Divine Purpose Magazine Issue 002 | Page 25

must not depend on bread alone to sustain you , but on everything that the Lord says .... In the desert he gave you manna to eat , food that your ancestors had never eaten . He sent hardships on you to test you , so that in the end he could bless you with good things ~ Deuteronomy 8:2-3 , 16 GNT
In the above scripture , God deliberately led the children of Israel through the desert just to test them and to know what was in their hearts . He made them go hungry , thirsty and through a trackless desert because He needed to teach them to depend on Him . God ' s lessons are not learned through theory , but through experience . It may be that sometimes we don ' t understand why we have to go through tough times and issues in our lives , but God always has a purpose for everything we go through . All these people were not outside the will of God , yet they faced great persecutions , heartaches , and trials beyond our imaginations . Not to mention Christ Jesus . If Jesus himself had His own share of adversities , how much more us ? We need to realise that we are not of the
world and if we live in it , opposition is sure , but there is hope .
I have told you this so that you will have peace by being united to me . The world will make you suffer . But be brave ! I have defeated the world ” ~ John 16:33 GNT
Before I continue , let me also mention that not all tough or hard times are from God . Some are from other sources like from the enemy for instance , or our own disobedience and sin , like in the case of Jonah for example . It ' s important to discern what ' s from God and what isn ' t . If it ' s from God , He always supplies the grace for us to go through the diffculties while teaching us whatever He wants us to learn . It ' s also important for us to position ourselves to learn because failure on our part prolongs the whole experience .
So why does God allow adversities into our lives ?
Adversities bring trials and tribulations into our lives , and since we are forced to face and deal with big issues that are beyond us , we are forced to rely on God to save us . If
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