Testing Will Come

As a believer, have you been tested and tried?  I think at one point or other we will all be tested to see how we will respond to certain situations we will face.  We don’t experience testing to show God how we will respond, God already knows, no, this happens for our benefit because we don’t know how we will respond in many cases. Testing will show us the areas in our Christian walk we need to grow in. Sometimes we think we know before time how we would respond to circumstances that might come up, but then we find out what we thought we would do if faced with certain trials or testing is not reality at all and we end up falling miserably.  

Sometimes you may hear a believer say, “I don’t know how that person could do such and such and be a believer, I would never do that.”  You hear people say, “I would never say that or act that way, how could a believer say such things and act that way, they can’t be a believer and act that way, why I never, heaven forbid.”  If you have been a believer very long and have thought this way, which I don’t believe I am the only one that has, you probably know what happens not too far down the road.  You find yourself in a similar situation and sometimes you fail miserably.  Many times we judge others and find ourselves being hypocritical and guilty because of our judgmental attitudes.

Sometimes we can be very proud and arrogant, sort of like the Pharisees.  We seem to forget how far we have fallen and what the Lord delivered us from, to our shame.  Sometimes as believers we can be deceived, thinking we are better than others, which is called pride.  Read what is says about pride in Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”  Pride is a ‘better than thou’ attitude and those that have it very seldom realize it, but it sticks out like a sore thumb, you might say, to others.

Jesus spoke a parable on it in Luke 18:9-14, “Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Getting back to testing, think of Abraham, he was tested to see if he would be obedient; Abraham was instructed to sacrifice his only son Isaac unto the Lord. Just a side note, Isaac’s name meant laughter and I am sure they rejoiced over him, having him in their old age, well beyond the child bearing years, so what a sad day this must have been.  Abraham was faithful, but before he could kill his son, God provided a sacrifice and Isaac was not harmed.  You can read about it in Genesis 22:1-16.  Job was another example of being tested and he also was faithful and passed both tests.  You can read about his tests in Job 1:1-22 and also 2:1-10.  The Israelites were tested in the wilderness and many of them failed, Jesus was also tested in the wilderness but He passed the test.  I believe all believers are tested at times through trials and tribulations but Jesus overcame them and we can to with His help, praise the Lord!!

It says this in James 1:2-4, “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.”

Trials, or testing, are always for our good and hopefully we will all learn to be faithful through all of them.  Something to think about; may the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!