if we go back to, James the first chapter and verses two
through four want to break down some of the things that are
mentioned. Some of the words there that are
mentioned and first he says I want you to consider this.
I want you to regard this in other words.
That Joy or Delight or to rejoice.
Consider that. Joy means to be delighted or to
rejoice. And then he talks about the
trials of many kinds that's persecution.
It can be persecution in life and can be poverty.
It can be sickness, it can be that we sorrow after the loss of
a loved one and it can be Calamity of any kind is what
it's defined as. And there goes on to say, it's
comes from the Greek word /, / Osmos, and it means adversity
Affliction trouble. I sent by God and serving to
test or prove one's character Faith or holiness.
Then he says the testing of your faith.
In other words, the test is of our faith, the strength of our
faith. It's a test And he says, go on
goes onto says that it produces perseverance.
In other words it's the it's the product, or it's the fruit or
it's The Offspring of perseverance.
Is what happens, that produces perseverance perseverance, the
product of Trials is a patient enduring sustaining perseverance
steadfastness constancy and then he says not lacking anything.
In other words, completely, and fully developed out.
In this, there's something that happens in Trials, it either
makes us better or it destroys us.
And that's what we want to notice.
In other words, Delight in the trials of your life with a
joyful perseverance and as the opportunity to grow and
perseverance, excuse me, joyful perspective, I'm sorry.
And as an opportunity to grow and perseverance, it's all about
perspective. Going through any trial of life.
For a Christian can be a joyous experience.
If we have the perspective that is right, going through that
trial, You know, you see people that go through life and they
just are always up and you throw something Madam and they're
still up and you throw something else at them and they're still
up. And you have other people that
just go around and with a sad face and with a, just a kind of
a scroll on their face all the time.
And, and, you know, anything, you tell them something good and
they'll make something bad out of it.
It's all about perspective. Some people perceive everything
as good things, Going on in the life, they make lemon out of
limit, lemonade out of lemons, and things of that nature.
So it's all about perspective, imagine the worst trial that you
could possibly go through and might be money problems.
And my that me that you lost your job.
You were fired or you were laid off.
You know, jobs are hard to find these days, it seems like and
and sometimes when somebody loses their job, they don't have
enough money to pay the bills. They've got need to put food on
the table. They need to put clothes on
their children's backs. And for other people, it might
be that's just research heaved a word that you're going to need a
triple bypass immediately or you might have a massive brain
tumor. Or one of your children has a
terminal illness, or you just got word.
That one of your close relatives doesn't have any longer, doesn't
have much longer to live or one of your loved ones was involved
in an auto accident a fatality. I'm sure there are certain
trials that come to mind that have happened in each of our
lives and we could go on and on but all hard, trials, touch us
and one way or another, they touch each and every one of us
in one way or another anyone who thinks that we're going to be
able to go through this life with ease with no troubles and
would know, trials, you're living in a fantasy world.
Because trials and sorrow are part of life and must be
expected. If we think realistically, we
can know that we're going to face troubles and trials.
At some point in our life, job was a man who lost his family.
He lost his crops, he lost his livestock.
Everything he lost it all. He'd lost his possessions, lost
all his children and was left with a wife who asked him to
curse God and die. His own body was struck with
painful, boils from the crown of his head, to the bottom of his
feet. It says in job 2 and verse 7 And
now he's got a pretty bad. Pretty bad you and I haven't
gone through all that job. Had it pretty bad also,
Abraham's life shows us that we might be tested.
On things that are very near and dear to us.
The worst thing that we can think of that would happen.
We might be tested on. We may have to offer up our own
Isaac at some point. In other words, we may have to
go through such a trial, that is so, so close to our heart.
Abraham was willing to give up Isaac no matter how much Isaac
meant to him, why? Because he would do anything
that God asked him to do, and I can ever imagine that trial, I
just can't even imagine going through something like that.
I can't imagine what I would do. If I was told to do the things
that That Abraham was told to do.
But Abraham passed the test. The angel of the Lord said in
Genesis 22, and verse 12. Now, I know, That you fear God.
Since you have not withheld, your son, your only son from me.
In other words, Abraham truly reverence and obeyed God at any
cost, whatever. It was Hebrews 11 and 7 tells us
very clearly in the first two words tells the whole story by
what by faith, Abraham when he was tested.
That was a test. I think about, you know,
sometimes we all have heard it on the television, mainly on the
radio, you hear that beep and news.
