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In tough time, the old man’s voice is the one that is always telling us to just stop and give up.  The old man is saying “Don’t listen to that stuff, because you know you will only be disappointed once again”.  The old man is really in a state of damnation therefore, what else is he to say.  He is the one who is always in our ear seemingly telling us what is not possible, what can not happen, the reasons it can’t happen and the reason it is not possible.  As I’ve said, the old man has been with you so long, the old man provides a false sense of comfort and familiarity. 

 We learned last week that God has no plans for the old man once he accepts Jesus Christ.  That’s why we are told to put on Jesus Christ. God understands the new man is “new” to us.  He knows it will take a little time for the new man to override the old man.  He knows that sometimes the old man will win out especially if you are not feeding the new man.  How do you feed the new man?  By reading the word of God and by being in Bible class and Church services, and by being around other like minded Christians in fellowship will all help the new man to reach his/her full potential. 

 In Colossians 3:9-10 NIV it tells us, “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off you old self with it’s practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator.  Well, how do we put on our new self?  It means to put your words into action.  Your conduct must match your faith.  Verses 5-8 talks about what the life of the folks were like at Colossi.  Paul was not overly critical, but he was very frank with them.  He showed compassion because he knows that the new self, the new man is being renewed.  It is a process.  But, it is one we should seek.  We should want to reflect our creator.  We should want to have the image of our creator.

 Clearly, when you remove something, you should replace it with something else or you will leave a gapping hole for something else.  Therefore Paul admonished them to clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  What does he mean by clothe.  I love Paul’s writing, first, he tells us to put on Jesus Christ now he tells us to clothe ourselves with those virtues.  To clothe means to cover, wrap up, to envelop, to bind, to enclose, to surround, to encircle, to join together, to connect, to combine, to unite, to tie, to fasten, to bring together, to come together, to merge, to become one..  He told them to bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances they may have against one another.  He told them to forgive as the Lord forgave them.  Then, he said, “And over all these virtues (qualities, character, and moral fiber) put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:12-14 NIV).  Once again Paul chose words that talk about clothing oneself.  Can you imagine putting on your best outfit or the one you feel is attractive on you, but you leave out the one piece that will hold it altogether such as a belt or the perfect scarf.  Without the belt, when you stand, you loose the rest.  That’s what he is saying to us—without love, the thing that binds all the others, the others just fall out of place and become ineffective.

 The new man has to be transformed (changed) from the pattern of this world as we are told to do in Romans 12;2.  Romans 13:14 says rather (he refers back to the things he talked about in versus 11-13) clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

 In Ephesians, Paul talks about how the church at Ephesus had been taught to put off the old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful (dishonest, cunning, untrustworthy, lying, devious, false-hearted) desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” Ephesians 4:25-32.  Paul tells us we should be imitators of God in Ephs. 5:1. There is no reason for the old man to be so in charge of our lives.  He has no authority or real power to do so.  We are told in Romans 6:6 that our old self was crucified with Christ.  Can you imagine that?  Such powerful, awesome words.  How many of us were born when Christ was crucified.  Yet, we see that our old self was crucified.  That is referring to the work that Christ did for all of us on the cross.  It truly was as though we were on that cross along side of Jesus.  The verse goes on to say, our old self was crucified, with him, so that the body of sin might be done away with.

 What is the body of sin?  It is our rebellious sin-loving nature inherited from Adam.  In Romans 5:18 NIV, it says “consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men (referring to Adam) so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.  For just as through the disobedience of the one man, the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one Man (Jesus), the many will be made righteous.

 Once again, there is no reason for the old man to be so in charge of our lives.  He has no authority or real power to do so.  Everyday, as we put on our clothes, we must make a conscience effort to put on Jesus Christ.  Our virtues, our character our image must really reflect our creator.  It can be done, because God has made every provision possible for the new man to live and live life abundantly.

Victory in Battle

Day To Read

Scripture

Text

All Scripture NIV (New International Version)

Monday

Psalm 20:1-5

Tuesday

Psalm 145:13b-21

Wednesday

Psalm 20:6-9

Thursday

Psalm 21:1-7

Friday

Psalm 21:8-13

Saturday

Psalm 3:1-6

Sunday

Psalm 18:1-3

Psalm 18:46:50

 DEVOTION

We must  give God praise after he has given us the victory.  When we look at what God did for David in Psalm 21, we see that he gave him:

• Joy in victory
• The desire of his heart
• All of the request from his lips (answered prayers)
• Rich blessings
• A crown of pure gold on his head.
• Life, and length of days for ever
• Multiple Victories
• Splendor and majesty
• Eternal blessings
• Joy at the Lord presence
• Stability

The Lord knows how much we can bear.  He is there for us as stated in Psalm 145.  The Lord is faithful to his promises, and he loves all that he made.  The Lord will keep you from falling.   If you are down and out and feeling the pressures of life, God will lift your bowed head

When circumstances make it seem as though we are losing the battle and/or  feel all alone, and feel as though everyone is against us.  Think again.  God is not.  He is there for us.  As described in Psalm 3.  God is always for us.  When circumstances and problems don’t go our way, turn to God.  People who are observing your battle might think that God has abandoned you and might even say that God will not deliver you.  They are wrong.  The Lord will show his power.  We are not alone.  God is the shield that is around us and will lift our heads.

