Are you facing trials today?
Most of us are. In today’s blog, there
is only one short paragraph taken from my book, Victory
Over Backsliding. I have added some verses from the footnote 1 so
you don’t have to look them up. I have
added another short paragraph to round out the discussion.
I hope you will feel encouraged today
that you are not alone in whatever trial you face. There is a purpose and a
plan in it all.
Trials
Trials
are God’s greatest way to mold us into beautiful vessels and also serve to perfect
His good and perfect will within us. While the flesh or self may want to fight
His hand on our lives, trials will persist in order to ultimately bring God
glory. Trials are also given to us
for our spiritual growth and to draw us much closer to the Lord.[1] When undergoing trials we often fail to see
the end result, so we may panic and turn away or turn to other things. But running away never solves things; in fact
it makes things worse. And if we
continue to refuse them, we run the very real risk of becoming stiff-necked,
like the children of Israel.[2] We are headed towards destruction and our
backslidings will end in no lesser judgement than the children of Israel.
Taken from Victory
Over Backsliding,
by Linda McBurney-Gunhouse, Creative Focus Publishing, p. 71, 2007.
Verses from Footnote 1:
Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall
into divers temptations;
Jas 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Jas 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting
nothing.
1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according
to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and
undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1Pe 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a
season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more
precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be
found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the
fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto
you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of
Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad
also with exceeding joy.
1Pe 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ,
happy are ye; for the spirit of
glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on
your part he is glorified.
What do trials have to do with backsliding? Remember
that once we give our life to Jesus, we now belong to Him. He will work within us to create beautiful
vessels that He can use to draw others to Himself, and show them who He is. This can and will be a painful process as we
shed old habits and the old self that keeps wanting to take control. He has a divine and wonderful purpose for our
life. Great things will always come at a
great cost even though we may want things to happen right now. We don’t want to suffer through trials, and
yet there is no other way to become like Him and follow Him except by the way
of the cross. May we learn to welcome
trials and view them as an opportunity to become more like Christ.
In the
next blog, we’re going to go deeper into an area that self will resist. It is also something we need to be aware of
and beware of trying to avoid, and that is persecution and rejection.
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