Passing The Test

 Gen. 22:1,2
God tested Abraham…And He said, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”

The scripture application to this passage is one of full surrender to God. A willingness to give up what you love dearly to serve God. I certainly don’t claim to understand the mind of God in this requirement. Yes, this was a test to see if Abraham was completely sold out to mind God, but on the other hand, I can see why some would question God’s requirement to have Abram kill his firstborn. In our day, if someone did this, they would be charged with murder and sent to prison for life, or given the death penalty, regardless of their religious beliefs. This subject, no doubt, has been debated and discussed for centuries, so I am not even going to attempt to explain this paradox. 
Looking at it at face value and deeper meaning, this is also prophetic in that God was willing to give His only-begotten Son. This same God, who commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son on the altar, sent His Son to earth, to live among us and sacrifice His life to save ours. 
As we walk with God, we are faced with many trials, tribulations, and tests. Trials and tribulations are given to all who walk this life, but tests are given to see what we are made of. Test of character, test of integrity, test of loyalty, and test of faithfulness are all given for the purpose of bringing glory to God. In our day, God has spoken through His word. When we hear the voice of God, it will not go contrary to His word. We need to test the spirits to see if they are of God. God grants us the wisdom to discern His voice and the strength to pass the test He sends our way.
 

Through the Fire

 Psalm 66:12
…We went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

The verse brings to my mind the great hymn of the church, God Leads Us Along, “Some through the waters, some through the flood, some through the fire, but all through the blood; some through great sorrow, but God gives a song, in the night season and all the day long.” The fire purges, and the water cleanses. Everything in life happens for a purpose. God’s intention is to bring us through. Things in life happen and we may be tempted to give up and quit trying. Even when we stand for what is right, the devil has a way to twist things and have us question if we have done the right thing. The fire is sometimes intense and we are tried and proven.  We don’t necessarily praise God for the trials and tough times, but we can praise Him in spite of the difficulties of the circumstance. Going through the fire looks different for everyone. Whatever the fire is, God is not tempting us so that He may see us fail, but He desires that we put our trust in Him, and be willing to give thanks in everything.(1 Thess 5:18) Through the fire, you will prove your character by praising Him.

Living in World of Tribulation

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

There is no doubt about it. Being a Christian does not exempt you from bad things not happening. Many doubt God’s love and care when bad things happen. “If He is a God of love, why did He let this happen?” The journey we walk is filled with events that will cause us to search our heart and test our faith. In a world that is filled with darkness, will we let our light shine, or will we let the darkness shut our light out? Jesus said, when you face hard times and life situations become hard to bare, He says, “cheer up, I have this under control”. It is human to take our eyes off the Master of the sea and look around at the billowing waves. But Jesus has promise not to leave us or forsake us. The Comforter has come to cheer us up and help us to withstand the darkness, and let our light shine. This world is full of darkness and tribulation. May the light of Christ in you pierce the darkness of this world.

Temptation is Real

Heb. 2:18  For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Temptation is real and everyone born into this world faces them. Our faith in God is often tested when we face temptation. It is seen as a time of trial and hardship. We are tempted to give up and cast our faith away when it appears that God has forsaken us or does not care for us. Why would God allow such tragedy to come into my life? Then there is the temptation to give into our fleshly desires. Desires that are selfish and are forbidden in God’s word. A man is tempted to look upon a women and lust after her, fulfilling the sexual desires of the flesh. A person is tempted to take that which is not there, coveting possessions of others, and one is tempted to lie to avoid unwanted consequences or to get something they want. Whatever kind of temptation or test we face, we are not able to handle it on are own. We need a Savior who Himself has faced temptation and knows what we face. He is able to come to our aid and rescue us in the hour of our need. To overcome temptation, we must practice the presence of God, we need the Holy Spirit in our lives to give us the power to overcome our weaknesses. We our just earthen vessel, but God has promise to be with us and fill us with His presence. In the face of temptation, let us depend on His grace and the blood of Christ to give us the victory. 

Though He Slay Me

Job 13:15 “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him; but I will argue mine own ways before Him.”-

Job, a man tested without understanding shows us that the things that happen in our life often go without explanation. We do our best to live right before Him and still we face situations that often cast us to the ground. We search our heart to see if there is anything we did that would have grieved the heart of God. We ask God for the reason, and the heavens are silent. We wander in the valley of the shadow, in the darkness of the day looking for a way out. Job was determine to find God in all that was happening to him. He disregarded those who accused him of doing wrong, and made up his mind that he was going to trust God to show him out of the darkness and into the light. He had resigned to possibility that he may die from his suffering, but he knew that God who knows the heart of all men would do what is right for him. The best counsel we have is to keep trusting God, in the good and in the bad times. For God is good, and He knows what is best. 

Tried in the Fire

But He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”-

The refining and purification of gold requires that it be melted down to allow the impurities to rise to the top and be scummed and removed. Being placed in the fire of God’s refinement for whatever reason causes us to almost always ask, “Why?”. What is God trying to teach us or show us? We examine our hearts to see if sin is the cause. “Did we do something that has displeased God?” We reflect on our obedience to God and we have been faithful to live righteous lives. These were questions that haunted Job. He was left with no explanation and had only one recourse, and that was to trust God in spite of the circumstances. Job learned that God need not answer to any one, He controls the universe and the destiny of the world is in His command. He is sovereign and knows the beginning to the end. He is the alpha and omega, the first and the last. Nothing happen that He does not already knows and has it all under control. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but I know the one who hold tomorrow in His hand.