William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, had a vision from God in 1865 about the lost and his indifference towards them that changed his life and gave him the passion from God he needed to begin his life’s work.

He said, “After spending years of trying to preserve my life through pursuing a quest of healing, I finally gave up, and gave my life to Christ. Now I was a professing Christian, I was one who was active in religious activities. In fact, I considered myself to be quite a shining light. I always attended church on Sunday and I taught in the Sunday School. Now and then, though not very often, I visited the sick. And in addition to these good deeds I gave a little money to support Christian work. In all this I was quite sincere. I had no idea of playing the hypocrite. It’s true that I didn’t stop to consider what Christianity really was, although I talked freely enough about it at times, and pitied people who didn’t profess to be Christians. I seldom, if ever, considered what Jesus Christ required. Jn 12:25 “Anyone who loves his life loses it, but anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. [Whoever has no love for, no concern for, no regard for his life here on earth, but despises it, preserves his life forever and ever.”] Disquieting thoughts kept crossing my mind – because I couldn’t keep out questions that kept arising as to whether I had truly followed Jesus Christ and laid down my life for a perishing world with my time and influence, and money and family.”

Many of these same questions came to my mind as I pondered my time on the earth. What am I holding onto that is blinding me to the cries of a lost and dying world? Am I truly following Jesus and forsaking all for Him?  O Lord, help me! O Lord, destroy everything in me that interferes with the prosperity, growth, and fruitfulness of this precious, divine, and everlasting fruit that comes through sickness. God, peel away the cloak of pride, unforgiveness, lust, self preservation and ego. Keep drawing me with cords of love to the altar of self sacrifice.

Thoughts on why God allows adversity in our lives:

1) To expose the wickedness of our hearts that we are not seeking God. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it [perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind]?” Jer 17:9. “No one understands [no one intelligently discerns or comprehends]; no one seeks out God” Ro 3:11.

2) To reduce us to weakness and total dependence on Christ. “So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength)” 2 Cor 12:10.   “I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing” Jn 15:5.

3) So we can learn to trust Him and His word above our circumstances. “But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” Mt 4:4 “For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance” 2 Co 5:7.

4) To give us peace in knowing that Jesus overcame the world and we also can be overcomers over our circumstances and adversities. “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] Jn 16:33. “I write to you, fathers, because you have come to know (recognize, be conscious of, and understand) Him Who [has existed] from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong and vigorous, and the Word of God is [always] abiding in you (in your hearts), and you have been victorious over the wicked one” 1 Jn 2:14.

“For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith”  1Jn 5:4.

 After attending two funerals this week, my soul started to become downcast but God didn’t allow me to stay in that place long. He reminded me to be strong and courageous, to continue to walk by faith and to not lose sight of His victory. What was His victory? Jesus was found worthy, because of His great love and sacrifice for His Bride, to open the book, and loose the seals, so He could receive from His Father the Kingdom of Heaven for us.

"And [now] they sing a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to break the seals that are on it, for You were slain (sacrificed), and with Your blood You purchased men unto God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And You have made them a kingdom (royal race) and priests to our God, and they shall reign [as kings] over the earth! vs12 Saying in a loud voice, Deserving is the Lamb, Who was sacrificed, to receive all the power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and majesty (glory, splendor) and blessing!"  
Rev 5:9-10,12.  

He already had the kingdom with His Father but He wanted to share it with His bride!

“And now, Father, glorify Me along with Yourself and restore Me to such majesty and honor in Your presence as I had with You before the world existed” Jn 17:5.

“[Rather, I will say,] Father, glorify (honor and extol) Your [own] name! Then there came a voice out of heaven saying, I have already glorified it, and I will glorify it again” Co 1:13.

“The Father has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” Jn 12:28.  “And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory” Ro 8:17.

When we can personalize the length and extent Jesus went through to have fellowship with mankind, we can begin to comprehend His great love for us, His Bride. The attraction to this world doesn't have the same pull or temptation. It is not until the eyes of our understanding begin to comprehend all that our King was willing to do for us that we surrender our hearts to be won for Christ. We come to believe with all our heart  soul, mind and body that we are truly the objects of all of the Savior’s affection. 

As a new creation in Christ, we begin to discover that through His love and great power, we have been delivered and redeemed, we were healed, forgiven and changed forever, old things are past away, all things become new! Our Savior has come to rescue us from death through His Finished Work on the Cross. He has come to give us the Kingdom that he has won for us. We, as the Bride of Christ, eagerly await for our King to come and deliver us from this world.