Spiritual Casualties: A Loving Outreach to Hurting Christians And A Call to Action for the Church

By Tom Schuessler

It is easy to have faith when all is going well. It is easy to trust God when you have a great job, a great marriage, good health and sound finances. It is very easy to lift your hands and sing God's praises when life is beautiful. It can, however, be quite difficult to trust God when severe trials enter your life. It can make it hard to sing his praises when waves of adversity bring you to the brink of despair. It can seem especially bad when those around you seem to be enjoying life and have things going their way, especially when you see unbelievers with happy homes, good health, and great careers. It is when severe trials come and our faith is tested to the breaking point that we must remember that "... we know in all things that God works for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose". (Rom 8.28) There is a hidden realm in which spiritual warfare is being waged by the forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6.12). This book lays out an explanation of spiritual warfare and gives Biblical evidence showing that even people of God can suffer long and painful trials. It also gives reasons for hope, both now and in eternity to come. The author also issues a call to the Body of Christ to come to the aid of hurting Christians and offers suggestions on who can be part of the healing and how to approach the subject. If you are hurting, you are invited you to journey through this book to find healing and hope from God's word. If you are a Christian with a heart for those who are hurting, you are also invited to journey through this book and try to discern what ministry God may have for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685704421

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Spiritual Casualties

A Loving Outreach to Hurting Christians And A Call to Action for the Church

Tom Schuessler

ISBN 978-1-68570-441-4 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68570-442-1 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Tom Schuessler

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Dedications

General Introduction and Spiritual Warfare

Introduction

An Invitation

Where I Am Coming From

The Current Atmosphere

The Outline

A Word about Me and My Writing Style

Chapter 1

The Reality of Spiritual Warfare

Introduction

Spiritual Warfare Exists

Identifying the Enemy

The Origin of Suffering and Pain

People Can Be Used by the Enemy

There Is Hope

The Defensive Part of the Battle

The Bastogne Mentality

Chapter 2

Is It because of My Sin?

The Case of Job

The Character of God

What about the God of Vengeance?

Chapter 3

Do You Understand the Season?

Understanding the Season

Go Ahead and Cry

Cry in the Season and Be Ready for God to Move

Chapter 4

Am I the Only One Going through Such Hard Times?

Feeling Out of Step

Straight Talk from the Word

Considering Suffering at the Personal Level

A Better Friend Than Anyone Else

Chapter 5

Why Is This Pain Lasting so Long?

Looking at the Psalms

What Does the New Testament Say?

Hope Keeps Us Afloat!

Final Thoughts

Chapter 6

How Bad Can It Get?

Biblical References

The Turning Point

Switching to Offense

Chapter 7

Decide Not to Stay a Victim

Examples from Scripture

Don't Let the Enemy Put You on a Guilt Trip

Look for What God Is Doing for You

The Turning Point

Reasons for Hope

Chapter 8

The Role of Prayer

The Reason for Prayer in Troublesome Times

The Importance of Importunate Prayer

The Importance of Praise in Our Prayer Life

The Importance of Forgiveness

The Importance of Faith

Jesus Gives Us the Right to Petition

Praying for Guidance

Prayer for Basic Needs during the Trial

You Need to Have Others Praying with/for You

When in Doubt, Pray the Psalms

Pray in spite of the Circumstances

Chapter 9

Find a Friend

Get Help and Encouragement from Brothers and Sisters

God Has Made Provision for You

Join a Small Group

Talk to a Pastor or Elder

Talk to a Counselor

A Final Note

Chapter 10

Receive Encouragement from God

Stay in the Word

Know that God Is with You

Chapter 11

Learn from Your Trials

Learn so You Can Grow and Mature as a Christian

Learn so You Will Survive Future Trials

Learn so You Can Help Others

Maturity and Hope

Chapter 12

Moving On?

Deciding if It Is Time to Move Forward

Seasons of Life

The Bible Is Our Guide

Prayer

Seek Counseling

Other Sources of Advice

The Way Forward

The Role of the Church

Introduction

From the Pulpit

From the Pew

Chapter 13

Pastors and Elders

Introduction

Setting the Atmosphere

Align Resources to Help the Hurting

Preparing the Flock for the Possibility of Hard Times

Chapter 14

Reaching Out to Christians Who Are Hurting

Introduction

Why Should We Reach Out to the Hurting in the Church?

Who Should Consider Helping Hurting Christians?

How Can We Help the Hurting Christian and Bring Encouragement?

How Do I Minister in This Area?

Encouragement for Those Whose Trial Is a Result of Their Sin

An Opportunity for Outreach

A Special Note to Pastors and Elders

Closing Thoughts

Chapter 15

The Special Plight of the Lost Coin

Introduction

Parental Responsibilities

Training and Discipline

Maintaining the Family

Moving Forward in Life

If You Don't Know the Lord

Chapter 16

Have You Considered My Servant (Your Name Here)?

Job as an Exemplar

We Will Have Trouble

General Trouble

Persecution

Hope and Help

Chapter 17

Reason for Hope!

The Worst-Case Scenario

Many Trials Will End in the Present Age

Overwhelming Victory

About the Author

Dedications

To Gary and Starla Kloth. When I got thrown out, you interrupted your schedules to help me pack up my life.

To my daughter Heather and my son-in-law Chris, I washed up on your doorstep like a beached whale and you took me in.

To my granddaughters McKenzie, Genevieve, and Isabella, you helped me laugh when I only felt like crying.

May God richly bless you all!