And you hear the word saying this is a test, this is only a
test. Well, that's what happened with
Abraham. It's not like God had a that
Abraham heard a beep. And then heard, God saying to do
these things, but this was a test and that's what Abraham
went through, Hebrews 11 and verse 17, through 19, when he
was tested offered up, Isaac. Eric and he who had received the
promises offered up, his only begotten, son of whom it was
said in Isaac, your seed Shall be Called, well, how can he do
that? Well, it's all about
perspective. That here it comes.
Here's the key in verse 19 concluding or taking note of the
fact that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead.
When you know, why? He was willing to do that.
Because he believed God, he believed the promise of God.
He believed that no matter what happened, even if he had to kill
Isaac, God was able to raise him up from the dead Abraham?
I don't know, it doesn't reveal to us that Abraham had ever seen
God raised someone from the dead but Abraham believed that if
that was the case, He could even raise Isaac up from the dead to
keep that promise. Now, what does that tell us?
It tells us that we can make it through the most severe trial in
life if we really trust God. You know, that's hard to do
sometimes is put our trust in God.
And if we believe that God will keep his promise that God never
makes a mistake in, the God, will accomplish his purpose in,
and through us, it is that kind of faith that passes the test.
We have to realize that God is going to test us and the things
that sustain us during those tests is our trust in God, our
faith that God is working, all things out for his own purpose.
You know, we trust ourselves. We like to be in control of our
lives. But when we have to release that
trust from ourselves to God, sometimes that's where the
problem lies, we pray to God, for help in this matter.
But we want to go over and we want to pick up that luggage.
Of doubt and we want to carry it along with us and we still want
to have that as a backup. Just in case God can't deal with
this. Just in case God doesn't come
through. Just in case our prayer isn't
heard, we want to grab that luggage of doubt and have our
own plan. And releasing that trust from
ourselves and releasing it to God is hard to do sometimes.
But we have to do that and that's what Abraham did that's
what Abraham did. He placed his trust in God.
And if we allow that to happen, God's plan works out.
You know, I know that we dream of having a life of ease.
We like to create this perfect environment that we live in our
own Utopia. If you want to say and we want
to have a comfortable life with no problems.
We want to get all the rough spots out so we can have a life
of ease. We want to make sure that every
turn thing turns out perfect as we have planned, Frankly I've
never known such a moment in my life, it seems like.
And when we kind of think for a moment that that that we're in
that place all of a sudden we get blindsided And we found out
find out that we were mistaken. When we get comfortable, when we
get it, he's in life thinking, we've got it all worked out.
We've got our plans about this and our plans about that and our
plans about this and we got our future all laid out for us.
All of a sudden the trial comes and wipes it all out.
That's life. That's life.
It's not about us. It's God's plan and what God has
planned for us in this life but the fact that we have temporary
rest and temporary, he's in life fools us into thinking that we
might have it made when that's not the case.
Jesus said to his disciples and specifically Peter in Matthew,
26 and verse 41 watch and pray that you enter not into and the
new King James and King James says temptation but that same
word. Greek word is used there, Perez
MOS, which means trials. Watch, look for the trials.
Pray, ask for strength. In other words, watch and pray
and it wouldn't be long before Peter would understand exactly
what God or what Jesus was saying to him.
He says, Peter Watch and Pray. As you enter into the trials.
Because they're coming. We're going to have trials,
trials will come, but our confidence is in the presence of
God and knowing that he is our Helper.
And the times of these trials, notice in Psalm 33 23 and verse
for the psalmist. David said, yea though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death.
I will fear no evil for thou art with me.
David wasn't willing, wasn't wasn't afraid of what was going
to come at him because he knew that God would be right there.
So Trials come to us in many ways and I want to just notice
nine different ways that we can use those trials to find Joy.
First of all trials, come to test our faith.
There's a great illustration of this relating to King Hezekiah,
listen and Chronicles, to 32 and verse 31 God withdrew from him
in order to test him that he might know.
All that was in his heart. Heart that God might know.
All that was in Hezekiah his heart.
God withdrew from him. He left him.
Now, I need to know and you need to know the strength of our
faith. And so God allows trials into
our lives to reveal to us the strength or the weakness of our
faith. And the trial will do just that
if you're going to through a severe trial, right now, it's
revealing to you the strength of your faith or the weakness of
your faith, isn't it? We can be devastated from that
trial or we can be strengthened from it and that is our choice.
