Test: An examination to determine one knowledge skill, intelligence or other qualities.
I personally know what it means to go through a test; and I’m glad to say that each one has made me stronger in my walk with the Lord. My faith has increased and I’ve grown spiritually. If the Lord doesn’t allow us to be put to the test, we would never know what’s on the inside of us. If I had not been put to the test of not being free to go serve the Lord in His house as I pleased; I would have never learned how to persevere. If I had never been diagnosed with three different types of breast cancer; I would have never known that God can heal. I’m blessed to say that after passing that test, I can share my testimony - eleven years later, I’m healed and cancer-free - with no chemotherapy, no masetocemy... just my faith in God and His healing power! Always remember that The Lord allows us to be put to the test so He can redeem us out. The awesome thing about that is we don’t come out of those tests empty handed.
Job, for example, was a perfect and an upright man. One that feareth God, and escheweth evil (Job 1:9), but the Lord still allowed Satan to test him… not because Job did something wrong, but because the Lord wanted to take him to the next level. Satan began to go to work on Job - his first assault was on Job’s wealth, his children, and his servants. Some of his servants were slain with the sword; some were burned up in the fire along with his sheep. On top of that, there came a great wind from the wilderness that smote the four corners of the house and caused it to fall upon the young men and they all died. Even after Job heard all the bad news, he still worshipped The Lord. Job 1: 21 tells us that he said “naked came I out of my mother womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In the midst of that test, Job still worshipped and maintained his integrity.
Satan’s second assault was on Job’s body - he smote him with sore boils from the soles of his foot to the crown of his head. Job’s wife said unto him in Job 2:9-10, “dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God and die. But he said unto her, thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” Job came through his test with an awesome testimony - The Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before – i.e. his latter end was much more than his beginning. It was truly an outward expression of a religious experience.
We always think it’s the devil that brings things upon us, but my friends, the devil can’t do anything to us without the Lord’s permission. If we never had a problem, we wouldn’t know that God could solve them. We wouldn’t know the love and the mercy that He has for us, we wouldn’t grow and our faith wouldn’t increase.
Remember, there is no going to the next level without a test and there is no test without a testimony. The victory is ours, as the Lord blesses and delivers us, He wants us to share our testimonies with others. I’ve shared mine, so make sure you get out there and share yours! Don’t forget, no matter what test you might be in the middle of, Jesus loves each and every one of you!
With all that said, let the church say amen… and AMEN!
This is an awesome, encouraging word! Yes, we must learn to embrace every trial knowing that He will be with us through it all. 1Corinthians 10:13 tells us There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. In other words, whatever we are going through, you are not the first person to go through that trial. You may feel that way but others have faced the same situation and have overcome it. Let that encourage you! God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). If He did it for them, He will do it for you! Now, God would be unjust if He put us in a situation that we could not win. The latter part of 1 Corinthians 13, tells us that God will not allow us to be tempted/tested above what we can bear. In other words, were born to take on this trial and win. We know that God is just and every situation/test that confronts us, God has already equipped us to be victorious. 2 Corinthians 14 says, “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ”. So, we can boldly say, I have confidence that this trial is come to advance my faith and draw me in a closer, deeper, more intimate relationship with my God. I also have confidence that God is with me and if God be with me, tell me who can be against me?
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