No matter what kind of trouble you are in, you simply cannot extricate yourself from it in your own power.

In order to understand how God delivers us from afflictions, we must study how He delivered Israel from their bondage. The Bible says: "Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they are written for our admonition” (1 Corinthians 10:11).

The psalmist writes, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes" (Psalm 119:71). You may wonder, as I have, “What kind of theology is this? Is it actually good to be afflicted?”

Our Savior exists as a man right now in glory. He is a living person—with flesh, bone, hair, eyes—even though He is God. Although we are here on earth, His Spirit dwells within us: “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Galatians 4:6).

Yet, there is another spirit at work in the world—the antichrist spirit. Just as surely as Christ has given us His Spirit, there is an antichrist spirit in the world, preparing hearts for the coming of the Man of Sin!

“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it “(Hebrews 12:11).

God is talking about His own heart here, as well as ours. His chastenings are not joyous to Him, but grievous and painful. Yet when God moves in to judge, He hovers over His children as He chastens them. He looks for even the slightest sign of sorrow or repentance and He lets up at the first inkling of one. He longs to say, "Enough—no more. It pains Me too much to punish you."

Paul gives thanks to God for a people who remain steadfast in perilous times. This holy remnant will rise up against the spirit of antichrist and stand strong. They will never be overcome. On the contrary, they will overcome the world, the flesh and the wicked one!

The first part of God's "double pain" is when we sin in His presence, against His light and love. The sin itself is not what grieves God, however, but the fact that He knows the consequences of our sin. God knows our sin is going to drive us to grief and misery.

The second part of God's "double pain" is that our sin compels Him to keep His Word in judging us. He has to stand by like a loving father and listen to our cries of anguish as He chastens us—all for the purpose of producing godly character in us.

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. . . . They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it. . . . I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them’” (Exodus 32:7-10).

Paul gives us a list of those who will not inherit the kingdom of God:

"Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, not adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

But then the apostle adds: "And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (verse 11).