Perspective
( Matt. 10:38-39 ; Prov. 16:3-7 ) To carry the cross means to practice the Presence of Jesus, and to allow His love to flow through us to others. It means that we are to carry the life of Christ to other people and say to them: "The Kingdom of God has come to you," that is, God's approval and peace, as well as the joy the Holy Spirit gives. The work of the Holy Spirit in us and among us is to understand the positive character of what it means to carry one's cross: He comes into us and empowers us at the point we obey.
Hope
( 2 Cor. 4:17 ; 1 Pet. 4:13 ; Isa. 63:9 ) Christian suffering we undergo in carrying of our cross is when we allow Christ to live in and through us. It is His light in us which collides with the darkness of the world: the ignorance, lies hate, all the delusions of a darkened fallen world. Our suffering is redemptive when we carry His love and forgiveness into the lives of others affected by the world. We should rejoice when we take part in Christ's suffering because Christ is suffering with us.
( 1 Pet. 3:9-15 ; 1 Pet. 4:12-15 ) When we suffer due to the sins of others or to the corporate sins of others, we can ask God to transform these sufferings into healing power. We forgive those who have sinned against us, and we accept the circumstances of our lives. Then we go on to make prayers of confession and intercession for ourselves and others. As we pray, that which is redemptive is accomplished. Accordingly, righteous actions follow, healing our own souls in the process.
Change
( Rom. 6:3-8 ) Our identity is with Christ and not on our past, the past is in the grave. The abuses of life as a child or adulthood: the depression, intense inner suffering of life as a child or adult; life in a disfunctional family due to alcoholism, sexual addictions, mental illness, overt or subtle evil on the part of parents or others, and similar experiences: all of these violations are afflictions. But it is not the cross we are to bear. We are to take this cross of pain and suffering to Christ's Cross, and there acknowledge that Christ died to take into Himself this very pain and suffering.
( Rom. 8:2-11 ) We are not to deny or suppress our past and associated pain and suffering: accept them, then offer the pain to Christ, let the pain flow into Him. We die with Him to these sins, we die to these diseased feelings by allowing Him to take them into Himself. By this means, we get in touch with heretofore repressed grief, fear, anger, and shame. To dwell on the past is death, give death to Christ Who kills it. Doing this you come to life to live in the present by practicing the Presence of Christ rather than practicing the presence of the self.
( Col. 2:11-14 ; Matt. 6:14-15 ; 1 John 1:1 ) We are to stand in Christ, identify with His suffering for us, and grieve at the grieves, and yield up our angers, naming them and forgiving others at the same time. Christ's suffering consists in the fact that He became the way of life. He channeled (by dying) His life to us. Our suffering consists in the fact that we become a channel of His life, His life and Light in us overcomes the evil and pain in the souls of men. This is where the battle lies, and this is where we experience suffering for Christ's sake: Jesus overcame sin, we appropriate His life.
Work Out Your Salvation (Phil. 2:12-13)
BSAF on Rom. 6:12-16 .
Review and study Section A.5, “Dying To Self” and Section 9.2, “Sin, Self, Suffering” . List in priority areas that need addressing. Prepare Section A.4, “Victory Over Sin Worksheet” or Section A.6, “Problem Solving Worksheet” .