Tests
Deuteronomy 13:1-3 God tests people to see if they love Him.
1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart
Job 23:10 When he has tried me, I shall come out as gold
Psalm 7:9 Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous—you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God.
Psalm 11:5 the Lord tests the righteous
Proverbs 17:3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.
Jeremiah 17:10 I, the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.
Matthew 10:38 “If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.”
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”
Mark 8:34 “Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, He said, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.’”
Luke 9:23 “Then He said to the crowd, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.’”
Luke 14:27, 33 “And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.”. . . “So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.”
John 12:26 “Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.”
Hebrews 11:1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
Hebrews 11:6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.
James 1:12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.”
Revelation 2:10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.
How’s your communication with God and Jesus each day? Do you start each day with coffee (or whatever your favorite morning drink is) and reading your bible, devotionals, or somehow touching base with the Creator?
I am fortunate as I have a dog to walk each morning, so I quickly dress, run downstairs, turn the coffeepot on, then urge her out and to the street. I get to look at the sky above, feel the warmth and or coolness of the morning, spot the stars if it is not cloudy, listen to some birds have early morning tweets and twitters, and just be grateful for the goodness of this early morning. I enjoy a quick praise to my Creator, smiling as my pup does her business, and I listen to the birds, occasionally see a rabbit, and am just grateful to be here, and enjoying this small part of His creation.
Then, we return to the house, I make her breakfast, then pour my coffee, and read Bobby’s post, then my devotionals, and then read some of my bible. And I feel blessed.
I have several different bible versions and will frequently verses from a couple of them to help clarify and understand. Then I start the chores I have set out for the day. Sometimes, there is a glitch in my plans, but now I handle upsets much easier (most of the time) than I used to. In the past, my response was anxiety, impatience, frustration and depending on my schedule, I could and would get angry. Thankfully now, since I have grown in Jesus and His ways, I can have some frustration for a couple moments but am quickly reminded that any delay is God’s plan. No need for cranky or impatience, I am where I am supposed to be, and in His time, I will get to the next place. I am more appreciative of being patient and waiting for his timing. Although I am not sure of any of the delays, I wonder if sometimes it is to test my growth, and perhaps at other times, it is saving me from a possible larger delay—accident, am able to help someone who needs help and I am available to help, or for any other circumstances when He feels I have a task He has assigned to me for then and there.
Thankfully, now I can sigh, smile, and mentally thank Him and just wonder what will He have for me next. Such a difference from that impatient, scheduled uptight control freak I was. It was a developing change. Initially, I felt the anxiety, the frustration and impatience with any delay. Sometimes those would last for a few minutes, other times, I would purposely remind myself to relax. I could make calls and report to my appointment that I was delayed—maybe to reschedule, might be able to make it fifteen minutes late, but I didn’t need to stress over it. There was a reminder in my mind from the Holy Spirit to cool out, relax, and recognize that God had a reason for any delay—and I am NOT in control always.
How grateful I am that so much of the stress I used to live with—because it was almost constant—was now relieved. Or it could fade away much easier and sooner with a gentle reminder in my mind and spirit and I could relax. It could take a few moments, but I could feel the tenseness ease away. I might have to remind myself often at first that God was in control, and I did not need to think I was so important. But with each reminder, I could again soothe the rising impatience and feel the tension ebb. Over time, this became simpler and happened faster. Now, it is very rare I have to do these reminders, because it has become one of the positive changes the Holy Spirit has developed.
It is interesting to me to remember all the negative ways I handled life—impatience, control, and being stressed. I have grown in my walk with the Lord. I wish I journaled but never have diligently. There have been brief times when I would keep track of things for a couple of weeks but never kept at it. There would seem to be nothing of interest going on, so I didn’t write regularly.
So many are able to journal and keep at it and are able to see their growth and walk with the Lord better than my inadequate memories. They are not as trustworthy—forget dates, forget other things that may be going on at the time, other things happening with family or friends that might have also influenced my growth, my prayer time, my memory of what happened, and all the steps taken could be faulty. Memories can be defective, and I may have forgotten important details without a journal backing.
But God does not forget, and He sees our steps, our growth, our mistakes and all out sins. He wants us walking toward the right direction, being more like His Son. Our lives are a process, our growth is slow, but God created us to complete our growth before He takes us home. He needs our hearts to follow Him and He checks our hearts regularly.
God tests us because when we pass His testing, our faith and commitment grow. It strengthens us, helps us pass the next test, and our commitment to walking with him grows; our confidence that He will always lead us and be there for us.
I am so thankful that I quit doing things my way instead of His way. My life is calmer, I am kinder, less frustrated and stressed, and more patient when I feel my schedule has been interrupted. My life is calmer, and I don’t fret often. I know I can trust God always to come through for my needs. I may have to be patient and remember that my timeframe is not always correct and best. Deep breath, girl. You know who is in charge—and He has not steered you wrong. And the calm comes.
Thank You, Lord for walking with me and showing me a better way, Your way. You are so giving to me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Comments