2nd Timothy 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
To face trials, hardships, accusations, persecutions and heckling together with the loss of our economic freedom, while at the same time having to dispense with the comforts of life, is going to put an entirely different spin on life as we know it as Christians. Thus, the shaking will develop two distinct classes of believers, those who serve God only when things are going smooth, and those who continue to serve Him when the going gets rough.
When searching our souls, it is necessary for us to accurately assess if our attitudes and temperaments change and/or fluctuate when we do not have things our way. There were times when Christ was on earth, when His disciples thought it an honor to be with Him and their striving for the highest place was often the result of high expectation that He would soon take the throne. But when Christ was disdained by the masses of people and proscribed by the authorities it was hard for them to be associated with Him.
Therefore, the difficulties and trials which thickened around them brought out the best in some, and also brought out the worst in others. Some who sang the praises of Jesus Christ, as He rode triumphantly into Jerusalem turned their backs and fled when the tide of popular sentiment turned against Him, and trials and imminent danger began to shake them out of their comfort zones.
Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!