read MoreFarther Along
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/FartherAlong.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 73 I. When you were young, you might have grumbled about why you had to clean your room, why were there so many chores, or why you could not stay out late with your friends. A. The adults in this room look back and realize that there were good…
Read MoreJamaica Patois Wisdom – Problems
by Jefferson David Tant The Jamaican Patois dialect is colorful, unique, and humorous. It is my desire to share some of the philosophy shown in this mix of colorful phrases that are witty as well as thought-provoking. I hope the readers both profit and enjoy. In my quarter-century plus of teaching there, I have come…
Read MoreCan I use quotes from your answer on why God doesn’t prevent harm?
Question: Hello, I am in the midst of a time of pain and tragedy for my family having two terminally ill, close family members. I am nursing one and cannot see much of the other terminally ill one. While reading on the Internet someone’s question about ”Why doesn’t God prevent innocent children from being harmed?”…
Read MoreMaking the Best of Bad Situations
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/MakingTheBestOfBadSituations.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 1:12-18 I. As much as we might wish it otherwise, we aren’t often in control A. Things aren’t always optimal B. Things don’t always go our way II. Better than you might think A. The Philippians had hear of Paul’s imprisonment – Philippians 4:14 1. Such would normally be a concern B. Yet Paul…
Read MoreIs God telling Americans to straighten up?
Question: There are so many terrible things going on in the world today. I have a friend that is saying God is trying to warn us as Americans that we need to straighten up in this country or God will turn His back on us. What are your views on that? Thank you. Answer: Every…
Read MoreIs the reason my life is going downhill because of my sexual sins with my girlfriend?
Question: My girlfriend and I have been sexually active for some time now. We sought out advice from our pastor, who suggested we separate to refocus and rededicate our lives to Christ so that if and when reunited we would be better equipped to fight off temptation. We didn’t follow that advice. Instead, we fled.…
Read MoreDoes God hate me?
Question: Hello sir, I’ve often thought of this but would like some clarity if that is OK. I have been looking at the advice you give others online, and you give really good and useful advice! I guess my question is, why does God make me suffer? Does he hate me or something? I know…
Read MoreThings have been getting really hard for me. I need to change my life
Question: Good morning, I just had some things to get off my chest. I have been laid off for about seven months now, and it feels like I am just losing everything slowly: first my job, then my house, my unemployment. It’s like everything is going downhill for me. I have been married for under…
Read MoreI don’t know if my feelings were genuine when I received Christ
Question: You may not know me, but I have seen what you wrote and you seem wise. I ask that you give me a genuine answer. Here goes pouring out my heart’s doubts: I am not sure that I have received Christ. I don’t know if my feeling was genuine and God was touching me,…
Read MoreI haven’t been good. I came down with diabetes. I had sex when I was drunk. Why did this have to happen?
Question: I am 19 and have been through a lot in my life. When I was two my parents were divorced. Between the ages of around 5 to 12, I was allergic to corn. My family had been very close to God and at that time I grew up in the church and wanted to…
Read MoreTwo Trips and Suffering
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/TwoTripsAndSufferings.mp3 by Scott Smelser
Read MoreWhen Strength Is a Disadvantage
by Gary Henry “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses,…
Read MoreIs God punishing me?
Question: I have gotten very ill with a blood disease, and it doesn’t seem to be getting better. Please pray for me to reunite with God, but I actually think that He has left me to die. It really does look like leprosy. I didn’t mean to say what I did, but there has been…
Read MoreWe haven’t done anything really bad, so why are our lives so difficult?
Question: Hi there, I hope you are doing fine. I am only 19. I’m married, my husband is 20. Neither of us has done anything really really bad in our lives, but yet we are suffering like we are the worse people on earth. Of course, we have sinned, but this is just ridiculous. I…
Read MoreWill God heal my brother?
Question: Hello, My brother is going through cancer right now, and the doctors say he is not getting better. I have accepted Jesus into my heart, and I want to trust Him that He will heal my brother, but my mom, who is also a Christian, wants me to face the reality that the Lord…
Read MoreI’m tired of living with this medical condition
Question: What’s the purpose of my life when I’m suffering from a socially isolating and debilitating medical condition? I kid you not, I’m so sick and tired of reading platitudes; I’m tired of begging, pleading, imploring God for help. What’s the point of living, if you can’t function as a whole person? What’s the point…
Read MoreDid my sins cause my pain? If I stop, will my disease go away?
Question: Dear preacher, I am 25 years old. For the past six years, I have been walking with severe heel pain in both legs. I have consulted many doctors, and I have taken many pain killers, steroids, and anti-inflammatory medications but I am unable to walk properly. I was once a district volleyball player, but…
Read MoreWhat would you say to a young teenager who “sometimes feels weak” because he lost his mother?
