Not a Picnic!

The spirit shrieked, convulsed him and violently 
came out. Mark 9:26

Evil never surrenders its grasp without a tremen-
dous fight. We never arrive at any spiritual inher-
intense through the enjoyment of a picnic but al-
ways through the fierce conflicts of the battlefield. 
And it is the same in the deep recesses of the soul. 
Every human capacity that wins its spiritual free-
dom does so at the cost of blood. Satan is not put 
to flight by our courteous request. He completely 
blocks our way, and our progress must be recor-
ded in blood and tears. We need to remember 
this, or else we will be held responsible for the ar-
rogance of misinterpretation. When we are born 
again, it is not into a soft and protected nursery 
but into the open countryside, where we actually 
draw our strength from the distress of the storm. 
"We must go through many hardships to enter 
the kingdom of God.  Acts 14:22   
John Henry Jowett

Reader, everyday I hear tales of Christians who are
deeply suffering. I am reading through the book of
Esther right now and the story is one of triumph,
but only after severe suffering and pressing on in
the midst of it.
Mordecai said to Esther:
"For if you remain completely silent at this time, 
relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews, but 
you and your father's house will perish."
Esther responded to her uncle:
"...I will go to the king, which is against the law; 
and if I perish, I perish." Esther 4:14-16

Actually, the whole Bible from Genesis three on is
one battle after another. Why do Americans think
that the Christian life should be free of pain?