If you're blaming God for your problems, if you're questioning
God's ability, if you're wondering why it's happening to
you, if you're worried all the time, that's a good indication
that your faith is weak, That your faith in God is weak.
If on the other hand, you're going through a trial.
And you find yourself at peace and the promises of God
comforted by God and having placed the trial in his hands
and Care, trusting him letting him bear, the burden of it all
and going on your way rejoicing as best you can in the difficult
situation, Waiting for God to show you the way out.
Then you're seeing yourself how you measure up by putting faith
and trust in God? So, we ought to be thankful for
trials. Because they assist us in the
inventory of our own faith and that's very helpful to know
where we stand when the trial comes along.
How do we, how do we react to it?
How was our mindset for that, when it comes at us, are we
putting our faith in our trust in God.
Are we trying to solve our own problems or have someone else
solve our problems? Where is the strength of our
faith and how strong or how weak is it?
So, we ought to be thankful because it assists Us in that
inventory. Always want to know where my
faith is, so that I can be stronger.
The stronger. My faith is, the more useful.
I become more you become to God. And isn't that, what we want to
be more useful to God when habakkuk was going through the
promise, that the Chaldeans were going to come and wipe out his
people. In spite of all that happened,
advocate for habakkuk. I don't know how you pronounce
that said. And in chapter 3 and verse 17
though, the Fig Tree May Blossom.
May not blossom nor fruit be on the vines, though.
The labor of the olive May Fail and the fields yield no food,
though. The flock may be cut off from
the fold, and there be no herd in the Stalls, yet, I will
rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the god of my
salvation. The Lord God is my strength.
He will make my feet like deers feet, and he will make You want
on my high heels. And so one of the purposes of
testing is to reveal to you and me the strength of our face so
that we can move along to Greater strength.
Remember, as we noticed earlier, job was tested in as a result of
his testing. He says, in job 42, in verses 5
through 6. I have heard you of you by the
hearing of the year, but now I see you but now I see you.
Therefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and Ashes.
In other words, he said, I want to confess that I really wasn't
paying attention. Lord, I didn't see you as I do
now. And that's what we need to do.
We need to seek God, for, who he is and what he does for us, we
need to trust him. We need to put faith in him when
we pray. We expect to have those prayers
answered. in the way that we desire and put it in his hands
and sometimes that stuff to do, So Trials come as a test of the
strength of our faith. Second, we must recognize the
Trials, come to Humble us. They come to remind us not to
think more, highly of ourselves than we ought to or can think
that we are confident in our spiritual strength.
They come not only to show us our strength but they come to
humblest so that we don't think we're stronger spiritually than
we actually are. This is illustrated by Paul that
through all the things he accomplished, he might become
proud and boastful, you know, Paul accomplished all kinds of
things for Christ. Notice second Corinthians, 12
verse 7 and lest I should be exalted above measure by the
abundance of Revelations. A thorn in the flesh was given
to me a messenger of Satan to Buffet me lest I exalt us, I be
exalted above measure. In other words, it was something
to keep Paul in check as what he say.
Unless I get too big of a head about everything that I've
accomplished about, all the Revelation coming down from God,
to all the things that I've done for the church, and for the
cause of Christ Thorn In the Flesh, was given to me to keep
me humble. Barnes notes comments on this
list, I should be spiritually, proud, lest I should become
self-confident in vain and suppose that I was a special
favorite in heaven. Unless Paul should think of
himself more highly than he ought to think, because of all
the things that Paul was able to do all the signs and wonders and
Revelations. And we must realize that God
allows trials in our lives, especially when we are blessed,
so that we don't think too confident in our spiritual life,
you know, when things are going along this real smooth,
sometimes we get a little bit too uppity.
And we're not humble as we ought to be.
We think we're Invincible with our spiritual life and then that
trial comes along and just knocks us back on our heels and
puts the humility into our lives.
Trials can keep us in check number 3, I also believe the
Lord brings trials in our lives to wean us from the worldly
things. Have you ever found out that the
older you get in the more things that we accumulate more
furniture and cars and our houses or whatever the more
success that you have, the more worldly things that you you've
got and done have you noticed that as you grow older in life,
those things tend to have less meaning.
As we get older. Now we spend sometimes all that
time when we were younger and we got the energy and we got all
that stamina acquiring this in acquiring that we want to
achieve this when I get to this goal.
But as we get closer to the Enduro of our life, those things
become much less important. And those things really don't,
solve the problems of Life, do they?