Question: Hello, By way of counseling, what would you say to a young teenager who “sometimes feels weak” because he lost his mum? Answer: Life is filled with difficulties. You can either let them overwhelm you or you can overcome them. God allows Satan to bring difficulties into our lives because people can rise to…
Read MoreWhy Is Evil Allowed?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/WhyIsEvilAllowed.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ecclesiastes 8:6-13 I. It has happened again. Incomprehensible horror has struck to kill innocent children. A. But we want to know why? Why did it happen? Why couldn’t it be stopped? B. I’ve seen guns blamed, drugs blamed, psychological problems blamed, schools blamed, and, yes, even God blamed – Psalms 10:1…
Read MoreDoes God care about all the surgeries I’m going through?
Question: I was an evangelical Christian over five years ago. I am still a believer. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs or anything like that. I don’t have a girlfriend. I stopped going to church about two years ago. It was because I had surgery (Palatal Expansion). I was born with…
Read MoreWhen the Good Die Young
Text: I Kings 14:1-18 I. It is a sad occasion when a young person meets with death A. We think about the potential that was suddenly cut short. B. The older people think about the experiences they enjoyed that this person didn’t have an opportunity to experience first hand C. We realize we will miss their companionship, especially…
Read MoreWhy is everyone blessed but me?
Question: I always see people being blessed — everyone except me. I used to be closer to God than I am today. Five years ago I miscarried a child, and I was so discouraged. Before that, I would pray all day but after that happened, I didn’t see any reason to. I dusted myself off…
Read MoreWhy hasn’t God blessed me?
Question: I have nowhere else to turn at this point. I have prayed, but I guess I’m not doing it right. I have changed my ways, but I guess I haven’t changed them enough or the right ones. I have strived diligently to be obedient to the word of God as best I can, yet…
Read MoreDid all pain and suffering result from man eating the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
Question: I realize many things happened when man ate of the tree of knowledge. I think I had said once because of such all pain, suffering, and sickness came into the world. I’m not sure why I had said this other than maybe just something I was convinced was true at the time. Is that…
Read MoreWhy doesn’t God just end the world and stop the corruption?
Question: We know, as a fact, that our God does not want anyone to perish and wants all to come to the knowledge of Him and salvation. We even deduce that he created us out of love, as He is love. At the same time, we expect that most people will not be saved, and…
Read MoreMy life is a misery
Question: I have been living in Africa since I lost my dependable job due to political or governmental changes. I think God has left Africa because of the poverty, destructions, killing, famines, homelessness, and many more which is happening here. Now it seems the whole world is against me because I have reached out to…
Read MoreWhy am I suffering like this?
Question: I’m in my early twenties. I’m suffering from arthritis for several years. I took many treatments, but I’m not able to find a cure. I’m a Christian. One more thing is that I was in a relationship with a girl. I loved her like anything. I have touched her several times and I have…
Read MoreHow can someone with sickle-cell anemia be convinced of God’s love?
Question: Should couples who have sickler children be condemned for being selfish in their love by marrying despite a medical warning about genotype incompatibility? How can a sickler be convinced of God’s love? Answer: A “sickler” is a person who has sickle-cell anemia or carries the trait for sickle-cell anemia. Sickle-cell anemia is a genetic…
Read MoreWill I be handicapped in heaven?
Question: I was born with a handicap. It has since become worse. I have applied for disability but can not seem to receive it. Why was I pick for this? What did I do to deserve this? If I die tomorrow, will I be handicapped in heaven? Who should I take my anger out on?…
Read MoreWhat is the blueness of a wound?
Question: In Proverbs 20:30, it reads, “The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so [do] stripes the inward parts of the belly.” What does blueness mean? Answer: This is the older way of say “bruise.” We still keep the memory of it when we say a person was beaten black and blue. Bruises look ugly and…
Read MoreRunning with Horses
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/RunningWithTheHorses.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. Proverbs 14:10 A. Each of us carry burdens in this life – problems which are difficult to bear. 1. They cause us anxiety and disturb our sleep if we dwell on them. 2. We try to put them out of our mind, but suddenly a seemingly unrelated event will remind us of that…
Read MoreWhy do people say God sends trials when they are really caused by Satan?
Question: My question is why do people always say when evil things happen, they believe God is using these evil events to strengthen the one who is being maliciously attacked by another, or who has no will or intent in serving or obeying God anymore? Why do Christians always say God uses tragedies and evil…
Read MoreWhy did God force me to live with autism when I don’t want it?
Question: People say God does not force, but why did God force me to be alive? Even He saw my life before I was born, and God knew that I didn’t want to be alive. Why was I born with autism? It is so hard to have autism. Why can’t I be normal like other…
Read MoreThe Lord is My Help and My Deliverer
Text: Psalm 40 I. Evil exists in this world, and God is concerned about our welfare – Psalm 121 A. With God on our side we have no fear of man – Hebrews 13:5-6 B. Yet many wonder why troubles beset us when the Almighty has promised us protection. II. We often don’t recognize God’s protection A. Perhaps a…
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