You are either suffering for Christ or suffering under the oppression of the devil.
Both result in the same emotions. But they are not the same, and we must learn to discern the difference. Otherwise, we will allow the devil's suffering to continue when we should be resisting it.
Suffering for Christ is primarily being misunderstood and rejected by others, especially those closest to you.
Jesus' hometown rejected Him, even though He had come there only to do good. On top of this, the religious leaders, who should have been on his side, accused Him of working for satan.
Even though He was only doing good with 100% pure motives, Jesus was constantly misunderstood, rejected, and persecuted. Even on a good day, people were only with Him for what He could do for them.
On the flip side, suffering under the oppression of the devil includes everything Jesus delivered us from: sickness, demon possession, condemnation, fear, deception, and sin.
To help discern the difference, a good question to ask is, "Did Jesus deal with this?"
For example, He was never sick. That's how we know sickness is not suffering for Christ and should therefore be resisted.
We are to share in the suffering of Christ. But we are not to put up with suffering under the oppression of the devil.