Those things don't do it. Those deep dark problems that we
get involved in, those things. Can't get us out of those
problems. Problems, The Trials, come to
your life and all those worldly. Things make no difference.
They mean, absolutely nothing as you're laying in the hospital,
maybe you struggling for breath and things.
Those things out in the world mean nothing to you, but it's
important as you get that next breath.
That's what's important and putting your faith and trust in
God. Things will get you nowhere.
So it's a trial means and brings to our attention.
That we need to be weaned away from worldly things.
The worldly possessions can't solve any problems and those
things need to be less important than Godly things.
I think about Moses had been raised in Pharaoh's house, he
had a great education, he was in a basically, a prince in Egypt,
he had reached the top of society Egyptian Society.
He had it made, but he considered the reproach of
Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.
Notice Hebrews, 11 verses 24 through 27 by faith Moses, when
he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter, choosing rather to suffer Affliction with the
people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasure of sin.
Esteeming. The reproach of Christ greater
riches than the treasures in Egypt for.
He looked to the reward by faith.
He forsook Egypt, not fearing the Wrath of the king for he
entered endured as seeing him. Who is invisible, Somali Moses.
Got his lies off of all those worldly pleasures, and all those
worldly things and focused on Godly things.
He began to be concerned about the trials of his own people and
the Lord used that trial to wean him off those worldly things,
and trials will do that to us in our life.
Also forth. I think the trials help us to
focus on our Eternal hope trials, and in life.
I don't know how they work with you, but I know how they work
with me. They tend to make us want to go
to heaven. When we see all the things that
are going on around us and we see all the pain and the
suffering that people go through in this life and we we tend to
focus on our hope. Because this world is not the
place we want to spend eternity. We want to look to that Heavenly
hope that God has prepared that paradise for us and that
wonderful place to live and that's what we focus on.
If in your life you have been laying Treasures up.
On this Earth. then we can't focus on our Heavenly hope, but
if you've been laying up your Treasures in Heavenly things,
You're going to have a very, very distant relationship with
the things of this world. Things of this world aren't
going to mean so much. So trials tend to show us the
waist of the things of this world and they're going to when
we go through the trials that seems as if the last thing we
think of Our worldly things Romans 8, and verses 16 through
18, the spirit himself Bears. Witness with our spirit, that we
are the children of God, and if children then heirs Heirs of God
and Joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that
we may be glorified together, For I consider that the
sufferings of, this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory, which shall be revealed in US.
Isn't that what we are working for?
I hope that's what we're working for.
Is Christians that Heavenly hope that our Eternal hope?
If you're working so hard for these this world, all those
things are going to be burned up.
We need to focus on. Our Heavenly hope Paul continues
in verses 20 through 25, for we know that the whole creation
groans and Labor's with birth pangs together, until now, not
only that. But we also who have the
firstfruits of the spirit, even we grow ourselves groan within
ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the Redemption of
our body for, we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen
is not hope for. Why does one still hope for what
he sees. But if we hope for what we do,
not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
That wonderful, Heavenly hope. Fifth trials, cause us to think
on Divine things Heavenly things and that's what Paul said.
In second Corinthians 4 verses 16 through 18.
Therefore, we do not do not lose heart.
Even though the our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man
is being renewed, day by day. For our light affliction, Which
is but for a moment is working for us a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of Glory. Our light affliction, Is working
for a much much greater thing more than we can even imagine.
Then he says, in verse 18, while we do not look at the things
which are seen. But the things which are not
seen. In other words, don't focus on
the things of this world. But the things which are not
seen for the things, which are seen are temporary.
But the things which are not seen are Eternal, how did Paul
get that kind of attitude? Because his perspective was
right. So we can see, trials, have a
very helpful purpose. They test the strength of our
faith, a humblest. So we don't think more confident
of our spiritual strength and we should they wean us off worldly
things. They help us to focus on the
Heavenly hope and think on Heavenly things sixth trials
also reveal what we love. Abraham and Isaac again.
It was a test of Abraham's love for God or for Isaac and it was
a test. It was Abraham's choice in this
test. If you love God, and you're
going to say, thank you, God for what you are doing in my life,
what you're accomplishing in me while going through this.
Thank you for what I'm learning. And helped me to see that and
give you glory allowing this trial to happen in my life.
It's hard to be thankful sometimes when we're going
through problems, But if we got our trust in God, we can be
thankful for that. But if you really love yourself,
more than you love, God, you're going to say, well God, why do
you allow this thing to happen to me in my life?
