Now we have to consider some common problems we encounter in the Lord's work. Suppose our work appears to encounter financial difficulties. What should we do when God puts us through a trial of material shortage? If the shortage in provision halts our work, the Lord surely would put a question mark on what we are doing. He would probably ask, "What are you serving Me for?" Brothers and sisters, whether or not we will perform well in our work depends a great deal on whether we have a mind to suffer. We cannot quit just because a little trouble comes our way or a little trial bothers us. No servant of Christ can stipulate that he will go to work in fair weather but stay at home if it rains. If we have a mind to suffer, we will defy difficulties; we will defy hardship; we will defy physical infirmity; and we will even defy death. A mind to suffer stands up to the devil and declares, "I will go on no matter what may happen to me!" If we are inwardly afraid of anything, Satan will threaten us with that very same thing, and we will be defeated. If we say, "I am not afraid of hunger!", Satan will not be able to do anything to us when he sends us hunger; he will have to flee. If we say, "I am not afraid of the cold!", Satan will not be able to do anything to us when he sends us cold weather; he will have to flee once again. But if we say, "I am afraid of sickness," Satan will surely send us sickness, because he knows that sickness will bring us down. If we say, "I am not afraid of sickness!", Satan will not be able to do anything to us. If we do not have a mind to suffer, Satan will use whatever we are afraid of to attack us, and we will be defeated. Every servant of God must be well prepared and not afraid of anything. We must persist when this and that happen to us. We must persist when trials come to our family or sickness comes to our body. We must persist even when hunger or cold comes our way. If we have this attitude within us, Satan will not be able to do anything to us because we will have a mind to suffer. Without such a mind to suffer, we will fall as soon as Satan confronts us with the very thing we fear. We will shrink back from God's work and become useless.
Brothers and sisters, we should declare to the Lord, "Because of Your love and the power of Your grace, I am committed to do what I am doing whatever the consequences may be, whether it be heaven or hell. This will be my stand, whether or not I think I am up to it!" If we do not have such a mind, Satan will seize our weakness, and we will be finished and proven unprofitable for anything. We have to pray for mercy to know what a mind to suffer is. A mind to suffer is a settled decision within oneself to be on the Lord's side, no matter what the future may hold and no matter what circumstances one may encounter. A mind to suffer does not necessarily lead to suffering. It is possible that one will not suffer. But an inward conviction is always present. Without such a conviction and determination, a little difficulty will knock a person off his feet. But if this inward conviction is present, whether or not there is outward trouble will mean little. Do you see what I am saying? The way of service for a Christian is not the way of suffering but the way of having a mind to suffer. You can thank the Lord if He provides you with food and clothing, and you also can thank Him if He does not provide you with these things. These things do not mean much to you—they can be in abundance or scarcity. Please remember that a Christian does not need to go out of his way to look for suffering. However, he should have a mind to suffer. A Christian is one who is prepared to accomplish his task whether or not difficulty lies along the way. He does not draw back at the face of difficulty. If the matter of his mind-set is not settled, all other issues will not be settled. Consider the example of traveling. If you are physically weak, you naturally need a more comfortable bed than a stronger person. But if you say, "I must have a comfortable bed because I am not very strong," you will be vulnerable to the enemy in that point; he will give you an uncomfortable bed. A mind to suffer ignores the issue of a bed and continues with one's work. If you have been provided with a comfortable bed, however, there is no virtue in going out of your way to sleep on the floor. If the Lord gives you a good bed, take it, and if He gives you a bad bed, take it also. You have to continue with your work no matter how bad your bed is. You must never shrink back for the sake of a bed. This mind-set is what the Bible calls a mind to suffer. Some brothers have less than favorable material provisions in their life. Yet this does not necessarily mean that they have a mind to suffer. Do not imagine that Christians who live in unfavorable circumstances will have, as a matter of course, more of a mind to suffer than those who live in more favorable circumstances. Only those who have consecrated themselves to the Lord will have a mind to suffer. A mind to suffer is not limited by anything; it does not have a bottom line. You may be provided with a hard floor for your bed if you go to one place. You may not even have a hard floor in another place. Your bed may just be straw strewn on muddy ground. What would you do? Some force themselves to accept such beds. They are indeed suffering, but there is a limit to their suffering. They can tolerate a hard floor but nothing more. They seemingly tell others that they have stooped low enough and that they can stoop no lower. This is having the experience of suffering without the mind to suffer. Some brothers may go through their life with relative ease and enjoyment, yet they can always adjust themselves happily to lower standards of living. They can sleep on a hard floor as well as on straw. They have no complaints, and they are happy to take whatever comes along the way. This is having a mind to suffer. God is calling for men to have a mind to suffer. We must remember that it is not a matter of suffering but a matter of a mind for suffering. In order to serve the Lord, we must have a mind to suffer; otherwise, God cannot use us. Those who do not have a mind to suffer will collapse at the mildest trial. They will quit their work as soon as Satan puts something in their path. Brothers and sisters, do you see this? A mind to suffer is an ability to lower one's standard of living unconditionally.