Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all – Psalm 34:19
The word “afflictions” means adversities, tests, or trials; it does not mean sickness. As we age our bodies begin to have challenges, such as joint pain, needing reading glasses, etc.; just because we age does not mean we have to have a sickness; challenges and sickness are different.
The Bible does not say that you shall have sickness, but it does say we will have afflictions and tribulations. Some sickness comes when we don’t take proper care of our well-being, and some medications cause sickness as well as the attack of Satan. There are various reasons why sickness comes, some will be healed, and some will not. Only God knows who will and who won’t, but we know for sure that if we’re the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, we will live again, and it will be with the Father and Son.
Jesus said that in this world, we would have tests and trials, that goes for the believer as well as a non-believer. So we can’t get away from the fact that the Bible says we will have trouble. God has promised He would deliver the righteous out of all their afflictions.
Faith is built when you use faith in the midst of a storm to believe God to deliver you. The storms of life test your faith. Exercising your faith in the midst of life’s tests and trials will build faith muscles. Just as a weight lifter builds his muscles by putting them to work against opposing weights, you have to build your faith muscles when you put your faith to work against a test or trial.
How do you put your faith to work against a trial? First, you meditate on the fact that Jesus is your Deliverer in the midst of any trial. Hold fast to your confession that you are more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ. Begin to proclaim with the assurance that you’ll come out of the trial with victory because God is on your side.
Sometimes you have to fast accompanied by prayer, confession, and faith. Know for assurance that Jesus will be with you to walk you to your exit once the trial has been completed or destroyed. You will have to go through whatever has been appointed for you; tears and boohoos will not take it away. Jesus said that we should bear fruit to produce fruit; tests, trials, and issues come into our lives to produce spiritual fruit.
God’s Word tells us that we can expect to have afflictions, tests, and trials in life, but God’s Word also promises that as we think, speak, and act in line with God’s Word, the Lord will deliver us out of every one of them, not a few, but ALL!