Section 1

General Introduction and Spiritual Warfare

Introduction

An Invitation

It is easy to have faith when all is going well. It is easy to trust God when you have a great job, a great marriage, good health, and sound finances. It is very easy to lift your hands and sing God's praises when life is beautiful. It can, however, be quite difficult to trust God when severe trials enter your life. It can make it hard to sing his praises when waves of adversity bring you to the brink of despair. It can seem especially bad when those around you seem to be enjoying life and have things going their way, especially when you see unbelievers with happy homes, good health, and great careers.

It is when severe trials come and our faith is tested to the breaking point that we must remember that we know in all things that God works for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8.28). If you are hurting, I invite you to journey through this book with me to find healing and hope from God's Word. If you are a Christian with a heart for those who are hurting, I invite you also to journey through this book and try to discern what ministry God may have for you.

Where I Am Coming From

I have faced a lot of adversity in my walk with the Lord. As a result, you could say that I have been a spiritual casualty for a considerable part of that time. There have been long periods of great pain and sorrow during that time. The result is that it has given me a perspective on hurting Christians and how the hurt affects their life and walk with the Lord. I have felt firsthand what it is like to hurt so badly that it takes most of your spiritual energy just to survive, leaving little time or energy for spiritual growth or ministry to others.

As a result of my experience, I wanted to reach out to those that are hurting with a message of hope. I want to show them that they are not the only Christians that are hurting, that their pain is not necessarily a result of some sin, that God still loves them, and that there is comfort and healing ahead.

I also want to issue a call to the church to reach out and comfort our brothers and sisters that are in pain, to make it safe for Christians to admit that they are facing adversity or they have been hurt.

Finally, I want to help fellow Christians be prepared so that when times of testing come their way, they will not be taken by surprise.

The Current Atmosphere

Today in many segments of the church, it is very difficult to admit that you are hurting, that you have had things go awry in your life, or that you do not live in constant victory. People are afraid to admit that they are hurting. They feel an unspoken pressure to sing and shout the victory every day. I see three reasons for this.

First, it is now maintained by many people that Christians are so favored by God that they should have almost everything go right in their lives and that if there are any setbacks, it is due to a lack of faith on the part of the individual. It has gotten to the point that some preachers are saying that those who have been martyred for their belief in Jesus were killed because they did not have enough faith.

The second reason is our concern for hurting people that have not come to a saving relationship with Christ. We lament the fact that there is a whole world of hurting people that need to know Jesus. This often causes us to forget that many people within the church are hurting, despite the biblical warnings that we will have trouble.

The third reason is misconception of our victory in Jesus. While the final victory is absolutely assured, along the way there may be many times of hardship and hurt. It can, however, be very difficult to admit that you are hurting while others are singing about victory and praising God for the good things that are happening in their lives. It can feel like you are going against the trend and you start to wonder if there is something wrong with you spiritually. You begin to feel like you don't belong and wonder if you really are saved or not. It can be especially disheartening to be hurting when you see so many non-Christians prospering and having great lives.

Please consider the following examples. Some of them are general, while some are specific. In the specific cases, the names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.

I attended a seminar given by a missionary on how to evangelize in Muslim communities. As part of the seminar, he told the story of a sub-Saharan Muslim who I will call Ahmed. Ahmed came to faith in Christ. However, he does not attend church as frequently as you might expect. It has nothing to do with his level of faith or his love for God. It is because his wife and children pelt him with rocks while he is on his way to church.

When a Jewish person comes to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, their families sometimes sit shiva for them. For those that do not know Jewish law and customs, Jews bury their dead as soon as possible, preferably the same day as the death. That leaves no time for a wake. Instead, people pay their respects to the family in the days following the funeral. This is referred to as sitting shiva. The obvious implication is that the family considers the person dead after meeting Christ.

Hal and Jean were a couple that were both raised as Jehovah's Witnesses. Hal even worked in Bethel (the headquarters of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society). Over the course of time, questions started to mount in their minds. Eventually they both became Christians. At that point, both Hal's parents and Jean's parents totally cut off communication with them because Jehovah's Witnesses practice shunning. They were separated from their parents' love for the rest of their lives.

Tim is a widower that remarried a little more than six years after his wife's death. The woman that he courted was a churchgoing woman that had been divorced twice. However, these divorces were long before her profession of faith in Christ. She assured him that she no longer believed in divorce since her acceptance of Christ. She said that no matter what the situation, she believed that couples should do everything possible to find a solution to their problems. The first six months of their marriage went by quite well, but then storm clouds started to appear. She began withdrawing from him and began to see everything he did in a threatening way. Although he was not perfect, he really did not do anything to bring about these feelings. He was willing to stay in the marriage and wait until the Lord brought about healing. Then he lost his job about a week before Thanksgiving 2012. Then right after Thanksgiving, she told him that the marriage was not working for her. He did not react at first, believing that she would calm down as she had at other times. Unfortunately, a week later, she forced him to leave on three days' notice. She filed for divorce shortly after he left. He received the divorce papers from her lawyer on the day after Christmas. At first he refused to sign the divorce papers because he did not want to be part of what he considered to be an unholy act. It was only after the lawyer threatened to have the sheriff serve him with the divorce papers that he finally signed them. Being jobless, he was forced to move in with his daughter and her family.

Anthony did not know the Lord when he got married. The marriage was very happy and fun-loving. But four and a half years into the marriage, he made a formal profession of faith in Christ. At first, his wife thought it wouldn't last. But it did last. And as time passed and the Lord began to work in his life, tension grew between them. He wanted to move closer to the Lord, and it was changing his outlook and behavior. She fought with him on most every issue, whether it was related to religion or not. The rift between them grew wider with the passage of time. Eventually they