Testing Your Faith

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. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. James 1:2-8 NLT 

Notice that this scripture doesn’t say “trouble”—but “troubles.” That is not encouraging. There have been lots of young adults lately that have been dealt heavy, testing trials. It doesn’t seem fair—but that is life. Problems, sickness and hard times don’t just fall on the elderly—but on everyone. What can we do? Rely on the Lord to see us through…to help us—and to use us to encourage those who are in trials, or are going into a time of trials, or are coming out of a time of trials. Everyone is in one of those stages. We can trust the Lord…we must trust the Lord—no wavering. As this passage says…be sure that your faith is in God alone. Trust Him to help you…to cure or heal you…to give you His peace, strength, and joy no matter what the circumstances. Relax and leave your prayers at the foot of the throne. It may be hard to do—but you can claim God’s promise. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. 1 John 5:14-15. Trust Him.

 

Training Tip – Once again—if you want a Christian value for your children, you have to model it for them. If you want their faith to grow—then first pray for wisdom. Then pray for them, and with them that God would give them faith. Read to them about the faith of a mustard seed. He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." Matthew 13:31-32. Get some mustard seeds or some other seeds and plant them together with your children. Watch them grow. Be aware that the mustard seed that Jesus spoke of was not the mustard seed we have here, but a very tiny black mustard seed. Those seeds grew into a taller plant than the regular yellow mustard seeds we grind to make mustard. Jesus was also possibly referring to divine growth—something beyond the normal growth. Watching any plants grow from seeds that they themselves planted will be miraculous to most children. As the plants grow and the children water and care for them they can be encouraged that like that seed, they personally can grow in their faith and love of Jesus. Childlike faith, with the wonder and awe of what Christ did for us is described in Matthew 18:2-4… And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:2-4.  

Lord God, please give us wisdom to teach our children and grandchildren about faith in You. May our faith grow and mature so that we be good examples of You to others around us.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.