As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him: Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Neither this man nor his parents sinned, said Jesus, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. (John 9: 1-3). A common belief in the Jewish culture was that calamity or suffering was the result of some great sin. But Christ used this man's suffering to teach about faith & to glorify God. We live in a fallen world where good behaviour is not always rewarded & bad behavior not always punished. Therefore, innocent people sometimes suffer. The Bible says in Philippians 1:29: For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him. When we suffer, if we faithfully represent Christ, our message & example affect us & others for good. (see Acts 5:41). Suffering has these additional benefits: It takes our eyes off of earthly comforts; it weeds out superficial believers; it strengthens the faith of those who endure; it serves as an example to others who may follow us. When we suffer for our faith, it doesn't mean that we have done something wrong. In fact, the opposite is often true - it verifies that we have been faithful. Use suffering to build your character. Don't resent it or let it tear you down. By way of testimony, I have suffered for my faith for the most part of the past 31 years. I learned to obey God from the things I suffered.  Today, thirty one years later, I now have Christlike CHARACTER  - very loving, forgiving, faithful, Word based, humble, peaceful, joyful, patient. I now have unshakable & challenge oriented faith, etc, etc. I live a life of holiness & God has made me a moving Bible sort of. I now pray short, direct, powerfully & effectively. My prayers are being answered. It's a success story.  I owe it all to Jesus Christ, the author & finisher of our faith. How did all this come? Through suffering for my faith over a long period & through handling that suffering Biblically consistently.  Satan used every trick in the book to make my suffering very painful & indescribable, but I endured. I remained focused on God & His Word. I set my eyes on Jesus, the author & finisher of my faith. I set my mind & heart on things in Heaven above & not on earthly things. Praise the Lord, He enabled me to go through suffering in peace & not in pieces. I am running this marathon race from earth to Heaven with a view to obtain a crown of life, crown of glory & crown of righteousness.  I forget what lies behind & strain towards what lies ahead. I have just come out of the severe suffering mode. Suffering greatly helped to build me up in the Lord, to strength my faith, to have endurance, perseverance, to obey God & His Word in total, to build my character, etc, etc.  Praise the Lord. If God took away suffering whenever we asked, we would follow Him for comfort  & convenience, not out of love & devotion. Regardless of the reasons for our suffering, Jesus has the power to help us deal with it. When you suffer from a disease, tragedy or disability, try not to ask:  Why did this happen to me? or What did I do wrong? Instead, ask God to give you strength for the trial & a clearer perspective on what is happening. Thank you Jesus.  Good morning Holy Spirit.  Prayer: Father, thank you for healing me from a terrible sickness, & delivering me from a life characterized by poverty, rejection, persecution, suffering, hardships, difficulties, weakness, etc. Thank you for your surpassing grace, it has proved sufficient for me in all these decades of years of going through greater darkness. Thank you for granting me victory, good success, prosperity, favor, breakthrough, blessings, supernatural provision. Thank you for showing your power in my life's circumstances & for letting your power, wisdom & revelation to flow in & through my life. Thank you for the miracles & the answered prayers. I promise you Father, that i will remain faithful to you, I will continue to tear apart the work of the devil until i breathe my last. I will always cooperate with the Holy Spirit. I will use this power that you have entrusted me with to BUILD & not to destroy. In Jesus mighty name we pray, believe & give you thanks. Amen. Grace & peace be with you.