God has such wonderful things in store for us His children. He wants to bless us and give good gifts to us. He wants us to turn to Him completely, not just pay lip service to Him on Sunday and live for ourselves the rest of the week.
When we think of North America and the state that it is in right now and we read verse 19 once again, it should cause us all to fall on our knees in intercession for our countries. We are countries who have forgotten the Lord our God. We follow other gods, the gods of wealth, pleasure and pride. We bow down and serve them and we have put God, the true and only God, in the background. When we don’t put God first He will cause things and allow things to happen which will bring us back to the place we should be in Him.
Why does that annoying person keep annoying you? Maybe it’s because God wants you to learn patience. Why are finances always so tight? Maybe it’s because God wants you to trust Him for your daily bread. There is a reason for everything that happens to us. Everything has to come through God’s filter before it ever reaches us. Remember Job’s story? Satan had to ask permission to even touch anything that Job owned. Nothing happened to Job that God did not allow to happen. The things that He allows are for our own good. It may not feel like it at the time but He will bring good out of it.
God wants us to trust Him completely. He wants us to love Him when times are good and things are going the way we would like them too and He wants us to love Him when He is refining us too. Correction hurts. But He will comfort us and sustain us while He is moulding us and making us in His image.
All through the Word of God we are given instructions on how God wants us to be. He gave us the beatitudes in Matthew 5 to show us clearly who will be blessed in His kingdom. We are to be a people after God’s own heart, like David was. We are to have His qualities. Matthew 5 tells us that we are to be humble, compassionate, merciful, pure in heart, we are to be peacemakers and we are to be righteous. When God doesn’t see these traits in us, He will send a trial our way to bring about that quality.
I have found in my life that if I recognize that nothing can happen to me, a child of God, without God first allowing it then I can get down to the business of submitting my will to His and allowing myself to be taught. If you find yourself repeating the same trials over and over again, check your will. Is it fully submitted to His or are you still demanding your own way?
When a trial comes your way realize that there is lesson here that God wants you to learn or there is a character flaw He wants to correct. Then set your heart and mind to be open to His leading and learn what He wants you to learn, or correct what He wants to correct.
Once you have recognized that God is allowing this trial to happen, and you have set your heart and mind to be taught by him and you have checked your will and you are submitted to Him then ask God to show you what He wants you to learn or change. Be humble enough to repent of the sin in your life. Remember only the pure in heart will inherit the kingdom of God, only the holy will see the Lord. After you have repented, it will be easier to recognize that character flaw when it wants to rear its ugly head again.
I have heard some people use the excuse ‘oh that’s just the way I am’, that’s not a valid excuse people. We have excused ungodly behaviour and attitudes far too long with that excuse. You can die to self and follow after God, the Word tells us so.
Luke 9:23
English Standard Version (ESV) 23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Galatians 5:24 ESV /
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
1 Peter 2:24 ESV /
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
God knows when we are going through a trial. He hasn’t forgotten you. He is allowing it so He can make you more like Him. So you will be conformed into His image. So you will have a place in Heaven with Him. If you are going through a trial right now don’t despair, God is with you and He is allowing it to happen for your good. You might feel like the waves have overcome you and knocked you off your feet, but God is holding you up. If you are facing a test, rejoice because He has found you worthy to be tested. Pass the test with flying colours and give the glory and honor to Him who it belongs to.
Psalm 66:10 For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.
Job 23:10 "But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
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