Triumphing Over Affliction
Study Text: James 5: 13 - 16
Introduction:
- Prayer is the only Scriptural medicine prescribed to overcome afflictions. Whatever the affliction, be it poverty, hardship, struggling with your business, sickness and so on, do not get worried, but channel all your energy and time into prayer.
- This is because the Devil is at work to rob you of your joy and peace of mind, and if you lose the strength to pray, you may not be able to resist being taken away from the way of righteousness.
- In our times of affliction, God will do nothing, except you invite Him into it. Matthew 7:7. And it is also important to ask or pray with faith in your heart, for the Bible says, “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6
- Affliction is part of our Christian experience. The moment you are identified with Christ, the enemy will begin to trouble you, but we have been given victory already through Jesus Christ, we only need to activate and enjoy the victory through prayers.
- There are many example of people in the Bible who went through affliction and they turned to God and He did not forsake them.
- In the same way, He will not forsake you also, if you turn to Him all day and night in the times of afflictions. We have the examples of Jacob, Hannah, Jabez, Job, the Apostles at various instance.
- We shall be discussing the topic under three subheadings:
1. The Description of Afflictions
2. The Dimensions of Afflictions
3. The Deliverance from Afflictions
1. The Description of Afflictions
- There are several ways we can look at and describe what affliction is:
1. It is a programmed and sudden calamity by the Devil
- This comes with the purpose of uprooting your faith and confidence in God and to take you bound by the Devil to fulfill his own purpose.
- We saw the example of this in Job, when the Devil attacked him with sudden calamity of manifolds, and later tampered with his health. Job 2:4-10.
2. It is a continuous oppression and hard labours by the Task Masters.
- All forms of maltreatment and hard labour without commensurate reward, measured by the people in power or authority either in the physical or spiritual.
- After the death of Joseph, the new Pharaoh turned the children of Israel to slaves with hard labour, and afflicted them continually making life to become unbearable for them. Exodus 3:7-10
- There are people suffering afflictions from the demonic task masters, labouring in pain and sorrow and have no reward or enjoyment for their labours.
3. All forms of Satanic bondage and demonic oppression, making people to misbehave and unable to fulfill the purpose of God for their lives.
- Demonic attacks comes in different forms and manifestations through unknown evil covenants and curses. They lead to stagnation, absence of favour and breakthroughs in life. Mark 5:1-6.
4. All forms of sicknesses and diseases that is prolonged and can not be managed by Medical attention.
- The Devil do afflict people with the spirit of infirmities and make them not to enjoy the peace that Jesus has given to them.
- We have the example of a woman who was bound with the spirit of infirmities for eighteen years, until Jesus came to set her free. Luke 13:11-13.
5. All forms and manifestations of the devourer of income
- The Devil specialises in making people to gather and them attack them at the harvest time. Whenever you gather money to achieve good things, and bad things always come to take the money.
- The Bible recommends faithfulness to God with our lives, and in payment of tithes and offerings, to enjoy our blessings without the intrusion of the devourer.
- In the account of the woman with the issue of blood, we were told that all her living income were spent on Physicians, and was not getting better. Her case was double affliction: affliction with sickness and with the devourer. Luke 8:43-44.
6. Experiencing unexplainable delay in one area of life or the other.
- When the expected blessings are unduly delayed without explainable reason. Some have delay in making progress in life, in physical growth, in going to schools, getting job, getting married and having children.
- We have the example of Hannah in the Bible, who experienced delay in having Children, despite being the first wife. 1 Samuel 1: 1-6.
7. Absence of peace in the family
- People can be afflicted with certain family storms, which disturb the peace of the family. These include having troublesome spouses, difficult children that can not be controlled, frequent failures and disappointment, loss of lives and properties, etc.
- One of the greatest affliction of Eli as a priest was his wayward children, who caused him much pains and distractions in the service of Lord. 1 Samuel 2:12-17.
2. The Dimensions of Afflictions
- Afflictions come in various sizes and degrees, at various times and stages of life, and for various purposes and last for various durations.
- Most of the times, It comes suddenly and unexpectedly, and therefore unprepared for. Some of the categories of afflictions include:
1. Faith - Attacking Afflictions
- These are afflictions that comes to attack the faith of the believers in God and His words. Romans 8: 35-39.
