It’s All in Your Mind

be misunderstandings, criticisms, and reproach. But every time they come, I am still miserable. Victory, however, must come. Happiness will come. ":;J/. IJL h ,,p¥Mlllud Ii,¥. tlze nm,u,, oJ @Juid, kap.p.y, au ,µ.; /M- Liu Jpml a/ g,,/.My, an.do ./- .(},at.[ ,wdl,, llpMl fJ.61L." Note, it does not say Kin you;" it says "'upon you." That almost sounds like Acts 2 and the experience at Pentecost. How does this blessing come7 It comes through sufferings. Peter seems to say, "With this will come a special spirit of glory and of God." Then he adds, "On l1uu pmtl he [Christ] u mil, .1p.olwt o/,, h«l Mt ,p,u.1 p,an lte u gltJlfi/ud. " Those who are causing the reproach are speaking evil of Christ and of you; but on your part, there is happiness. When you are criticized and you stay happy or you are maligned and you continue to rejoice, do you know what you are doing? You are arming your mind with the defense and the knowledge that it is going to happen, and it causes you to glory. Here's the mind of Christ in regard to suffering. Peter says, "I want you to know that suffering is going to come. When it does, the one example you. have is Christ. He had a mind, an attitude, a spirit, and you must have the same." Christ said, "(la/Ju,., /J,N)i.iu_ dum; /b¥- llw,t k.noM no.l wJw1 lJwJ dJJ." (Luke 23:34). We have the spirit of Christ. This is beautifully simple, but difficult to apply. Verse fifteen begins with but. Sometimes believers create their own suffering. "(]Jul l.d. nJ}H£ o/ ,µJ-U [that is, believers] .m.Hu. tU. a lllll.llMru.."' Strange for Peter to write this, but how about murdering mentally? Have you ever thought about it? Peter is dealing with a great deal of mental subjects. The old nature is still alive and powerful. He speaks of thieves. I think many times the misery and anxiety which we call suffering for Christ is really a result of having done something dishonest. As Christians we cannot cheat and be happy. We will create suffering in our lives, at least mentally. Peter adds, "du o.n t?JJd dtJ.u." That is a nice, general term. Someone has said that 99 per cent of our mental anidety as Christians is because we sin. And that anxiety is proof that we are Christians. Peter continues "u tU. a /m.J,p,tJ-d_,y. i.n 0-lho. mm,',1, nw.Jhn,." Now, if we suffer for these things, we are not going to bring glory to God, and the Spirit is not going to rest upon us in a special way. Verse siKteen says, "Q/ff. ii- «mJ, mtm. ll1/Ju. lll a ~ I.et him, nM. h aJuund." Don't be ashamed because you suffer. That is not a sign that you are a weak Christian. Suffering makes you a special Christian, one who is maturing in and with Christ. The sad part is that a believer can go through these experiences and not mature and not become a little more settled; not be more secure, happy, loving, and thankful. Have you become bitter because of suffering? If a believer suffers, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God; Christ suffered and it brought results in His life. So, arm yourself to suffer, and be sure that it brings the same results. Verses 12 and 19 describe the kinds of suffering Peter is talking about. 74