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Many people are hindered from coming to Christ because of heart problems. Often, these hindrances are unspoken. These could be deeply rooted in the distant past and it hurts to talk about it. Maybe, they don't even realize just why they can't come to God. They just know that they can't seem to move forward. God is a healer of broken hearts. They need to know this. It could also be that their heart belongs to another lover. It could be that they have wounded hearts. They may not understand unconditional love, never having experienced it. In this article, we want to concentrate on heart problems and how we might respond in a helpful way. It will take much patience and understanding. It will take gentleness. It will mean not taking lightly their pain. God is trying to heal the wounded and broken hearts. He will use us to assist. Let's take a look at some heart problems.
Anger at God
They may be angry at God for some reason. Perhaps they've had suffering in their life for which they blame God. Human suffering is not easy to explain. Sometimes, it may be best to just be understanding, caring, and weep with the person. People tend to reach their own conclusions to deal with suffering. Unless it's blocking their path to God, it may not be in their best interest to try and explain it. If they do seem to be struggling to the point that it is hindering their acceptance of salvation or their relationship with God, you might offer some words to help them move forward. When ministering to someone who is angry at God for suffering, we must differentiate as to what type of suffering to which the person refers. If it is persecution for being a Christian, that goes with the territory. If it is suffering for poor life decisions, reaping and sowing may be involved. If it is suffering caused by our enemy, satan, then we need to clarify to the person just who is causing the suffering for which God is being blamed.
People tend to think that everything that happens must have been God's will or He would not have allowed it to happen. This is a false belief and is, too often, propagated by well-meaning Christians. Further examination of this belief illustrates it's folly. If everything that happens is God's will, then murder, rape, child torture, abortion, and people going to hell are God's will. Clearly, that is not the case. The Bible states in 2 Peter 3:9 that it isn't the Lord's will that "any should perish, but that all should come to repentance". Are all coming to repentance? No. So, God's will isn't being done yet He is allowing people to perish. The Bible also teaches in John 10:10 that the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy but that Christ came to give us abundant life. If God wants us to have abundant life, then killing, stealing, and destroying our lives would not be His will. Yet, many lives are being destroyed. Suffering is not God's will for His followers. One thing that I often say to a person struggling with past or present suffering is, "I don't know why this happened but I don't believe that it is (or was) God's will." They, almost without exception, have never heard this, before.
God often gets the blame for the bad things in peoples' lives. However, Matthew 7:11 states that "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" So, good things must be God's will for us, not bad things. There are many, many more scriptures that one can use to prove that God wants good things for his children, not things that cause pain, suffering, sickness, and death. The enemy of man and God is the one that wants bad things for man. In a nutshell, I sum it up thusly, "GOD GOOD, DEVIL BAD"!
The person to whom you are ministering may be greatly surprised and relieved to hear that their suffering was not what God wanted for them, but is what the devil wanted. This may help them place their anger upon the one that caused the suffering and take it off of God. This, in turn, may help them see God in a whole new light and they may be able to reconsider their anger toward God. If it is suffering that is caused by the enemy of God and man, satan, we should try to inform them that they are placing their anger upon the wrong person. Blame the god of this world, not the God of the universe. As I told one lady who had declared to me that she could never serve a god that killed her grandson, "Ma'am, you're serving the very god that did kill your grandson, the god of this world!"
Anger for a sickness.
If a person is angry at God for disease or sickness in their life or the life of a loved one, we need to make clear God's position on the matter. Jesus healed everyone that came to him for healing. He states in John 6:38 that he came "from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me". So, if Jesus healed everyone and he was doing the will of one that sent him, then healing must be God's will. People have heard so many falsehoods regarding healing and God's will in the matter that it's little wonder they become angry with Him for sickness. The truth will set them free from that anger (John 8:32 - "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.") I have written several articles on the subject of healing. Go here if you'd like to read them.
Now, being a Christian does not exempt us from suffering and we shouldn't expect it to. However, the type of suffering to which I refer is more along the lines of suffering persecution for the gospel. Suffering for the cause of Christ can be expected. Take a look at what the Bible states in Matt. 5:10-12 "...blessed are they who suffer persecution". 2 Tim. 3:12 states that "all who live godly will suffer persecution". So, let the person know that this type of suffering is part of our calling as followers of Christ for Jesus suffered much persecution. We are to "rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings" (1 Peter 4:13). Matthew 5:10 states that "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 1 Peter 4:16 reads, "if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf."
The disciples certainly suffered. Paul suffered much, as described in 2 Cor. 11:23-30, "in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft, 5 times beaten with 39 stripes, 3 times beaten with rods, suffered shipwreck, in journeyings often, in perils of waters, of robbers, of mine own countrymen, of the heathen, in the city, in the wilderness, in the sea, among false brethren, in weariness, painfulness, watchings, hunger, thirst, fastings, in cold and nakedness". (Notice that Paul did NOT say anything about suffering a disease. Go here to read of Paul's "thorn in the flesh".) Paul also wrote in 2 Cor. 4:8-9 of those that work in the gospel that, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." So, living Godly in a fallen and sinful world will, in and of itself, cause suffering.
Sometimes, we cause our own suffering by the choices we make, being careless, and other things. If we don't exercise, don't eat right, abuse our bodies, don't get enough rest, allow too much stress, etc., we are asking for breakdowns of our bodies which can lead to suffering. Again, God did not cause our bodies to break down. We caused it. If we cross the street without paying attention to traffic, we could well get hit by a car. Did God cause that? No. We were careless and negligent. We are often unrealistic when trying to blame God for all suffering and being angry at Him for our own poor decisions. I've heard people blame God because a drunk driver hit a loved one as if it was what God wanted. So, God got a person drunk so that he could, then, accomplish His will by committing vehicular homicide? The person to whom you are ministering may actually agree that that conclusion doesn't make much sense when clarified that way. To summarize, God is not the author of most suffering so let's stop blaming and being angry at Him.
Anger for hard times.
Some may be angry at God because they are going through a rough time. Encourage them to trust God to see them through. Keep in mind that genuine faith doesn't require immediate answers. It, sometimes, takes time to work things out. Don't give up and don't start doubting God. He is right there with them, working on their problem. In the end, He will make what seems bad work out for good. Remind them what Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." God's blessings are promised to those who persevere. Don't quit.
Psalm 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. [2] He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. [3] And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Lament. 3:25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
When helping those that are angry or difficult, we must be patient, fearless, compassionate, caring, understanding, and cautiously transparent. Read my article, "Helping the Hard Case".
Go here to continue - Dealing with addictions
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