When inward trials and painful providences press upon the soul, how is a Christian to discern whether he is under fatherly chastening, spiritual assault, bodily weakness, or the ordinary sorrows of a fallen world?There are times when a true Christian is brought very low and begins to ask, “What is this that is happening to me? Is the Lord chastening me, or am I simply passing through temptation, bodily weakness, mental strain, or the ordinary sorrows of this fallen world?” That question must be handled carefully.