How Do Tests and Trials Grow My Faith?
We may know that perseverance through tests and trials grows our faith, but how? And what is waiting for us on the other side?
Tests and trials grow our faith by shaping…
- Our character
- Our desires
- Our testimony
All of this is for us to step into our promotion and glorify His name! Remember—pain is temporary, but quitting is permanent!
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Cleansing our Character
Have you ever cried out to the Lord, “God, show me favor in my finances, health, relationships, situation—where are You?” God hears your prayers…
- “And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”—1 John 5:15
He knows, and He is working things out in the spiritual realm so that it manifests in the physical.
How?
By dealing with your character. For you to move into the promotion God has promised you, change has to happen first. Change is rarely easy; there is always a sacrifice that has to be made—something always has to be let go of. But that something is dimming the light that reveals the promotion.
God tells us He won’t give up on us during the changing season. How quickly we forget that He also doesn’t let our faith go stale. He adds to our faith; He provides goodness, self-control, perseverance, and love through the trials.
- “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”—2 Peter 1:5-8
God’s reply…
- “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”—1 John 1:5
God’s desire for you is to be set free from the bondage of sin and darkness. And through acceptance of Jesus, you are free! The next step He wants you to take is to believe what His Word says about you.
You are a new creation with a new heart. He has a destiny for you that was set from the beginning. But to fulfill that, the past must be dealt with and then closed. It’s time to move forward, looking toward Him for guidance, not letting your history dictate your future.
Developing Our Desires
While the Lord is removing barriers that get in the way of your spiritual promotion, you’ll notice He starts to reveal sin that has had a hold on you for a time. Some you may be aware of, and some you may not—but there will be new light shed on these dark areas of your heart. God is on the move!
The key is to remain in peace through the process of pruning. God is true to His Word and the author and finisher of your faith.
- “…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”—Hebrews 12:2
He will not abandon you on the journey He has for you. Diligently seek Him because He is instructing and teaching you the way to go with His own eye (see Psalm 32:8).
How?
Doors will begin to close as He moves you onto your new path. These doors may close in relationships and situations.
Some relationships are like feathers on wings—in your life only for a season. After time passes, the feathers molt, and others take their place. This isn’t to say they shouldn’t have been there in the first place, but to understand and trust God has brought them to you for a season and it’s time to move forward into the new season—the third-day.
God will never close a door without opening another one—to grow your faith!
- “And not only that,but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”—Romans 5:3-6
God’s reply…
- “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”—Psalm 119:105
The antidote to trials and tribulations is to look to God’s Word to light your path. The lamp illuminates the journey ahead for you just as it did for the ancient Israelites. The lamp reveals danger on the path—a stumbling block, a slithering serpent, or a scheming enemy.
Telling Our Testimony
Tests and trials birth your testimony. One of the beautiful blessings you receive after your promotion is the ability to bare your testimony and bring glory to the Lord! Your trial leads to a testimony that plants a seed in someone’s life. The Holy Spirit then waters the seed you planted!
How?
Right now, some of you are going through trials that seem to be overpowering. You’re struck by fear and doubt and it’s paralyzing you, preventing you from moving forward. It’s time to seek His kingdom. Learn from the past and close that door. God has something waiting for you just ahead.
Meditate on His Word day and night. Ask Him to keep the passion of the Holy Spirit alive in you, renewing your heart continuously. The truth is, we often look for a situation or person to bring us out of the trial, but God is your Lord and Savior—the only One who can break the yoke.
Pray for the power of self-control and love to walk in victory!
- “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”—2 Timothy 1:7
God’s reply…
- “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”—Philippians 3:13-14
The goal is God—press forward, keeping your eyes on Him through the trial. Remember—pain is only temporary, but quitting is permanent.
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