Why God’s children encounter similar struggles, discover their strength in Christ, and overcome the world through their Heavenly Father.
There is a similarity in the lives of God’s chosen people that cannot be overlooked. Different countries, different families, different circumstances, different journeys, yet we find ourselves encountering the same kinds of struggles. Rejection, misunderstanding, waiting, suffering, and the experience of being in a world where, despite our efforts to live rightly, we are not always understood or received. Why is this so? Why do those who belong to God so often find themselves learning the same lessons, enduring similar trials, and discovering that their own strength is not sufficient to carry them through? There is a reason. We share the same Heavenly Father. We are born of God, and we are not of this world.
To expound, this is not to say that every Christian will experience the same events, or that every hardship is evidence of being chosen. Rather, there is a spiritual pattern in the life of those who belong to Christ. We are called to a different order of living, one governed by the principles of our Father. We are to love where there is hatred, stand for truth where deception prevails, and remain righteous where compromise is celebrated. This difference is not merely in what we profess, but in who we are becoming. It is the life of God working within us, shaping our character, our conduct, and ultimately, our purpose.
Born of the Same Heavenly Father
It is imperative for us to first understand what it means to be born of God. All people are created by God, but the Bible makes a distinction between being His creation and becoming His children through Jesus Christ. Quoting John 1:12–13, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Born of God. Think of what that means. A child does not merely know of his father; he receives life from him, belongs to him, and carries an inheritance that connects him to his family. So it is with the children of God, spiritually speaking. We are not speaking of literal biological DNA, for God is Spirit. We are speaking of the divine life and nature imparted to us through Christ. First John 3:9 speaks of His seed remaining in those born of Him, while Second Peter 1:4 declares that we become “partakers of the divine nature.” Thus, we are called to resemble our Father. His love, His righteousness, His mercy, His holiness, His truth—these are not merely qualities for us to admire, but principles by which we are to live. “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children” (Ephesians 5:1). There is an order here. The child follows the Father. The Father establishes the way, and the child learns to walk in it. We do not become God, nor do we possess His unlimited power, but through His Spirit we are being transformed to reflect His character. This is the foundation of our shared journey. We have the same Father, and therefore, we are called into the same spiritual family, the same principles, and the same likeness of Christ.
The World Does Not Know Us Because It Did Not Know Him
Now, if we are born of God and called to reflect Him, what happens when we live in a world that does not recognize His ways? The Bible answers this directly. “Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not” (1 John 3:1). Jesus Himself declared, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19). Here is the distinction. We are in the world, but we are not of the world. We live here, work here, build here, love here, and fulfill our purpose here. Yet our ultimate identity is not derived from the world’s approval, its standards, or its definition of success. We belong to God. Our citizenship, as Philippians 3:20 teaches, is in heaven. Now, the world, in this biblical sense, is not every person who does not share our faith. It is the order of life that stands in opposition to God’s principles. It is the system of values that places self above righteousness, pleasure above discipline, pride above humility, and worldly gain above truth. When a child of God refuses to conform to such an order, conflict may arise. Not because the believer is inherently superior to other people, but because the principles being followed are different. Jesus was rejected. He was misunderstood, falsely accused, opposed, and ultimately crucified. He warned His disciples, “If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). Consequently, we should not imagine that belonging to God guarantees acceptance by everyone. The same world that rejected Christ may also reject those who faithfully represent Him.
To avoid a misconception, we must be careful here. Not every disagreement is persecution. Not every person who opposes us is acting against God. We must examine ourselves, our conduct, and the circumstances with humility. The true question is whether we are suffering for righteousness and faithfulness to Christ, not merely whether someone has treated us unfavorably.
The Similarities in Our Struggles
Why, then, do the chosen encounter similar experiences? Because we are being formed by the same Father while living under the same spiritual calling. We may not walk the same road, but we are learning to walk according to the same principles. One may experience rejection by family, another opposition in the workplace, another a season of financial difficulty, and another the loneliness of standing for what is right. The circumstances differ, but the lessons may be familiar: patience, faith, courage, forgiveness, perseverance, and dependence on God. We learn that the world’s approval is not our foundation. We learn that our identity cannot be entrusted to the opinions of others. We learn that we must not abandon righteousness simply because wrongdoing appears to prosper.
This is highlighted in the Bible, where the Psalmist Asaph wrestled with this very reality in Psalm 73. He observed the prosperity of the wicked and struggled to understand why those who disregarded God seemed to flourish. Yet his perspective changed when he entered the sanctuary of God and considered the ultimate end of things. What appears to be success is not always success, and what appears to be defeat is not always defeat.
Moreover, wisdom teaches us that we must not measure our lives merely by what others possess, how easily they appear to advance, or how much approval they receive. Nor should we assume that every person who prospers outside the Christian faith is wicked. The question is deeper: What is the foundation of the life being lived? What principles govern it? What is its ultimate purpose? The child of God is called to live by faith, not merely by appearances. And faith, when tested, must learn to stand.
