God - Was that me or you?

The Trial of Faith

 

October 31, 2012

 

If you have faith as a mustard seed . . . nothing will be impossible for you —Matthew 17:20

‘[…] Yet God frequently has to knock the bottom out of your experience as His saint to get you in direct contact with Himself. God wants you to understand that it is a life of faith, not a life of emotional enjoyment of His blessings. The beginning of your life of faith was very narrow and intense, centered around a small amount of experience that had as much emotion as faith in it, and it was full of light and sweetness. […] Faith by its very nature must be tested and tried. And the real trial of faith is not that we find it difficult to trust God, but that God’s character must be proven as trustworthy in our own minds. Faith being worked out into reality must experience times of unbroken isolation. Never confuse the trial of faith with the ordinary discipline of life, because a great deal of what we call the trial of faith is the inevitable result of being alive. Faith, as the Bible teaches it, is faith in God coming against everything that contradicts Him— a faith that says, “I will remain true to God’s character whatever He may do.” The highest and the greatest expression of faith in the whole Bible is— “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).’ CHAMBERS

There is a difference between your faith being tested and the natural consequences of what you do in life.  If you don’t manage your money well, make poor relationship choices .. live a life contrary to the Word of God, speed in your car, eat too much, practice habits that are harmful to your body … and then you reap the consequence of those choices .. those are not tests of your faith.  We might try to ‘pin’ it on being tested in our faith .. but it isn’t that at all.  In many cases .. it is simply sin and sin’s consequences ….

 

James 1:13-15  Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

 

We confuse being tempted with being tested.  Our flesh is tempted .. our faith is tested. In one case our heart is not right because of sin .. in the other case  our heart is not fully devoted to God.

 

Which one is it for you?  Actually if it the first, it is by definition the second … You cannot live a sinful life and be fully devoted to God .. yet you cannot not (I know a double negative) live a sinful life without being fully devoted to God … and once you are .. your faith will be tested … and then you will have the opportunity to say … “I will remain true to God’s character whatever He may do.”

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)