Why Must Our Faith Be Tested?

          God is faithful in the little things because we trust Him with the little things. But what would happen if we trusted Him with the big things? God calls us to leaps of faith, not to test our faithfulness, because He already knows our hearts, but rather He asks faith from us so He can reveal His faithfulness to us. We put our faith in God, not because we are faithful, but because He is! 

James 1:2-4 says, " Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."

How is it that when troubles come our way, it is an opportunity for joy? Because God is allowing you to know Him more, for you can not truly proclaim that God is faithful unless you have experienced His faithfulness. And you can not experience His faithfulness unless your faith is tested, for what other reason would your faith be tested? God tests your faith, because your faith is the assurance of God's faithfulness and you can not know God is faithful without the circumstances that require Him to keep His promises and you can not have faith that He will keep His promises without the circumstances that will challenge you to trust that He will keep His promises. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow, but when James says this, he does not mean a one time growth spurt, rather he has the idea of a continual process of growth, a continual and on-going testing and purifying of your faith that will not cease until they day of Christ Jesus. Notice that James doesn't say when your faith is tested, your faith has a chance to grow, rather James says when your faith is tested, your endurance will have a chance to grow. Why endurance? Because your growing endurance is your determination to have faith in God even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success that is growing stronger and stronger. Endurance is the power of enduring the unpleasant and difficult trials and circumstances without giving way. May we not get confused, for the testing of our faith is not some spiritual check-up from God to make sure we believe in God-- far from it! In fact, trials do not come from God- how ridiculous to think that God devises plans to trip us up just to make sure we believe in Him! Trials are from the enemy because the enemy wants to weaken your faith, but God allows them to strengthen your faith because God works all things for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28) and He has found you faithful, for faith is like gold and only fire can purify it. Real trials come into our lives like earthquakes because they intend to shake us loose from the foundation we stand on, and the firmer we stand, the harder they shake. This is why our endurance must grow stronger, because just as Christ said in Luke 21:10-30, the testing is not going to end, it's not going to let up, it is only going to get harder because we are only getting closer to the return of Christ: 

"Then He continued by saying to them, "Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom,

 and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven."But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name's sake. It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. "So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute."But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of My name."Yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives."But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. "Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. "Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."


Notice how verse 19 says, "By your endurance you will gain your lives." Your endurance- your unwavering determination to have faith in God even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success that is growing stronger and stronger- the power of enduring the unpleasant and difficult trials and circumstances without giving way which come from God- is the means by which you will gain life. Therefore, our determination to have faith in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit is how we will be saved. For John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whosoever believes [HAS ENDURING FAITH] in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life." But how do we have enduring faith? We let our endurance grow. But how do we let our endurance grow? By considering troubles a great joy because we know the reason they come and the effect when we endure them. Trials are compliments from God, because when your faith causes a ripple in the enemy's plans, he gets mad and comes after you. But as all things come through God before they surface, the enemy must be given permission by God before he can even step foot in your direction. But why would God allow satan to come after you? The same reasons He allowed satan to go after Job. Satan challenged God that he could make Job, a righteous and faithful man of God, deny God, and God basically told satan, 'I dare you. Go right ahead and take everything from him, except his life, for his faith is in none of those things- his faith is in Me.' God allows trials and tribulations because He knows your faithful, and you experience trials and tribulations because your faithful. God believes in you, He is your advocate, and #1 fan- God allows satan to come after you because God knows the hell-ish ordeal satan is about to get himself into by testing your faith, for God knows it's solid. We let our endurance grow by looking forward to the testing of our faith, taking each trial head on allowing God to be our strength and after conquering each, requesting for more. 1 Peter 1:3-9 says: 


" Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."


