How to Count It ALL Joy

Everything is flowing and operating smoothly in your ministry until one day a woman begins following you. And not just any woman --this particular woman has a spirit of divination and is known for making tons of money for those who employ her, she is widely known to all for her gift. After a couple of days you notice that this woman is shouting out constantly, that you and your brother are the servants of the Most High God, and that you are showing them the way of salvation. Because of this woman's reputation for fortune-telling, and because she is widely known all over the city --including her ability to bring great wealth to her employers, you are irritated and annoyed with her marketing strategy. Clearly this is not a person you want testifying on your behalf, nor do you want her speaking about your ministry or the kingdom of God. Obviously this is someone you want to steer clear from and avoid her disruptive and abrupt behavior. You and your brother make a conscience effort to continue on with your ministry and avoid running into her whenever possible. Days go by and she simply will not leave you alone. She continues to follow you and your ministry shouting and proclaiming God's salvation for her and all the people. All of a sudden it happens, you have reached your boiling point, and you are no longer able to ignore this woman, nor are you able to tolerate her disrespect towards you and your ministry-or for that matter, God's kingdom. You become completely annoyed during one of your prayer services. When you can no longer stand the torment of her irritant behavior, you turn to the lady and direct your rebuke-not at the woman but at the spirit that is in her by saying, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!" The congregation looks on in awe. To the crowds surprise the spirit comes out of this woman in that same hour. Not only does the crowd notice that the spirit is now gone, but her employers notice it too, and they are not pleased by what they see. When her employers recognized that her fortune-telling days are now over and the huge impact this will have on their business, they immediately grab you and your brother. Not a gentle grab, but a snatch and drag you down the road kind of grab! Forget about behaving as mature adults. No privacy and no discretion. They proceed to drag you from your location through the crowds through the market place and to the authorities. No questions asked. They openly accuse you of teaching things that are illegal in their state and for stirring up the citizens causing them to rebel against the law. You are not given a trial nor are you given an opportunity to plead your case. The authorities and everyone watching from the crowd believes everything told to them. The most shocking part of all is the fact that some of these same people-if not all of them, are the ones who attended your ministry and experienced all the wonderful things and miracles that you and your ministry have done for them! To add insult to injury or as the saying goes, “to pour salt on the wound” immediate instructions are given to strip you and your brother of all your clothing in front of the crowd-women children and all! The crowd is in an uproar and shouting all kinds of obscenities at you and your ministry; the same crowd that was only moments ago worshiping with you while they were crying and praising God, this same crowd is now taunting you and your ministry. This crowd including the authorities is now a mob out for blood-your blood and the blood of your brother with you. After your clothing is stripped away you are both beaten with rods and receive a number of injuries. And there you stand, naked beaten and bloody. Finally you are taken away and thrown into a maximum security dungeon with the murderers, and the rapists. To ensure you don't escape, your feet are clamped down with leg irons, on top of your bloody and open wounds. There you sit you and your brother bleeding hurting cold and naked. Because of your fresh flesh wounds the smell of blood lingers in the air. This entices the rats and other vermin. Its dark cold and the most devastating and painful situation you can be in. To top it off, the person that was with you, your brother is now in the same position that you're in. You were the one that cast the spirit out of the woman, your partner didn't say a word but he received the same beating and treatment and humiliation as you. Not one of you spoke a word during the entire incident. Imagine being in the darkness, the smell of mildew and musk, the cold damp air, and the noises all around you from the other prisoners. As you sit on the cold damp dirty ground, you can see a small glimmer of light from the moon that seeps into the dungeon through the window bars. This light seems eons away from you and out of your reach. It is now midnight so you reach for the hand of your brother and you hold it tightly. You close your eyes and you both pray and sing songs to the Most High God, your praises are heard throughout the dungeon.