Trials

Trials

 

I don’t know if you are like me where it seems like there are trials around every corner you turn. Trials are apart of our everyday lives. It may be something as simple as misplacing a cup of coffee on that morning after a hard night of sleeplessness, to a loved one either being sick or dying. It seems like you can’t get away from trials. 

 

I want to talk with you about trials for a moment. What are trials? 

 

Before we talk about what are considered trials let discuss what trials aren’t. Trials are not the same thing as temptations. Temptations are a trick of satan to get you to turn from God. Satan uses temptations in one of three ways, any combination of the three ways, and sometimes evens uses all three ways together. The three ways satan uses are “the list of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life”[1].  We see these tactics used in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were tempted[2] and also in the wilderness when Jesus was also tempted[3].

 

The thing about temptations are that God will never tempt you. God will never tempt you to do evil because God cannot be tempted[4]. In fact, 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that while we are being tempted God will provide us a way to escape those temptations.

 

There are many people that believe they are in trials when bad things begin to happen to them. Not all bad things that happen in life are a trial. Let me explain, if you are disobeying the law by speeding down the highway and an officer pulls you over and writes you a ticket it is not a trial. If you fail to maintain your vehicle and it breaks down, well , again that’s not a trial. A lot of what people claim as being a trail is nothing more than the results of poor choices that they have made. Almost like walking across a freshly frozen body of water and the ice breaks dropping you into the frigid water below and you saying “whelp God must be testing my faith because this ice broke”. NO! You goofball you were being ignorant and done something crazy. 

 

Let’s look now to what trials are. 

 

First I want to say that trials only come when you are walking deeply with God and are following his commandments. 

 

Trials are situations and circumstances that come in life to help an individual grow. This growth may be to help an individual learn to stand strong in the face of trials. Trials happen to build the faith of an individual. Trials happen to build our dependency upon God. Trials even come so that we may  build our dependency upon each other. 

 

Think about a child learning to walk. It faces a multiple of trials before it fully understands the complete concept of walking. Think about it for a minute. The child must learn to first stand and gathers it balance. Then once it’s gained it balance it takes that first step and falls. This routine happens time after time until that time it takes off walking. This child grew through the trials of failure to eventual victory. We see this very same routine in our everyday life in all we do. We don’t just take off walking. 

 

When we face these trials and overcome them we begin to build our faith. Like the child learning to walk. They started of on wobbly legs. The more the child gained a victory in the process of learning to walk the more confident it became. That confidence is the same thing as gaining faith. The child gains faith in the ability to overcome each individual step and give him courage to take the next step in the process. That’s how trials work to build faith. When we are victorious in a trial it gives us to courage to face the next trial. James even tells to count it all joy when we face trials because it tests our faith which cause us to be steadfast[5]Remember Faith is taking that next step even when we are unsure of the outcome. 

 

Trials come into our lives to build our dependency upon God. When trials come we tend to think that we are in a trial because of a punishment for a wrong we have committed. To be honest, most of the trials we face in life are to draw us closer to God. They are designed to help us see that God wants to fellowship with his dear children. Referring back to our child learning to walk. The child finally gets its balance and is ready to take its first step. The child’s mother’s reaches down and hold the child’s hand to help the child  balance as it takes its first step. This is a picture of how God is there through our trials. When that trial begins God reaches down for us to take his hand so he can help us walk through the trial. We like the growing child will let go of God’s hand and try to walk on our own to only fall. Like the child as long as we have the father’s hand we may stumble, teeter, and wobble but we are less likely to fall have the security and stability of the Father holding us up. 

 

Trials also come that we may build our dependency upon each other. There are trials that we aren’t to try to battle by ourselves. These trials require us to reach out to others to help through many different avenues. It may be through prayer, financial help, physical labor, spiritual support, etc…  In fact we are instructed to share our burden (trials) with others[6]. James 5:16 tells us to “confess our faults to one another”. This doesn’t mean tell all our sins to each other . What it means is to share our struggles and trials that we may pray for each other. James goes on to tell us that “the prayers of a righteous man avails much”[7].

 

 

It is possible that you will be tempted while you are going through a trial. Look at Job. While he was going through his trial those closest to him began to tempt him to “curse God and die”[8]. When you are going through a trial you can be overwhelmed and when you are weakened that’s when you are the most vulnerable to the temptations of the devil.

