THREE T'"S,TOUBLES, TRIALS, AND TESTING

THREE T’s: TROUBLES, TRIALS and TESTING.

James 1:2-4, KJV. – 2) My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3) knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience…4) But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting for nothing.

James 1:12 - Blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him…

TEMPTATIONS & TRIALS:
When trouble comes into our lives, we often tend to ask God, "Why me, Lord? What have I done to deserve this?" Be honest, have you ever said, “Why me Lord…?”

I know the answer…Listen, we all have troubles and often those troubles do come from disobedience, but many times they just come, period…They can come from the disobedience of someone else, they can come from the problems we face each day as we go out into the world…

Ever had a flat tire at a convenient time? Ever had some mail delivered to you that put you stomach in knots?

(PS. Just now, a horn blew in my yard, I went out to see who it was and it was the mail lady…She delivered trouble straight to me…Certified mail from U.S. Custom & Border Control…A lump came up in my throat but because of my faith in Jesus Christ the lump was transferred into a word of encouragement from my mouth to the mail lady, “God bless you, have a nice day…!” and away she went…I have faith that no matter what is inside the “Big Brown envelope,” all will turn out well…why, #1) because I trust God and #2) my wife knows how to handle these things.)

Troubles turn into trials and trials turn into test…

God is not always punishing us for something we've done… Some of the godliest people have endured troubles that would cause the average Christian to faint… Troubles have a purpose in the Christian's life: to try and test our faith, to make us more like Christ...

James said we should rejoice when we fall into various testings because the trial of our faith will produce endurance, and the ability to stand firm… We must be willing to endure testing until God's purpose is accomplished, that we may become mature and complete in our faith… But we are urged to ask God for wisdom in the midst of our trials, so we can receive the full benefit of them.

THE WAY TO CONQUER TROUBLE, TRIALS & TESTING:

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him…" (James 1:5)

He will show us how to react with humility and faith and how to endure to the end.

God's discipline comes from His love for His people… He wants each of us to grow spiritually and become a blessing to others… His discipline (child-training) is for our own protection, that we may be guarded against a life of idleness and spiritual weakness… Trials come to instruct us in something new about God and something about ourselves as well…

"Man, I can't stand the stress!" we often cry out… Yet God reminds us that there is no temptation (or testing) that is not common to all mankind, and He assures us that He will give us the grace we need to endure it.

"And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear." (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Actually, "the strain of troubles builds our strength..." Just like working out or running, “No pain, no gain…” "If there is no strain, there is no new strength ... Immediately when you face the strain, you will get the strength."

God cannot give us an increase in our dependence (Dependant on Him) and joy unless we will accept the strain that He sometimes puts into our lives.

God says that the person who undergoes testing is specially blessed… He will not only receive a deeper relationship with God in this life, but he will also receive a special crown in eternity… When we spend ourselves for others and for God, we get more strength... More life and energy comes to us as we exercise our faith in God… Our life energy grows and expands even in this life as we endure trials.

When we feel crushed with difficulties, we are to rejoice in God… We must realize that our whole situation is foolishly impossible to anyone but God… God has put us into this position so we will learn to trust Him more & more… All that is needed is to ask in faith for wisdom and for strength to carry on day by day… God will take care of the rest… But we are to ask in faith, boldly believing that God will provide what we need… We are not to waver, but to be firm in our faith…

Our God is the God of hope. Our God is the strength we need in times of Troubles, Trials, and Testing…Have you been passing the test? If so, good, if not, then ask God for more wisdom so you can understand.

When we ask for wisdom, God will open our spirit to think about the choices we make…As I said earlier, all problem don’t come because of something we have done wrong, but there is no real way to get around the fact that, choices matter…If we make good choices, good things will usually happen…but beware, if you make bad choices, bad thing will usually happen…

The next time you have an important choice to make ask yourself this: “Am I doing what God wants me to do?” If you can answer that question with a great big “Yes,” then go ahead…but if you’re not sure if the choice you are about to make is right…slow down…Why…Because choices matter a lot…

Prayer: Heavenly Father, give us determination to bear the trials you have sent our way. We rely on you for wisdom to carry on, knowing that through these trials you will increase our strength. Father, help us to think about what we are thinking about so we can make the right choices in this life…We give you praise, in Jesus name… Amen.
Fisherman for Christ…
http://fishermanforchrist.blogspot.com/