The Wilderness Is Not the Destination
There is another reality in the journey of God’s people: He can use difficult seasons to reveal Himself to us in ways we might not otherwise come to know Him. Israel’s journey through the wilderness is a profound example. God led His people through a period of testing, humbling, and dependence before they entered the promised land. Deuteronomy 8:2–3 explains that God led them through the wilderness to humble and test them, and that He allowed them to hunger before feeding them with manna, teaching them that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
Why would God allow His people to experience hunger and then provide for them? So they would learn that their lives were not sustained merely by what they could see, possess, or produce. They had to know their Provider. They had to learn His faithfulness. They had to understand that the God who called them was also the God who would sustain them. This is why the Christian song, “I Can’t Even Walk Without You Holding My Hand,” carries such profound meaning. It is not a declaration that we are incapable of accomplishing anything in life. It is a confession that our ultimate strength, direction, and sufficiency come from God. We may have intelligence, ability, ambition, and gifts, but we must know the One who gave them to us. We must know how to walk with Him.
Paul expressed this lesson when he wrote, “That we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9). And again, the Lord said to him, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). There are seasons when our own strength reaches its limit, and we discover that God’s grace has not.
Yet we should not attribute every painful experience directly to God. Human wrongdoing, injustice, sickness, and the brokenness of the world also cause suffering. God can redeem what He did not cause, and He can bring good out of what others intended for evil. The wilderness is not our identity. It is not the ultimate purpose. God’s desire is not to leave His children broken, but to form, heal, strengthen, and prepare them to walk in the fullness of His calling.
We Are Powerful Through Christ
We must not confuse dependence on God with powerlessness. Quite the opposite. The believer who learns to rely on God is learning to live from a source greater than human strength alone. Jesus said, “Without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). Paul declared, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). These are not contradictory statements. They reveal the order of our power. Apart from Christ, we are limited; through Him, we are strengthened to endure, obey, serve, and accomplish what God has called us to do.
We must be assured and confident of this fact, God did not create His children to live defeated by fear. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
POWER. LOVE. A SOUND MIND.
Notice that power is not separated from love and sound judgment. The power of God is not given for us to dominate others, seek revenge, or elevate ourselves above humanity. It is given so that we may live courageously, stand for righteousness, resist evil, and fulfill our purpose. It is the power to persevere when circumstances are difficult, to love when hatred is offered, to remain truthful when deception seems convenient, and to build when others may seek to discourage or destroy. We are not merely surviving the world. Through Christ, we are called to overcome it.
More Than Conquerors
Jesus spoke plainly concerning the reality of our journey: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). He did not say that we would never encounter tribulation. He said that He had overcome the world. Therefore, our confidence is not in the absence of opposition, but in the victory of the One to whom we belong. First John 5:4–5 declares, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”
This is our victory: faith in Jesus Christ. Not the destruction of other people, not the conquest of humanity through force, but the overcoming of sin, fear, evil, and the pressures that would turn us away from God. We conquer by remaining faithful. We conquer by refusing to allow hatred to make us hateful. We conquer by refusing to allow injustice to make us unjust. We conquer by holding to truth, love, righteousness, and the purpose for which God has called us.
Furthermore, Romans 8:37 declares, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” In all these things—not necessarily outside of them, but by going through them. Tribulation, distress, persecution, and danger may be present, yet none of these can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. That is the strength of the chosen. The world may challenge us, but it cannot determine our ultimate identity or destiny. Our lives belong to God.
From Suffering to Purpose
The life of Joseph is an integral example. His brothers rejected him, sold him into slavery, and set in motion a journey marked by injustice and imprisonment. Yet God was working through the circumstances to bring about a purpose Joseph could not have fully understood at the beginning. When the time came, Joseph declared, “Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good” (Genesis 50:20). His brothers’ actions were evil. Joseph did not need to call evil good in order to recognize the hand of God. Rather, he understood that God was able to take what was intended for harm and bring forth a greater purpose—to preserve life. What a lesson for us. The experiences that challenge us may also become the experiences through which we develop wisdom, compassion, patience, and the capacity to serve. We may learn through rejection how to understand the rejected. Through waiting, how to persevere. Through hardship, how to appreciate provision. Through dependence, how to recognize the strength of God.
However, purpose is not found only in suffering. God also forms us through learning, work, relationships, opportunities, and seasons of peace. Our calling is to remain connected to Him in every season, allowing our gifts, character, and experiences to be used for His glory. The journey is not merely about what we endure. It is about what we become, and what God accomplishes through us.
Our Father, Our Identity, Our Victory
As a last thought, we are born of God. We are called to reflect His character. We live in the world, but we are not of its ungodly order. Hence, we may encounter similar struggles because we share the same spiritual Father, the same Savior, and the same calling to live according to His principles. Yet we must never conclude that the world is simply a place where we are destined to be destroyed. Jesus has overcome the world, and He has called us to live, love, serve, and fulfill our purpose within it. We are not abandoned to our circumstances. We are not dependent upon the world’s approval for our worth. We are not required to surrender our identity in order to belong.
Our strength is in Christ. Our direction is from God. Our victory is through faith. We are called to walk with power, love, and a sound mind. To stand when we must stand, to learn when we must learn, to endure when we must endure, and to love through it all. Not because we are invincible in ourselves, but because the One who holds our hand is faithful.
The world may not always recognize us, but our Father knows us. The journey may be difficult, but it is not without purpose. Our strength may be tested, but His grace is sufficient.
We belong to God. We are being formed in the likeness of His Son. And through Jesus Christ, we are more than conquerors.
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