Before doing this study, please read the one-minute introduction Trusting God as the Engineer of our Lives. It features and explains this quote by Corrie ten Boom: “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”
Sadly, many Christians are taught that following Christ will make their lives easy and understandable. But Scripture never promises this. So let's look at some of the verses that tell us that the Christian life will contain persecution, hardship, and confusion at times.
✔ After telling the Apostles about the coming hardships, Jesus said this:
John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
✔ The early church understood they would suffer hardships for their faith:
Acts 14:21-22: “They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. 'We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,' they said.”
✔ Peter explains that as we remain faithful under trials, we honor God with proof of our faith.
1 Peter 1:3-9: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
✔ I love this statement of faithfulness made by Paul:
2 Corinthians 4:8-9: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
Have you thought about the purpose of difficulties in your walk with the Lord?
Never forget that we can face these difficulties with the Lord's help!
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10 Reasons You'll Love the book Wisdom for Life. A collection of 100 one-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs and a great gift for people who love God's Word.
Full description of the book Lies in Disguise. A much needed book to uncover half-truths that misuse Scripture and weaken Christian faith.
copyright 2015, Gail Burton Purath, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com, updated in 2026
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