TESTS

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

2 Corinthians 1:3 (MSG)

All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.

Yesterday one of my colleagues shared from this passage as a devotion prior to our staff meeting.  And while Scott shared from the NIV, this passage from Petersen’s Message has a special place with me.

Scott served to remind me in staff something that this passage encourages us all to do, and that is to recognize, “take notice” and learn from things we “go through”.

God allows tests of our faith, he allows trial. He does so because it is valuable thing. David even SOUGHT testing if you can imagine, asking GOD to examine his heart and mind and see that they were true to Him.

Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart. Psalm 26:2 (NLT)

Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “If I had a formula for bypassing trouble, I would not pass it round. Trouble creates a capacity to handle it. I don't embrace trouble; that's as bad as treating it as an enemy. But I do say meet it as a friend, for you'll see a lot of it and had better be on speaking terms with it.”

Why?

Well if our faith is weak, it may not be obvious when life is going smoothly and we aren’t challenged in any way. But when hard times come, a weak faith will be revealed; when hard times happen, the true nature of our faith will be exposed; when hard times come GOD is developing something in us.

And don’t for one minute believe that GOD allows tests because He doesn’t know how strong we are. He allows the tests because we don’t know how strong we are — and we’ll only realize it when times of testing come. The psalmist even prayed, Search me, O God, and know my heart; TEST and know my anxious thoughts. Psalm 139:23. (NLT)

None of us likes to go through hard times but God can sure use them. And as Scott reminded me and the staff yesterday, GOD will bring along someone who has “been through” the same challenge to help us through ours.

And why?

So as the scripture says, we can do the same for another down the road.  Testimony is powerful!  GOD knows it.  GOD knows that when we can come along side a brother or sister and say, “We’ve been there and here is what GOD did”, GOD is glorified and our friend encouraged!

Let me ask you, are you feeling tested? Maybe you are in the middle of a lengthy trial.

Pause. Look around.  Is there someone in your sphere who you can reach out to?  Don’t go it alone.  GOD promised to help! GOD promised to SEND someone, this scripture confirms it!

And then “learn” from the test! 

Stay alert to what GOD is teaching and doing.  What you are dealing with will not be for nothing.  You too will get to serve another once the storm and test has passed!

You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. ~Walt Disney

And oddly enough for someone else as well!

 

I love you all

Freedom Church