Why is there Suffering?

Suffering happens in the world, but it is not God’s will that people would suffer. The first understanding of suffering is that God does not send suffering into people’s lives to develop their character or teach them some great spiritual lesson. Now, God can take all things and work them together for our good, so He can take gnarly situations and use them to benefit us. But the big BUT in this thought is who the originator of the suffering is, right? Many people, at times unbeknownst to them, believe that God causes or allows suffering in people’s lives to develop their character and make them stronger. This simply is not true. The one who brings suffering into people’s lives is the devil, plain and simple. The reason those things happen, is that God refuses to control people. Instead He wants them to be self-controlled. So, people make choices, and in those choices either open a door to the Holy Spirit or open a door to the enemy. When we open a door to the enemy, in comes the suffering, pain, and torment.

The second understanding of suffering is that if we haven't opened a door to the enemy but there is spiritual resistance as we advance in God, that the Father is wanting us to overcome. When the enemy occupies a territory and we begin to move into that territory we are resisted. Scientist have proven that the reason light travels in waves, is because darkness resists light. So darkness isn’t just the absence of light, but it has a substance to it. So, as believers as we begin to take new ground we begin to experience the resistance that Paul wrote about in Ephesians 6:12, 'For our STRUGGLE is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms'.

It is in this place, God is wanting to teach you to live by faith and not by feelings. In other words when the roar of the enemy increases and everything in you wants to bow to fear, insecurity, anxiety, etc., that’s when you begin to proclaim the truth about who you are in Christ, and what begins to happen is you enter a season of resistance training. Just like in physical exercise this resistance training increases your spiritual strength. Why is that important? Because God is preparing you for the next season of walking into greater places of authority and taking back what the enemy has stolen. That’s why it says in Hebrews 5:8, ‘Although, he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.’ The Father didn’t send suffering into Jesus life, but the enemy resisted Him, and through faith Jesus persevered to learn obedience to the voice and will of the Father over His feelings, circumstances, and challenges. From this perspective He then exercised His authority to rule in the normal course of life. So no longer did lack of money, sickness, demonic oppression, etc. intimidate Jesus. Now, He was seated in heavenly places and released a superior Kingdom into each encounter to bring about transformation.

So, if you find yourself in the place of the enemy’s roar, begin to declare the truth, and watch the resistance training of the Kingdom release heaven into the earth.

Justin Dorroh
Pastor of 'The Door'
Portland, Or