For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 2 Corinthians 4:17 KJV
Affliction! That seems to be a very common word in the faith. As a Christian we can face affliction for simply being a follower of Jesus. When we accept Jesus as our savior it is like we have a target painted on our back and the enemy of our soul is fighting to get you back into darkness. But we should really take note of how Paul faced affliction. We know he faced many afflictions for the sake of the Gospel. He said, “which is but for a moment.” This scripture and his attitude helped me receive from the Lord once more. Hopefully this will inspire or guide you in to another victory with the Lord.
* An Annoying Affliction *
One day at work I began experiencing a headache. Who hasn’t experienced one of those? My first reaction to an affliction is running to the Lord and using some scripture that I can remember. The bible says we are to mediate on his word day and night so I want to be as Lord focused as I can.
Well, on this particular day as I mentioned, I began experiencing a headache. I made sure I was drinking enough water because although we are spiritual there are some simple “natural” things we can do to take care of our bodies. Afflictions are not always spiritual attacks. These natural things we need to do can be such things as getting the proper sleep, eating, drinking enough fluids, taking a shower, etc. I hope you get the idea. Things as simple as neglect or ignorance of those natural examples listed can affect our bodies. So as I made sure my body was hydrated I was still experiencing this headache. The bible says in Mark 11:22-24 to speak to the mountain so I commanded the headache to go. It improved – praise the Lord!
As the morning progressed I noticed my headache was starting to come back. I spoke to it again and it was only slightly alleviated this time. I did this about 3 times during the day. I remember thinking, “what scripture can I focus on to help this headache go away? For this affliction to go away?” I remembered the scripture Paul used at that moment and began to think about it. I began to mediate on it focusing on the “light affliction is but for a moment”. I kept thinking about that over and over. It’s just a moment compared to eternity. Eternity is long and this is just a moment. A blink of an eye. Before I knew it my headache was gone. It was gone for good this time. Praise the Lord!
* Where Is Your Focus? *
So where is your focus when you face affliction? Are you making your problem bigger or are you turning your attention to the one who can set you free and what his word tells us? God is never too busy for us to answer our questions nor is he thinking that problem is too small for Him to even bother with a response. He cares for every thing that happens to you. If you reach out to him he will surely respond in your time of need. Don’t be afraid to ask for His help even if you have read and known the Bible for many years. The victory is always yours with Christ! Sometimes we need to boldly go to the throne and ask him a simple question. But he is faithful to answer! That is what he wants… for us to keep seeking Him no matter the circumstance.