Why are you letting this happen? And we get mad at God, we get
upset, we're going to be bitter. And that kind of attitude shows
that Satan is in control and is winning the battle against your
life. One thing that we want to make
very clear is God does not tempt us to send.
That's the devil's job. That's what the devil does.
God protects us from the devil, but we can still make a choice
to let the devil devil, get the advantage in our life.
First Corinthians, 10 over 13. No temptation, has overtaken you
except such as is common to man, but God is faithful who will not
allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able.
But will with the Temptation will also make the way of
Escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Now, that doesn't mean. That Dave gets the same
condition temptation as I do. And he knows that Dave conveyor
it and I can't. That isn't what that means and
you get worse Temptations than I do.
Or someone gets harder Temptation than the other
person. What he says is basically I have
provided a way of Escape. And you are going to bury
anything that everybody else hasn't bear.
Hasn't born and certainly what Jesus has more.
These Temptations are common to man.
And we have a way of Escape. So you see if anything is dearer
to you than God, we've got to remove us from our life.
I just want to make sure that in my life.
Nothing is dearer to me than the Lord notice in Deuteronomy 13
Verse 3. You shall not listen to the
words of that Prophet or false prophet or, or the dreamer of
dreams for the Lord, your God is testing.
You that to know whether you love the Lord, your God with all
your heart. And with all your soul, so,
these Temptations Test us to know where our love lies.
Luke 14 and 26. If anyone comes to me and does
not hate his father and mother wife and children brothers and
sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot might be my
disciple and whoever does not bear his cross and come after
me, cannot be my disciple. We've heard this explain time
and time again, I think As he literally saying that we have to
Hate Everyone except ourselves. No.
Including ourselves. No.
He's saying that if you love anything in this world more than
you love, God. Anything more than you love God.
You're going down the wrong path.
You can't be his disciple. Whatever it is in this life.
There's all kinds of things that we like, there's all kinds of
things that we may love. We may love our wife, we may
love our husband. We may love our children.
We may love our job. We may love money.
We may love anything in this world and if we love it more
than we love God, we can't be his disciples what he says.
Whatever that is, we may love the pleasure of sitting at home
and relaxing. Instead of serving God.
If you're loving that more than you love God.
You can't be his disciples what he says.
If you love your job more than you love, God, you can't be his
disciple. He says, Where is our love?
You see. The trial is what we love.
The trial is. What choice are we going to
make? The trial is very true.
The trial is very real. What do you love Do you love the
things? Do you love the Comforts?
Do you love the pleasures of this life?
Do you love anything more than you love?
God. and a lot of times we fail, A lot of times we fail in that
trial. We want to be his disciples, we
want to be loving God. But there's the test, there's
the trial. When we go through a trial, we
find out what it reveals about our love towards God and you
will either be weaker or you'll be stronger.
We and we alone are the ones that make That choice seventh
trials. Teach us to Value the blessings
of God. We're taught these days to
Value, the things of this world and to have value the pleasures
of this world. The world tells us to enjoy
these things. Are we live by Pleasure?
We live by our feelings, if it feels good, do it.
They say faith tells us to Value.
God's world, God's word, God's favor, God's blessings,
selfishness and worldly. Pleasures will be pleasure says,
grab what you can grab in the world and go for it.
Find pleasure at any price faith, says obey, the word of
God. God, and be blessed.
In the middle of Trials, we obey and we find a blessing.
That's what the trials are intended to teach us.
They show us that obedience at all costs brings brings the
blessing of God. Jesus went through trials and
obeyed his father and there were, there was a blessing in
that Hebrews 5 in verses 7 through 9, who in the days of
his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplication with
vehement trials, cries and tears to him, who was able to save him
from death and was heard because of his Godly fear, though, he
was a son yet, learned, yet he learned obedience by the things,
which he suffered. And having been perfected, he
became the author of Eternal salvation to wall, Who obey him.
Look at the blessing there. Jesus obeyed, his father. and
the blessing was, He turned salvation for all of us. what a
blessing when we obey God, Philippians 2 puts it, another
way that he was humbled took upon him, the form of a man and
offered up himself in death and God highly exalted him Trials,
come To get us through the suffering, get us to the other
side that we obey in the suffering and then receive the
blessing of God through that trial on the other side of the
tribe. When you go through a trial, if
you learn to obey God, you will experience his Blessing and
that's his promise. Hey, trials, and suffering, come
to enable us to help others in their suffering.
