Help for

suffering saints
by Ina Manly Painter
J
ohn Flavels statement surprised me,
not like someone slipping up behind
me, but like a spotlight illuminating
a brilliant truth.
Tese words were written by one of
the most noteworthy of the later Puri-
tans,
2
John Flavel [1628-1691], an Eng-
lish clergyman. He obviously believed
the Bible to be the practical and mighty
defense against temptation that it is. He
was said to be the physician of souls.
3

His works are lled with short and in-
teresting narratives, rich in simplicity
and ingenious comparisons. Even today
Flavels writings win our hearts by their
warm, personal kindness.
Tings that cause us to suer are
for the most part recognizable, whereas
temptations easily escape our notice.
Satan, the Arch Deceiver, masquerades
himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthi-
ans 11:14). He often catches us o guard
by piggy-backing our suerings with
ensnaring temptations when we are
already wounded. As Job grieved the
sudden death of his children and loss
of his property, Satan compounded his
suerings by using his helpful wife to
tempt him. Do you still hold fast your
integrity? Curse God and die! (Job 2:9)
Te eectiveness and power of temp-
tation lie in our unsuspecting ignorance
and gradual enslavement once we begin
to yield. Satan employs whatever it takes
to manage his temptations. And he does
it in ways we least suspect in order to
bring about the greatest damage. He may
use a close friend (Psalm 41:9); a brother
(Matthew 10:21); a son (2 Samuel 15:6); a
daughter, a daughter-in-law (Micah 7:6).
Hebrews 11:37 shows Satans min-
gling temptation with suering: Tey
were stoned, they were sawn in two, they
were tempted, they were put to death with
the sword.... Of the four methods of in-
tense suering that lead to their deaths,
three are similar, but one is dierent.
Te main design of Satan, in raising
persecution against the saints ... is not
so much their blood that he thirsteth
after, as their fall by temptation: and all
persecutions are designed by him to in-
troduce his temptations. We must settle
this principle in our hearts: It is better to
fall into any suering than into the least
sin (Hebrews 11:24, 25). Suering is but
an external, individual, and temporary
evil; but sin is an internal, universal, and
continuing evil.
4
Te hazards and dangers of Christians in times of persecution, arise not
so much from their suerings, as from the temptations that always attend,
and are by Satan planted upon their suerings: for the most part, suerings
and temptations go together.
Heb.ll:37.
39 Counsel of Chalcedon Issue 4 2010
Help for Suering Saints
How can you conquer
temptations?
(1) By reading Gods word. Satans tac-
tics are recorded there. His quiver pos-
sesses no darts that have not already
been aimed at other Christians before
they were aimed at you (1 Corinthians
10:13). You should study so you can say
with Paul, We are not ignorant of Satans
devises (2 Corinthians 2:11). Memorize
and meditate on Scripture, doctrinal
truths, and hymns of the faith. Tis will
help to keep you from temptation. Sa-
tan knows the intimacy of 2 Chronicles
15:2: Te Lord is with you while you are
with Him. While you are in that special
place with God, you are most able to re-
sist Satans ery darts.
(2) Cutting o the advantages of temp-
tations before they begin. Temptations
rise best from the poison of other lusts
that fuel and feed them. Inordinate, un-
holy desires give temptations strength
(Colossians 3:5). Only as you wean
yourself from those passions will you
be freed from them (Revelation 12:11).
(3) Recognizing the way of escape God
provides for vou when you are tempted
(1 Corinthians 10:13). Although God
gives Satan permission to tempt you,
remember you are still in Gods loving
and preserving hand (Deuteronomy
33:3). While Satan desires to sift and
try you on earth (Luke 22:31,32), Christ
intercedes for you in heaven (Romans
8:34; Hebrews 7:25).
(4) Believing there is no security, no
help and no hope in the ways of sin, He
that runs from suering to sin, runs
from the seeming to the real danger;
from the painted to the living lion.
5

(See 1 Peter 5:8.)
(5) Realizing the consequence of yield-
ing to temptations: Gods name will be
ridiculed and profaned (2 Samuel 12:14;
Nehemiah 5:9); a stumbling-block will
be laid out for others (Romans 14:13);
the hearts of many will be discouraged
and threatened (2 Samuel 19:1-4). Your
fall will be like the fainting of a stan-
dard-bearer, and a horrifying and last-
ing wound will be sculptured into your
conscience (Psalm 51:3).
(6) Relying upon divine strength. Keep
watching and praying that you may not
enter into temptation; the spirit is willing,
but the esh is weak (Matthew 26:41).
Never try to handle a temptation on
your own. Finally, be strong in the Lord
and in the strength of His might (Ephe-
sians 6:10). Take every thought captive.
Recognize sin when it starts (2 Corinthi-
ans 10:5). Call sin what God calls it and
repent (1 John 1:9). Ask God to create a
clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit
within you (Psalm 51:10).
QUESTION: How can we con-
sider it all joy, my brethren, when we
encounter various trials ... (James 1:2)
if, when we suer, we yield to fear, ir-
ritation, anger, pride, apathy, resentful-
ness, guilt, slander, gossip, immorality,
doubt, hopelessness, drunkenness, de-
pression, idolatry, greed, covetousness,
impatience, complaining, murmuring,
jealousy, self-pity, sexual sins, unholy
desires, deifying self, questioning God,
or other sins? Are these and other sins
not what result when we fail to dier-
entiate between suering and tempta-
tion, and fail to kill (deaden, deprive of
power) the evil desires lurking within
us (Colossians 3:5)?
Counsel of Chalcedon Issue 4 2010
40
Help for Suering Saints
Suering is one thing. Yielding to
temptation while suering is another
matter altogether.
Bibliography
1. John Flavel, Te Works of John Flavel,
vol. 6 [1820] (London: Banner of Truth,
1968), 58.
2. John Flavel, Te Mystery of Providence
[1678] with an Introduction by Michael
Boland (Edinburgh: Banner of Faith,
1976), 8.
3. Ibid., 11.
4. Flavel, Te Works, 59, 62.
5. Ibid., 63.
I
na Manly Painter has an M.S. in Psy-
chology/Counseling from the University
of Tennessee in Knoxviile, where she and
her husband Harrison reside. Ina is author
of Finding Hope In Gods Everlasting, Inti-
mate Friendship, available at www.InaMan-
lyPainter.com and a Christian bookstore
near you. Ina can be reached at Hipainter@
charter.net.
Come with desire and you shall go away
with comfort. You shall have the virtues of
Christs blood, the infuences of His Spirit,
the communications of His love.
A
fter several years of meditation, study,
and prayer, Judy has completed writ-
ing and composing songs for each of the
Beatitudes.
Judy says, This may be the most signif-
cant body of songs I have written.
Ina Manly Painter