“Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is”
(Ephesians 5:17).
We all have been in that place where we have been shaken and our faith in God has been tested and tried. However, thank the Lord for the comforter, who is the Holy Spirit that reveals to us what the will of God is in every trial and test. Understanding that trials are a must in our lives gives us the motivation to press on. The will of God is that we stand firm and cling to Him in our trials. There is power in knowing and understanding the value of our testing. The tests come to refine us, and they come to make our faith in Him stronger. It is in the testing where we make it clear who we believe in; so our actions in the testing can weaken our faith in Him or make us strong. It is in our trial that our love for our God gets tested. It is also in trial that our obedience to Him, faith, humility, sacrifice, patience and endurance are tested. Job had this to say from his testing: “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). What is your conclusion about God at the end of your testing? Paul said this, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, ‘For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter’. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 35-39) Paul still held on to God in his trials and concluded that “Nothing shall separate us from the love of God”
Whatever kind of tests you are going through right now, the Lord is on your side; He is not against you. Hold close to his promises, let Him strengthen you in the test, and do not ask Him to remove the tests or shorten the testing period. The length of the testing matters; be patient and take the test faithfully. Being calm and focusing on the now is very important. You can also choose to fail the test and instead of focusing on going through the trial, calling everyone for their opinions about it. Refuse to become pitiful, revengeful, bitter, murmuring or complaining. Remember the Lord has the answers to your testing, and not man. Focus on the testing and have the outcome in mind. Do not hurry to get out, do not find a shortcut, and do not cheat on the test, but ask Him to help you come out of the testing refined. Ask for a double portion of anointing at the end of the test. Ask that you pass the tests and trails with “A+” scores and that you do not flunk. Remember that if you fail the testing, you will have to retake the test again. Retaking the test is painful because it will be the same test. It may involve different circumstances, people, or situations, but it will still be the same test. It might come thought a different source, but it is the same test.
Just like any tests, every time you retake it, the questions are harder, because they have been given a different approach. So in your testing continue believing God more and more. Paul and Silas in their pain in jail, decided to respond to their trial by praising God; they found reason why they needed to praise God. Find something to praise God for in your trials. Find something to thank God for in your trials. Find something to trust God for in your trial. Find something to look up unto the mountains for and declare that your help comes from the Lord and nowhere else. Choose to believe in the promises of God even when everything looks impossible. Your response in the testing determines the duration of your due season.
The Lord wants us to pass the test. He expects us to pass the test because He makes us able to if we can look unto Him in the testing process. Every test He allows in our lives, He has surely prepared us for it. That is why in most cases His voice is not heard in the testing. It reminds me of my days in school. When we were taking tests, the teacher never answered any questions. He did not talk; he quietly passed the examination papers and asked us to read the instructions. The only thing he said if any was how long the test was to take. The room was quite and everyone’s eyes were on the test with an occasional look on the clock on the wall.
What does the devil expect out of our testing? He wants to see “F+” and no retakes. He wants you to remain defeated, and a failure. The devil’s desire is that we give up in our testing. He wants us to surrender and denounce the very God we have believed in. He wants us to start doubting God and question Him. However, we know better: The devil is liar and he is defeated. He will not prevail and he will surely be met with defeat in every area of our testing for great is our God and greatly to be praised and honored. Choose to obey the Lord, even when it is painful. Jesus did when He came close to asking for the cup to be taken away from Him. He obeyed and prayed, “Not my will, but your will be done” (Luke 24: 42). When He asks for sacrifice, surrender and give it to Him. You will be happy at the end. The process might be painful, but you will be glad you withstood the testing. Abraham did it, and you can do it because you are his descendant in faith (Genesis 22:1-18, Galatians 3:29). Stay humble in the testing and endure the test (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). How do we gain this type of endurance? Just like a runner gets endurance through training, so a Christian does through spiritual training. When faced with a trial, I encourage you to pray, read your Bible, be in fellowship with other Christians, and trust in the Lord (2 Corinthians 1:6).
Lastly, remain patient. Paul says in Hebrews 10:34 -36, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise”. James puts it this way, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1: 2-4). Let us pass the test this week and give God the glory as we get promoted to the next level in godliness.
Please visit us at: www.vesselforhonor.org, for our weekly and monthly meeting information.
By Isabella Mwango-isabella@vesselforhonor.org
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