We must persevere through the trials and tribulations that test our faith because the testing of our faith produces endurance, and it is our endurance, not our belief, that is the salvation of our souls. For even the demons believe in God and know Jesus Christ is Lord, but they are not redeemed. Your faith must be enduring, persevering, and steadfast, but how can it be any of these unless it is tried? Therefore, if your sitting pretty and are comfortable, you're not growing. And here is the reality: if you're not growing, you are more than likely luke warm, and if you're luke warm, you have to options: 1.) Go big (change your ways, get serious, and get hoppin' cuz you got work to do).... or 2.) Go home, cuz we dont want you. We have enough luke warm christians and the Body of Christ is not a social club. If you are truly a follower of Christ, then nothing- not even your own life- belongs to you, everything belongs to God. If Jesus Christ truly is the Lord of your life, then act like it! As women of God may we quit the nonsense and get serious about following Jesus Christ. Your life on earth is the only opportunity God gives you to expand His Kingdom, and as followers of Christ, this is what He has commissioned us to do. He never said it would be easy, but the difference between us and the world, is that when we fall, we get back up. God is your strength and endurance is your faith, for your faith should have the same steadfastness, perseverance, constancy, and fruit that endurance produces. There is no victory without obstacles, and the victory has been won, for Christ has conquered death! And if our God has conquered death, then why do we not trust Him? What would happen if we as Christians trusted God with the big things... actually had faith that the world around us could physically see? What if we began placing our faith in God to such a radical degree that we actually spoke up about our God, reached out to those around us in the common places like the grocery store and at school, and endured the persecution, rejection, and abandonment that came with truly living out our faith? While we struggle to simply open our mouths to the person standing behind us in starbucks about the Gospel, our brother Peter was crucified up-side down, Paul was executed, John the Baptist was beheaded, Stephen was stoned to death, and many others have died horrific deaths as they ran the race for Christ. May we realize that in comparison to our brothers and sisters in the past, every excuse we make to not share the gospel, to not live out our faith, and to not endure whatever consequences come from living out our faith are stupid, wimpy, insufficient, and ridiculous because while we whine that people will think we are weird, they sacrificed their lives so that others might know the truth! GET OVER YOURSELF! If satan can silence us by humiliation, and our greatest fears remain in the opinions of what others think of us, then we will never open our mouths. Can't you see! It is a trick! Satan tells you lies to get you to avoid proclaiming the Gospel to a world that is desperately seeking to find truth because he knows they minute you are willing to be obedient to God, his plans will be utterly destroyed. Our confidence is in Christ, not man. And Jesus said they will think you're weird, they will hate you, they will reject you! If you're a follower of Christ, then you're already an outcast, it is not a surprise. Ladies, I tell you this blunt and straight because no one else will: YOU CAN BRING GLORY TO GOD! Your endurance, even to the point of death, is what will testify to the world of who alone is God. May we be a generation of women that proclaim the truth, live out the truth, and endure its' consequences. For God calls us to enduring faith, not to test our faithfulness, but to reveal His. Therefore, as we dare to endure, may we holdfast to the guaranteed reward of knowing God more which enables us to continue to endure, and the hope that others will know Him through us- not through this modern day idea of Christian living where we smile at our neighbors and volunteer at a soup kitchen once a year, but through Biblical faith- the kind that is radical and can put you in jail, the kind where you take all your possessions, sell them, and then give your money to the poor, the kind where everyday everywhere you go, you share the Gospel with another person, the kind where you defend your faith in public even if it costs you your reputation, the kind that requires you, your faith, your time, your money, all your possessions, all your dreams, and all your plans to be sacrificed for the possible salvation of only one for this is what Christ did for you. May we have faith, ladies. Real faith.


*** Challenge:  What are you trusting God with that if He doesn't come through, it wont work? If nothing, figure it out prayerfully asap, and let it be big, don't be immature- God is a big God who is in the business of answering prayers. Write it down, post it somewhere you will see it constantly, and do it. And once you've done it, journal in your prayer journal describing how God was faithful. The point of this challenge is to see how God works personally with you as your Great Promise Keeper. And seriously do it, and if you don't- your loss. It's guaranteed to work cuz duh! He is faithful! :)