The Testing of Your Faith
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4
God tests our faith to see if we trust him or if we let Satan’s fear pull us away from God. The more difficult life becomes the more we pray and depend on our Lord for his divine help and guidance. It is critically important that we follow the Spirit being a light for Christ as he leads us over every difficulty in life. When we live to serve the Lord and walk in his wisdom, it shows the Lord that we truly trust him. If we are not serving him, but instead we spend time in worry, then our emotions will escalate to a state of fear which tends to pull us away from God.
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you (Isaiah 26:3). Faith is when we trust the Lord to guide us through life. It is not just waiting for God to answer our prayers. The Christian’s life can be difficult and fearful, but we learn from the Lord to overcome the world. God doesn’t always change the world but gives us his strength and wisdom to overcome the world. When we serve the Lord with our hearts focused on ministry to others, we are free from self-destructive worries. Now that our focus is on serving the Lord, he sees our faith and takes divine action to lead us through life.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:17-18). When life gets really fearful and seems to be hopeless, run to God in prayer releasing all our emotions to him. Pray for the strength to endure and a heart to minister to others. The more we suffer the more powerful our ministry can be if we reveal our trust in the Lord by reflecting love, peace, and joy.
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:11-13). Paul had a very difficult life and much of it was spent in prison because of his faith in Christ. However, he was sustained by his closeness to Christ and the love, peace, and joy he received from the Spirit. He was closer to the Lord than he was to the world. This is the power the Lord gives us to endure anything Satan can put in our paths. The Lord promises to take us through life and eventually to take us home to be with him.
Endurance means we continue serving the Lord as he guides us through life, even when life doesn’t turn out the way we like. We endure because we are God’s servants and life is not about us and our comfort, it’s about serving the Lord. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace (Acts 20:24). Paul lived for Christ and his focus was not his own needs, but he prayed for his needs and God always provided. Paul’s first concern was always about completing the task the Lord had given him. This is the same attitude we should have because it pleases God. We serve him and we trust him for our needs.
Today, trust the Lord in every situation and let the Spirit guide you to reflect Christ. Know that faith is what pleases God and it’s faith that saves us. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—(Ephesians 2:8).
Let’s Pray: Lord, help me to live by faith in your divine will and not in my own will. Help me to always put you first in my life, living to serve you, so I can be free in Christ for your divine purpose. Thank you for setting me free in Christ and for letting me be your servant, walking in faith and pointing lost souls to Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen