HH, Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div

Are you being mistreated? Are you facing persecution for your Faith?
How do you handle injuries and offences that come your way?
How do you keep from getting weary, fretful, or revengeful?
All your answers are found in the Bible. It offers you guidelines to follow in order to obtain your freedom and deliverance. I will outline some of the most important ones.

1. Be Patient

James 5:7-8 – “Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. ⁸ Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.“

One of the hardest things to do when undergoing ill-treatment is to be patient. Yet that is exactly what the Scriptures tell you that you must do at this point in time.

Be patient through your season of unrest and turmoil. You do not want to react to give your opponents any ideas how you are feeling and what your reactions will be.

• Bear your storms and wrongs without revenge and murmuring.
• Don’t grow weary or allow your courage, strength, and forbearance to wane.
• Endure it all without growing exhausted.
• Don’t take matters into your own hands. Commit your cause into the hands of the Lord.
• Wait for His timing for He will surely come to vindicate and deliver you.

2. Establish Your Heart

James 5:8 – “ Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.“”

Faith and patience are two virtues which serve to strengthen and establish our hearts.
Where can you find these virtues?
For one, Romans 10:17 informs us that – “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

At this time especially, “soak yourself” in the Word of God. Allow it to build you up, strengthen your heart, and give you spiritual stamina and constancy so that you are enabled to face any kind of adverse circumstances with boldness and in the right manner. You can only find that discipline if you sink yourself in the word of the Lord and lean not on your understanding.

3. Grudge Not

James 5:9 – “Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.”

We mentioned that the hardest thing to do when undergoing ill-treatment is to be patient. Going one step further, we must say that the worst thing to do is to grumble; complain; murmur; find fault; or become uneasy, distrustful, sour, envious, fretful, or revengeful. None of these things will help us get the godly results we are expecting from this situation.

You cannot and must not grieve, sigh, groan, grumble, complain, become displeased, or vent your feelings about what others are doing to you, how they seem to have the advantage over you or are prospering and having it easy while you suffer. Listen up brethren these things are only for a season and at the end of the trial, you will be strengthened and resting on a much stronger foundation. Remember vengeance belongs to the Lord alone.

Leave it all in the hands of the Lord.

Otherwise, your fretfulness will bring you more calamity and trouble and expose you to the just judgment of God.

4. Follow The Examples Of The Husbandman, Prophets, and Job

James 5:7, 10-11 – “⁷ Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain. ¹⁰ Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. ¹¹ Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.“

What can you learn from the example of the farmer? He plants his seed and then waits patiently for the grain to grow. He understands that he has no control over the rain, sun, or seasons. He also understands that the maturity of the crop takes time. In due time, he expects a ripened harvest.

Even so, you must realize that you have sown seeds of tears, fervent prayers and intercession, as well as the Promises and Counsel of God for your harvest. You have no control over circumstances, situations, events, people’s hearts or reactions. Only God does.

Nonetheless, you have sown your seeds; therefore, you can expect a spiritual harvest to come. Things will develop in their proper season. God’s Will and the arrangement of His plan will be carried out. You can expect the deliverance from your troubles and trials. Wait for it; it will surely come. You can count on it!

Know there were others before you who have also suffered affliction and persecution. Was it because they did something wrong? No, Absolutely not! In fact, they were ill-treated because they were righteous and living holy before the Lord.

Take the prophets, for example. They were highly favoured of the Lord. They were God’s Chosen Vessels to carry and deliver His Word to the people. Because the people were not right with God, they, in turn, rejected, mistreated, and abused these holy spokesmen. They cast them out of their company, ridiculed them, and mocked their prophecies.

In the midst of it all, these Holy Men endured and committed the keeping of their souls to the Almighty. You must do the same.

James 5:11 – The Apostle James said – “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”

Then he drew our attention to a remarkable, Biblical example of patience under severe testings and trials. Also in James 5:11, it is recorded that he said – “…Ye have heard of the patience of Job…”

Everyone knows about Job. But what is it about this man that we all remember?

In the midst of a variety of grievous miseries, afflictions, and losses, he blessed God. He was stripped and deprived of worldly possessions, tempted by the enemy of his soul, and tortured in his body by a most severe affliction, yet he held his integrity until his “change” came.

In Job 14:14, we read his statement of Faith – “If a man dies, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.”

What patience is displayed here! What endurance! What an example of trust in the Almighty and a total resignation to His Divine Will, Purpose, and Plan! You can accomplish this if you are built in the foundation of the word of God with total obedience to the will of God.

The Holy Spirit would have you make the same Declaration of Faith while undergoing your adverse circumstances – “…all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.”

• Wait!
• Be patient!
• Establish your heart!
• Don’t give place to grumbling and complaining!

Like the husbandman, expect your harvest of deliverance to come! Endure all ill-treatment like the Prophets of old!

And like Job, that Mighty Man of God, “wait” patiently till your “change” comes.
It will! It will! It will! Just as it happened for Job, your “change” will come as well.
Wait for it! Expect it!

5. Let The Judge Handle It

James 5:7-9,11 – “⁷ Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain. ⁸ Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. ⁹ Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. ¹¹ Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.“

Many commentators have remarked that the “coming of the Lord” mentioned by James applies to the Lord’s coming to judge the world and receive His people unto Himself. Or they mentioned the “coming of the Lord” in reference to the release from all troubles through physical death.

But a third option that we would like to consider is the “coming of the Lord” personally to punish your oppressors and vindicate and deliver you.

The Apostle James said it this way – “…behold, the judge standeth at the door…”

Who is this “judge”?

It is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ – the One Who knows all and sees all!

He knows of every wrong word spoken and abusive deed done to you. And, in His appointed time, He will come to set all things right. Oh, my brothers and sisters and all those reading this message today that no evil deeds done to a child of God will go unpunished. You see many of us forget that there is God watching over us and He knows all things. He sees all the injustice done to His children and one day He will avenge the enemies for the evil deeds they have done to His children.

James 5:11 – What is so crucial is that you do as Job did – see the “end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”

You must see the “end” from the very beginning of your trial. Always keep in mind, when undergoing ill-treatment and persecution, the “end of the Lord.”

What is “the end of the Lord”? It is a Hebraism for the issue, design, result, or “end” to which God brings all things.

“…the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” Aren’t you glad to know that?

He is full of compassion and tender mercies for His own. Hence, when His purposes are answered and fulfilled in your trials, He will “come” and make amends for all your sufferings and afflictions. He will vindicate you. The glory at the “end” of your trial will far outshine the glory at the beginning.

Job 14:14 – “…all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.”

Who’s bringing your”change”?

The Lord Jesus Himself!

Therefore, at this time, be patient, establish your heart, avoid all grumbling and complaining, and be sure to glean great encouragement from the examples of the husbandman, the Prophets, and Job.

And last but not least, commit your cause to the Lord and let Him handle it.
In due time, He will come. He will punish your oppressors and release you from all your sufferings.

Things are going to change! You can count on it! It won’t be much longer before you see the results before your very eyes. Wait on the Lord and again I say wait on the Lord.

May God Bless His Word.