Why Do We Have Trials?
We live in a world of growing uncertainty, and increasing instability. The average person, “especially believers” is faced with ten times more pressure than people who lived fifty years ago.
The emotional impact of such changes, in almost every area of life, has been enormous.
The unbeliever certainly is experiencing trials in his/her life of which they are poorly equipped to cope with.
Christians are certainly not exempt from these trials in life. I find a lot of confusion among Christians over the following questions.
1. Why do Christians who are trusting and walking with God have trials?
2. Don’t be surprised at the fiery trials that you go through as if something strange were happening to you.
Instead be glad, because these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering. Afterward you will have the joy of sharing His glory when it is displayed to all the world.
Look at the trial that Paul and Silas went through, and then look at the results at the end.
They were totally committed to their mission of founding new churches. They were walking by faith and were in the city of Philippi by the direct leading of the Lord Jesus himself.
As a result of delivering a demon from a slave girl of fortune telling; her master had them arrested. How would you respond to a situation like this?
3. It is always because of some moral failure or lack of faith.
James 1:2-3 2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers’ temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
For a great many Christians today, it is very easy to slip into the prevailing attitude of our present world.
The current mind set is to avoid pain of any kind at any cost, to live life for the moment, and ignore the long-term consequences.
The principle of enduring hardship for the present is to achieve a long-term future reward is virtually non-existent.
There are two extremes that Christians should avoid when approaching the subject of trials.
God in his desire to see us grow will constantly bombard us with trials in order to see us grow.
The second is to think that there will be no trials in the life of someone who has real faith and is walking with God.
1 Corinthians 10:13 13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
The Lord promises that he will never put us through any trial that is beyond our maturity level to endure.
Nor does He give us more testing than is necessary to train our faith for our particular calling.
Christians who are greatly used for Gods purpose are greatly tested. In these cases, the Lord gives such grace that the one who is tested is filled with inner strength and joy.
Romans 8:28 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
All things are not good, but when we believe God, he makes even the bad things work together for good.
How? Because those who are tested for the ministry sake are given special grace if they continue to trust the Lord
Most Christians of this generation are in ‘an attitude” of denial about the subject of trials.
No one wants to have trials and certainly no one should seek them, but the bible is filled with trials about great people of faith suffering trials, not the least of whom is Jesus himself.
Do committed Christians have trials? Yes! One of the major characteristics of spiritual maturity is to see your life from the divine viewpoint, instead of the human viewpoint.
An integral part of the divine viewpoint is to see your life through the perspective of eternity.
1 Corinthians 2:9 9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Two perspectives of life.
We must learn to live in the reality of the fact that we are already citizens of eternity. Bound for the heavenly reward that is beyond human comprehension.
According to Gods promise, the best this life has to offer cannot even be compared to the believer’s life in eternity.
Philippians 3:18-21 18 (For many walks, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
This issue is so serious that if we don’t learn to look at life through the perspective of eternity it will be unimaginable to cope with life in the time ahead.
If this life was all we had to look forward too many situations wouldn’t make sense or even seem fair.
Remember, faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
We have to learn how to believe God’s promises in spite of what our emotions and human experiences tell us.
God doesn’t promise us a life free of trials but he does promise us peace on the inside in the midst of trials.
One of the reasons there are trials in the Christians life is discipline for personal sin.
James 4:17 17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin
Romans 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sinAnd he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
When we sin as a believer, we break fellowship with the Lord.
Sin does not sever our relationship which is secured forever by the finished work of Christ on the cross but sin does break our fellowship.
We remain out of fellowship until we confess our known sin to the Lord and trust him again to give us victory over temptation. God promises he will.
Simply put if we confess what we know, He forgives us what we don’t know.
God loves us too much to let us waste our lives out of fellowship with Him. From the moment we trust in Christ we are saved forever.
Ephesians 1:13-14 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
God could take us home right then, but He leaves us on this planet to share in his work of saving the lost.
To train us for our eternal role as kings, priests and priestess with Christ and bring glory on earth.
Hebrews 12:10 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Discipline is always for our benefit. His discipline is designed to teach us to live a holy life through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Once the Lords discipline has taught us its intended lesson it is either removed or turned into a blessing. Like the bible teaches.
Psalm 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
The result for the one who confesses his sin and trusts in the Lord will be this, NO discipline.
James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Various trials produce a special kind of faith, which brings about overall spiritual maturity.
This special faith is called endurance, which is a faith that persists and doesn’t give up when deliverance is delayed.
Job demonstrated this kind of faith under an undeserved and unexplained trial when he said, though He “God” slay me, yet will I trust in him. (job 13:15)
Hebrews 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
God wants those who keep on believing and leaning upon Him, even though the trials persist. This is what God calls a truly mature faith.
The Lord reminds us that His love is made especially manifest to us during these times, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
When we analyze some of Gods greatest servants, we discover that all went through test and trials.
Not because of some personal sin, but because God wanted to strengthen their personal discipline, so they could withstand Satins attacks.
The more God uses us the more of a target of Satin we become.
The greater the mission, the greater the need for training in obedience and discipline.
This is why Jesus cautioned those who wanted to follow Him into the position of leadership, to first count the cost.
James 3:1 3 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
God holds the teachers and preachers more responsible. They fall under a stricter judgment.
John 9:1-3 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
Jesus is saying that it was not caused by either the blind man or his parents’ sin. That the man was born blind so that Gods power might be displayed in him.
We might ask was it fair to cause a man to suffer from birth with such a deformity?
If this life is all there is, we might say it wasn’t fair. But look what happened, Jesus walked up to the blind man, made a ball of clay and spit, told him to wash his eyes and he was healed.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
In the book of Job, we find that Job continued to trust in the Lord, even though the tests got so severe he was driven almost out of his mind.
Later the Lord restored all that he had lost many times over.
Many times, in trials of a lesser degree are allowed into the life of a believer, in order to demonstrate this same point.
Angels continue to constantly observe how believers react to trials… every aspect of Gods dealing with man-kind is teaching the angelic realm more about the wonder of Gods infinite character.
Ephesians 3:8-11 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
According to this, God is teaching the Angels about His manifold wisdom. Particularly through His dealings with the church.
The infinite beauty and wonder of God’s grace have been revealed to both the unfallen angels and the fallen angel
Christians are taught to change what they can and to accept by faith what they can’t.
The scripture says that some trials are allowed into our lives to keep us from falling into pride.
Pride was the original sin that caused Lucifer to fall and become Satin.
God put pride at the top of the list of sins he hates.
Proverbs 6:13-16 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
Because of this, the Lord takes special precautions to keep his servants from falling into this snare of the devil.
The sin of pride is a particular temptation for the servant of Christ who is given great spiritual gifts and understanding of God’s word.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Paul’s illness spread the gospel to Galatia
Galatians 3:13-15 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.
God used the flare-up of Paul’s eye disease to force him to stay long enough in the province of Galatia to start the Galatian church and to preach the gospel to them.
This should answer the inaccurate contention on the part of some that say God never allows sickness into the life of a Christian who believes Him and walks with Him.
Had Paul not had this illness, he would have bypassed Galatia and missed the opportunity to evangelize and bring in the whole of the region of Galatia.
I believe God desires to and does heal us, but there are some cases where he has a greater purpose to accomplish.
Once again, we must remember, God looks at each situation from the stand point of eternity.
If a person who is ill has confessed every known sin in his life and if the Lord does not immediately heal him or her, then the lord in his love and wisdom has a greater purpose. We may not understand in this life, but that will certainly count for all eternity.
So why do we have trials? For Gods purpose not ours.
No comments:
Post a Comment