Sometimes when suffering comes and may have no other purpose,
other than we were able to help other people in their suffering
as well. To assist them.
Notice the 22nd chapter of Luke, where Jesus says to Peter.
And the Lord said Simon Simon indeed.
Satan has asked for you that he may sift, you as wheat Satan's
going to shake you in other words as what he's saying.
And you know what, When Trials come our way, they will shake us
sometimes to our core They will wake us up and they will shake
our life into total and utter disarray.
It's going to shake you and that's what Peter.
Our Jesus is telling Peter here, shaitan is going to take, Satan
is going to take you and Shake you up.
He says, but I prayed for you that your faith should not fail.
Now, listen to this. And when you have returned to
me, When you've turned around. In other words, when you come
through the trial he says strengthen your brother That's
the purpose. A wonderful purpose that when we
go through the trial and we see somebody else going through
maybe the same trial or a trial, we can go help and strengthen
our brother or our sisters, help them through that struggle.
Maybe they haven't been through that.
We have we know what's going to come at them and we can lift
them up and we can pray for them.
We can help them whatever it. Maybe, maybe it's taking things
to them. Maybe it's helping them with
chores. Maybe it's Studying with them.
Maybe it's praying with them holding her hand.
Strengthen your brethren. When you're going through
trials, it teaches you, all kinds of things, you learn a lot
and then when you see someone else suffering helpful, Help him
out. because we have been trained now in that That's like
Jesus and Hebrews. 4 and verse 15.
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but was, in all points tempted as we are, yet
without sin. Now, notice Hebrews 2 and verse
18, for in that he himself, has suffered being tempted, he is
able to Aid those who are tempted or they're going through
trials, just like you and I We can pray to God for help and
Jesus is their pleading our case because he's gone through it
too. We can do that with our brother.
We can do that. We can help them out.
So, we go through trials for the purpose of being able to help
others and that's a wonderful wonderful thing.
Finally then number nine Trials, come to develop greater strength
for greater usefulness, to God, Thomas Melton.
It was a 17th century, English preacher and he said, while all
things are quiet and comfortable we live by since, or our
feelings, rather than Faith, but the worth of a soldier is never
known in times of Peace. No soldiers are trained and
trained and trained but they never know how.
Things are going to go until they get into the war.
And the worth of that Soldier is never known until it's time to
fight. So is it is with our faith?
God has his purpose in trials, and that is to give us a greater
strength. You know, we we go through one
trial in our spiritual muscles are exercised if you want to
say. You know, in my recovery people
said well don't overdo it don't overdo it don't well I know
don't overdo it. I know when things happen you
don't overdo it but the only way that I'm going to recover and
get stronger as to push and exercise, and be active.
Instead of just sitting in my lounge, chair, all the time
watching television, My legs will not get stronger.
My arms will not get stronger. My lungs will not get stronger.
My heart will not get stronger and less I exercise and so It is
with our spiritual life, unless we exercise our spiritual life.
And we go through the trials and see how we do in that trial, and
it makes us stronger. We go through one trial, and
another trial, and another trial and another trial.
And sometimes we wonder how much more can I put up with?
Well, here's another one that's coming at me, and it teaches us
and it makes us stronger. Each time we go through another
trial, we get stronger and we get stronger and we get stronger
so that we can help others so that we can be more useful to
God. And one more useful to God were
able to accomplish more for the church.
To God's glory. If you're at ease and you're
sitting in your easy chair all the time and you're not
exercising spiritually. If you're not reading the word
of God, if you're not studying it, if you're not singing
praises to Him, if you're not studying here on Wednesday
night, if you're not studying here on on Sunday night, you're
getting weaker and weaker and weaker and you're becoming less
useful to God. We need to all be useful to God.
Exercise, your spiritual life so that you can become spiritually
strong. So when those Trials come at
you, we come out the other side and good shape and stronger for
doing such stronger. We wonder why we fail.
We wonder why we've had so much so many problems.
When the Trials, come our way. Because we're not exercising.
And our strength is getting weaker and weaker.
So let's sum it up. What is God's purpose as he
tests us? To test the strength of our
faith that we might know where our strength is, or isn't to
Humble us. So we can think more confidently
of our spiritual to so that we don't think more commonly or
spiritual strength. And we ought to think to wenis
away from worldly things to help us focus on that.
