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Can a Christian or a minister of the Gospel face a spiral downturn in his spiritual life? What are the factors that can bring about the downturn wave? What are the factors that can cast cold wave upon the life of a Christian to cause him to be doubtful of the Word of God, to be doubtful of the love of God, to be doubtful of the grace and mercy of God?

Some common factors that can bring about the spiral downturn in the life of a Christian are disappointment due to unmet expectations, dejection, demoralization and apathy, and discouragement due to disagreement. In his epistles, the Apostle Paul also listed some factors of the spiral downturn according to his own experience. Some of these factors were: tribulations, necessities, distresses, stripes, imprisonments, tumults, labors and sleeplessness. In various portions of the Scriptures, he listed his many sufferings as a minister of the Gospel and bondservant of Jesus Christ.

How should we conduct ourselves in the midst of trials? This teaching takes you to the epistles to look at the Apostle Paul’s antidote to spiral downturn factors: patience, purity, knowledge, longsuffering, sincere love, the word of truth, the armor of righteousness in both our hands, and depending solely on the power of the Holy Spirit to defend and fight on our behalf.

Christian maturity is achieved through trials and difficulties. God’s grace is discovered to be sufficient especially through suffering. Divine power is manifested in the lives of those who are humble. The marks of a genuine leadership authority are found in humility, in suffering and in weakness. The suffering Servant, the Lord Jesus Christ, provides the model for our ministry and maturity. God has always proven that He is strong in our weaknesses and sufferings.

The Apostle Paul did not allow his ordeal of trials and sufferings to bring his faith down. Upon all that he went through, he declared in his writings that nothing would be able to separate him from the love of God. Likewise, let us not allow the spiral downturn syndrome to bring us to the valley of despondency for we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus Who loves us.

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