 

 When Job was going through his trial and being tempted to turn from his faith in God he held strong to his faith and as we read at the end of Job’s story God blesses him greater than when the street started. You see that when we go through the trials set before us it is always for our good. Trials are there to benefit us and not to harm us. Trials are there to help us grow and prosper. 

 

The best part about a true” God-sent” trial is that God is there walking with us through that trial[9]. Trust in God because he knows what’s best for you because he fashioned and formed you. 

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[1] 1 John 2:16

[2] Genesis 3:1-7

[3] Matthew 4:1-11

[4] James 1:13-14

[5] James 1:2-3

[6] Galatians 6:2

[7] James 5:16

[8] Job 2:9 

[9]  Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5

UNDERSTANDING TODAY.

For those looking to understand what is going on in the world today; begin reading at the second sentence (verse). 

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."  2Ti 3:1-5

This was written by the Apostle Paul nearly 2000 years ago to a young preacher named Timothy. Paul here is instructing Timothy what to look for concerning the last days.  

Look around this world today!! I believe that what we find starting at the second verse and going  to the middle of the fifth describes everything that is going on it the world today. Those mentioned in this passage are seen everywhere you look today. Look at all the protesting wanting to “defund the police”, look at the riots and looting, look at those fighting over wearing a mask in public, and the list goes on n and on. 

At the end of verse 5 it gives us some very sound advice. It says to “avoid such people”. Avoid these people!! Don’t associate with them! Don’t get sucked in to their wickedness! I have seen many well intentioned people get sucked into this junk and forget how to act. 

This world is in need of some serious help and that help can only come from the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us that if we would humble (get over ourselves and admit we need help) ourselves and turn from our wicked (sinful, selfish, childish, wrong) ways and pray (cry out to God confessing that we are in need and that we are all messed up), that He would hear those prayers and heal (bring peace, bring love, bring kindness, etc...) the land. We need to get off our high horse and straighten up! 

The Lord is coming!!! There is no arguement on this fact!! According to the first verse of 2Tim 3 these are the last days. 

I believe God the Father is preparing to send His Son to gather those who have believed Him in salvation. I also believe that those who have not believed in him are going to be sent to a literal place called Hell. 

My question is this, “have you trusted / believed  Jesus to salvation?”. 

ARE YOU DECEIVED OR BEING DECEIVED?

ARE YOU DECEIVED OR BEING DECEIVED?

The devil himself masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). We often think of him as a red guy with horns and a pitchfork, yet his appearance most commonly is one of beauty and glory. This is why Paul cautions believers to beware of anyone or anything that tampers with the gospel or the Scripture, even if an angel of light is the one telling us to add or take away from the Bible. It very well might be the devil himself who is leading us to our own destruction even though we think we are listening to the voice of truth. The Bible is the only measuring stick of truth, for it is the truth. Deception always begins with adding to, taking away, or altering the Word of God. “Did God really say,” or “Did God really mean,” or “Is that really worth studying” are all ways that the devil tries to place a wedge of division between us and God. If he can make us question the Bible, lean upon our own understanding rather than trusting in Him, and use “common sense,” then we will be had.  

            Have you been had already? If you have, you likely don’t know it. Such is the nature of deception. Those who are deceived don’t know it. All sin is rebellion, but not all sin feels or looks like rebellion to the one rebelling, particularly if they have been deceived. The one who has been deceived thinks that he is laboring for the Lord and teaching the truth when he is in fact aiding and abetting the devil. This is why deception is such a powerful tool of the devil. He can get people to advance his cause without them even knowing it. This makes his work through them so much more effective because they, too, look like ministers of light when they are teaching and serving the darkness, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Many deceivers do know exactly what they are doing, having compromised and sold their souls to the devil. Others are honestly well-meaning, yet they are leading others and themselves astray. 

            Deception is so dangerous because the church could be deceived and therefore walk peacefully and joyfully to its own destruction, thinking it was victorious when it was not. This is why the Bible tells us to be introspective. In Psalm 139:23-24 David says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.” David understands that it is possible to be deceived. He says in Psalm 19:12, “Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.” The nature of deception is that we cannot see it. Thus we need to ask God to help us to see what we need to change and to forgive us for our hidden errors.