Heb 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
We are connected to God only by faith; We enter the realm of the Supernatural only by faith. It is God’s desire that we all live by faith and not by sight. We can only please God if we have faith.
If you live by faith, God will boast about you – not of your wealth or your genius, but about your perseverance in all the persecutions and trials you have endured. Our faith becomes our reputation – what we believe and how we endure, even suffer for what we believe.
Every character in the Bible, we have come to know them because of what they went through and how they went through it. They have become famous in heaven by what they have conquered by faith.
It is the same with us today, your faith is only as strong as to what you are able to conquer and survive. Your greatest possession is your faith, it is your only defense against all the plans of the enemy. Your worth in the Kingdom of God is tied to the perseverance, trials, and sufferings you endure and are able to overcome.
James 1:2-4
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
To know is to be aware of something through observation, inquiry; to have information in your mind. To know is to understand because you have personally experienced it:
But in the Bible, to know is to recognize the purpose; the reason.
You cannot face anything if you don’t know them – knowledge in the Kingdom of God is important because it gives you the capacity to have joy. If you don’t know what the trials or the tests are doing to you, you will be mad at God, at the devil, at your family, at the pastor, the church, even yourself.
We are supposed to know!
When trials come, they develop perseverance – that means every time you go through a period of hardship, something is being developed in you. Perseverance means persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. When, ‘you know’ what is happening in your life, whatever the devil throws at you, you will eventually be winning in the process – Remember: you will never grow in good times.
You can tell when God is ready to do something new in your life, He will take you through a tough period, He is ready to give you a fresh leap, a promotion in your life (Jesus in the wilderness).
God wants to make us worthy of His Kingdom!
God said “consider it pure joy…”, joy is the word char-a, which means strength and calm, the joy of the Lord is our strength. “The testing of your faith produces perseverance…” It is the word hupomoneen which means capacity to continue or to bear up under difficult circumstances; it is constant.
To be consistent is endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Perseverance must finish its work, you cant jump out or you will go through it again.
James 1:4
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. NKJV
Sometimes the tests don’t end yet because the work is not yet complete, you are not yet perfect. Perfection here is not total but only in the area where you are being tested – perfect in a test means there are no mistakes…why?
Because You Know!
Ps 37:25
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
Times may be hard but you will never beg for food – because you are righteous.
Dan 3:26 and 27b
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
27 They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
No matter how hot the situation may be, you will come out smiling. The worst thing you can do to God is to skip classes – what God needs to develop next requires this level of test, so you can’t skip it. When perseverance finishes its work, in that area of your life, you will mature.
Maturity is the result of the tests you survive – but each victory opens a door for even greater tests which would lead to even greater victory and maturity.
If you know, you won’t panic!
With each bigger test that God allows to come, He is showing you that He wants to do something bigger at the next level, you know He is able to do it and see you through!
Moses
Joshua
If you keep on running away from these tests, then you need to be wearing your running shoes for the rest of your life.
Maturity In Faith 2
Your faith does not protect you from tests. God wants you to know that the Word He gave you is stronger than any circumstance that may come.
Don’t You Dare Question GOD!
Being a citizen of the Kingdom does not give you immunity from tests and trials…
Matter of fact, if truth be told, trials and tests increase when you choose to obey God. They only prove that the faith you have is pure gold, God wants it shining bright.
Rolex logo says: You don’t buy a Rolex to tell time.
When you buy a Rolex, you are buying time, if you take care of your Rolex watch, it will last you a lifetime-guaranteed!
Why do they put so much trust in the watch?
Because they know it can survive – that’s why they are very expensive!
They put their guarantee to it.
How much do you think are you worth in the eyes of God?
You are worthy of the Kingdom and your worth comes from what you can survive.
Matt 25:34
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
Acts 14:22
“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
The Bible said that Daniel prayed three times a day, but still he was thrown into the lion’s den. Not because you are praying means you will be exempted from trouble – but be assured, you will be rescued by God. Those who say that good Christians won’t go through troubles are liars. Job lost everything, Jesus was betrayed by those closest to Him.
You cannot be betrayed by anyone whom you don’t trust. People are rewarded in heaven not because of the medals they have won on the earth. But because of the scars they have endured for the Kingdom of God!
You are only as mature as the trials you survive by faith, it is you who decide what you are going to do. Until you have been through trial can you tell people of your convictions and victories. TUCKER REED: Rape victim who came out to help those who experienced hell as she did.
God is not impressed only by your good singing or dancing or playing of the instrument – if things fall apart for you, the question is will you still be singing?
1 Tim 1:18-19
Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight,
How do you fight the good fight of faith?
19 holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.
How do you shipwreck?
19 holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.
1 Tim 6:9-10
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1 Tim 6:11-12
But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses
The devil is fighting to destroy your faith, because he knows if he can stop you from believing, he has already won.
Don’t fight the devil, fight the good fight of faith!
Don’t believe God only because of what He did for you…
And don’t doubt God because of what He didn’t do for you. Believe God for who He is to you.
You are weak because your faith is weak!
You will be strong because your faith will be strong!
Rom 10:17
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. NKJV
You fight the good fight of faith by hearing…what you hear, confess!
Once you confess, it will be hard for Satan to steal it from you!
2 Tim 4:7-8
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
NKJV
The race is to believe till the end.
The fight is to believe until you win!
A complaining citizen is an immature citizen!