- The affliction against the three Hebrew men to bow for the idols of the king, or be destroyed in fire, and that against Daniel to stop praying to God or be cast into the lions den, were to shake their faith in God. But through the power and strength of God, they remained faithful and steadfast in the will of God, and they were not disappointed. Daniel 3:17-21, Daniel 6:11-16.
- In whatever we are passing through, we must remain steadfast in our faith in God till the end, so as not to miss our eternal rewards in Christ.
2. Peace - Disturbing Afflictions
- Some afflictions are just for the purpose of disturbing the peace of the believers. This usually comes as a storm against ones health, family, business or ministry.
- Jesus arose and calmed the storm that came against Him and His disciples. If we can hold unto Him in the storm, He will give us all round peace. Philippians 4:6-7.
3. Joy - Destroying Afflictions
- It is the work of the enemy to ensure that as believers, we do not experience the fullness of Joy the Lord promised us. John 10:10.
- So, we see the Devil sending sorrow in the midst of peoples joy from time to time.
- God used Elisha to end the sorrow of barrenness in the life of the Shunemmite woman. But few years later, the Devil came to destroy the joy. 2 King 4:16-20.
4. Efforts - Wasting Afflictions
- These are the afflictions that comes against peoples harvest, wasting their efforts and making them to labour in vain.
- These can come as attack against your children, your business, your finances, etc, preventing people to eat the fruits of their labours. 2 Timothy 2:6.
5. Life - Threatening Afflictions
- These are afflictions that come against the believers with the intention of killing the target, either immediately or at a predetermined time.
- Example was the affliction of Mordecai and the entire Jews in Shushan through Harman. Esther 3:5-6.
- In the spiritual realms, arrows of death are shot against their target and have been programmed to kill immediately or at a later time, through one or more mishaps or calamities.
6. Action - Revenging Afflictions
- There are afflictions that come as a way of revenge from the enemy, especially due to the attack launch against their kingdom through prayers or other spiritual activities of great impact.
- For instance, the affliction suffered by Paul and Silas was due to the deliverance of the slave girl from the spirit of divination. Acts 16: 16-20.
7. Covenant - Enforcing Afflictions
- When someone is operating under a curse, or has an unbroken covenant with the Devil, certain afflictions will show up in the life of such people, for the purpose of enforcing the terms of the curses or covenant.
- All the manifestations of the dumb and deaf spirit in the young boy was to enforce the Satanic covenant against the life of the boy. Mark 9:21-27.
3. The Deliverance from Afflictions
- There is a promise by God to deliver the righteous from all his afflictions. We need to hold on to His words and call upon Him for deliverance from our afflictions.
- In order for the prayer for the deliverance from affliction to be effective, certain things are very necessary:
1. Confession of, and Repentance from Sins.
- We must confess all known and unknown personal sins, and repent from them. We need to equally confess our generational sins, and ask God for mercy and pardon through the blood of Jesus. 1 John 1: 8-10.
2. Delight in His Words and Discover His Promises
- As we meditate in His words, we will discover His promises and provisions for answer to prayers and deliverance. Obadiah 1: 17, Psalm 34:19.
3. Stand on your Authority as a Believer.
- We have been given victory and authority over the Devil and his agents. We must stand in His righteousness and exercise our authority for our deliverance. Luke 10: 18-19.
4. Submit to the Prayer of the Church and the Elders of the Church.
- There is cooperate anointing that is operation when the Church pray together, and we need to submit to the Prayer. Peter was delivered from affliction in answer to the Prayer of the Church.
- Also, the Church elders have been commissioned by God to pray a prayer of faith for our healing and deliverance.
5. Yield Continually to the Holy Spirit
- To have a sustained victory, we must continually yield to the Holy Spirit for a victorious life over the flesh. Galatians 5: 16.
- This will ensure that we are approved of God and have a right stand with God to exercise our authority over the Devil.
Conclusion:
- Afflictions are part of the regular experiences of the believers. In afflictions, we are encourage to pray and be prayed for.
- God has given us victory and deliverance already through the works of grace at Calvary, we are to activate and enjoy our deliverance through fervent prayers with faith.