Heavenly hope to help us think and focus on Heavenly things.
To reveal what we really love to teach us the value to Value the
blessings of God and to appreciate those blessings to
enable us to help others in their trials and bear.
Another one another's burdens. To develop and during strength
for greater usefulness so that God can use us more and more for
the cause of Christ trials are going to come.
There's no way of avoiding them. We might say to ourselves.
Well, I I know they're going to come and I know that all things
are for God's purpose and it's all about what he wants to
accomplish in US. But I still did it.
Still doesn't answer the question.
How do I get through it? How do I get through the trial?
How do I get to the other side of the trial?
Well, let's go back to James 1. Knowing that the testing of your
faith produces endurance and perseverance.
That's a purpose to produce perseverance.
And endurance. It says, trials are going to
come the testing. Your faith is going to come, but
let's notice verse 2, it takes a joyous attitude, my brethren,
count, it all joy. Perspective.
This means persevering in and through the trial with the right
attitude, a joyous attitude. Verse 3, you must have an
understanding mine. He says knowing that this test
is producing something knowing and ahead, knowing that
something good is going to come out of this, you know, none of
us would start start anything. It seems like if we knew that
the end was going to be a failure. start doing something,
knowing that knowing that we're going to fail but he says, no,
this, no this That the testing of your faith.
Produces something good. Something beneficial to you.
Third. We must have a submissive will
he says let patience have. It's perfect work.
In other words, let the trial happen.
Inder the trial because God is at work in your life.
If God is not at work in your life, Satan is if you let him
get the upper hand and you come out on the other end of the
trial without joy and a bitter attitude toward God, you're mad
at God. The devil wins.
So let God do his work in your, in the trials of your life, let
it happen and have the right attitude in that trial, that
you're going to pray that you're going to trust God.
You're going to turn it over to him.
And we along with others will help you along with that trial.
But we want to eventually come out on the other side, the
winner we want to come out on the other side.
Because let patients work with in your life.
Let those Trials come into your life and deal with them as they
come into your life. Because God is at work in your
life and you know what? You'll come out on the other
side, a lot stronger than you are now.
We must have a believing heart if any of you lacks wisdom, let
him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach.
And it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, no
doubting for He Who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven
and tossed by the wind for. Let not that man.
Suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.
He is a double-minded man. Unstable, 's and unstable in all
his ways. Ask God for what you need.
In faith, not doubting. You must believe with all your
heart, believe in God will and believe that he has the ability
to do it and turn it over to him.
Remember how we talked a little bit ago?
We want to pray to God, we want to ask him for the help.
We want to ask him for the prayers.
We want to ask him for the blessing, but we want to grab
that little suit case of doubt and carry it along with us just
in case, God's plan doesn't work out in our lives. doubting God
not having faith in God that he can accomplish his will in us
and through us Put that doubt away, set it down to the side
and put your faith and trust in God.
And sometimes, that's a hard thing to do.
And finally, in verses 9 through 11, we must have a humble
spirit. Let the lowly brother glory in
his exultation but the rich in his humiliation because as a
flower of the field, he will pass away for no sooner has the
sun risen with a burning heat and it Withers the grass.
It's flowers Falls and it's beautiful appearance parishes.
So the rich man also will fade away in his Pursuits.
So you persevere through the trials, What a joyous attitude
and understanding - submissive will a believing heart and a
humble Spirit. But then in verse 12, James
tells us what happens when we make it through.
The trial. Blessed is the man who endures
Temptation for the trials for when he has been approved.
When, in other words when he's been made, when he's made it to
the other side of the trial, he will receive the Crown of Life
which the Lord has promised to those who love him.
There's the blessing. There's the blessing when we
made it to the other side of the trial.
We receive the blessing. Again, if we start something and
know we're going to fail, we wouldn't start it.
When we're going through the trial know that on the other
side is a blessing. In conclusion, trials are not
fun or enjoyable. No one likes having problems in
life but we know, we will come out on the other, at the end of
that trial in a blessing. So, let's prepare our hearts for
how we're going to react to the trials.
When it comes, it can be devastated us.
Or I can be a blessing to make us a better Christian in so many
ways. Remember what we said at the
beginning of the lesson, it's all about perspective.
Going through any trial of life or a Christian can be a joyous
experience. If our perspective is right, our
plan and God's plans are not the same.
That's how we find. Joy in Trials.
We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you
would like any additional information or you would like to
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