Usually in a crisis, we might not be able to sleep.  Some, worry about what is going on around them as if the worrying is going to change anything.  Not David.  He laid down and went to sleep.  He slept peacefully – even though there was an obvious uproar going on in his life.  David knew who his sustainer was.  Imagine being surrounding by tens of thousands on every side.  What would you do?  Would you be like David and not fear.  Would you trust in the Lord.  That’s what David did.  So, we encourage you to stand firm in the battle knowing that God will bring about a just result and will sustain you throughout the ordeal.  In the end, he will allow you to have joy, respond to your prayers and give you multiple victories.  There is complete victory in God.  So, go on, give him the praise He deserves and He will give you the desire of your heart!

Devotion

Every Easter Sunday, we put on our best outfits and we all come to church.  Even if we haven’t been to church in a while, we feel that Easter, Mother’s Day and Christmas are days we must go to church.  It is true  this is a time of reflection.  A time to look back and give thanks for the awesome gift that God gave to each and every one of us.

It is true that Jesus paid the ultimate price for something he never, ever deserved.  Unlike us, he was without sin.  This is precisely why he was able to pay this extraordinary price.  However, Jesus was willing to pay this price and He did it freely and without regret.  God paid with the life of his Son—the ultimate price for our sins.  When we believe in Him, it means we are trusting in Jesus and have placed our confidence in Him that only He can save us.

We can be certain about God’s love for us when we consider what, how and when Christ did for us.  He gave his life for us when we were yet sinners.  Meaning we had not turned to him or given our lives to him.  His death was very real and it was very painful for Him.  Even though he could have in an instant removed himself from the cross, he refused to do so, knowing what His death would mean for us.  When Christ gave His life for us, we did not care about Him or even know Him.  If He did all of this for us then, imagine what He is willing to do for us now that we have accepted Him as Lord and Savior over our lives.

Salvation—becoming a Christian is very simple.  It’s as close as your mouth and heart.  If we can believe in our hearts and then say it with our mouths that Christ has risen, then the Bible says we will be saved. 

It is indisputable that Jesus rose from the dead.  As Philippians 3:10 says, I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.  How much did God love us?  So much that He gave His one and only Son to die for us, and He did it just for you!

Day

Scripture (all NIV)

Text

Psalm 103:17 O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.  He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children– Thursday Psalm 145:8-9 The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. Friday Psalm 147:5-6 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.  The Lord sustains the humble, but casts the wicked to the ground. Saturday Psalm 103:8-12 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.  He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Devotional 

If you have ever felt despair, then you can certainly relate to this psalmist.  He felt completely alone and isolated from God.  At a time of despair, is exactly the time when we need God.  Sin can often make us feel really bad about ourselves.  We know the price sin costs God, so we know how bad it is.  We often can’t wrap our minds around the fact, that God forgives sin.

When we are in despair, we should cry out to God to help us through this period.  But, if we are truthful, we will sometimes have a pity party.   We  begin to see ourselves in ways that God does not!  We listen to the little voice in our head urging us to believe that this is too much for even God to forgive.  But guess what, that little voice is wrong!  God can help us through this time and this (WHATEVER YOU DID—SIN) is forgivable by God.  The question is, can we forgive ourselves.

Who keeps records of our failings or our sins.  We might, but God certainly does not.  When God forgives, he forgives completely—ultimately tearing down any walls that were built between God and us.  What about you.  When you have been wronged, someone has hurt you-can you forgive them completely.  Can you wipe the slate clean and begin anew as though it never occurred.  That is what God does with us every day.  Can you follow God’s model.

In Psalm 103:12, God demonstrates the complete depth of his forgiveness.  As you know, east and west can never meet.  God specifically mentions this so that we can understand the true meaning of his forgiveness.  You will notice that God did not say this only applies to small sins or minor sins—that’s because it applies to all sin.  In fact, there is no small or large sin.  Sin is sin.  It separates us from God, but through his model of forgiveness, he demonstrates that He wipes the record clean, he separates it from us and doesn’t even remember it.  Therefore, we should not have that pity party or make ourselves something that God has not made us.

LESSONS LEARNED

• God completely forgives sin
• God doesn’t remember the sin after he forgives us
• God love for us is from everlasting to everlasting
• We should not have a pity party or wallow in our sin
• God wipes the record clean
• We can talk to God about anything.
• When we pray to God, he is not holding anything against us
• God hears us completely
• Despair over sin in our lives should lead us to God for forgiveness
• We need to accept God’s forgiveness and see ourselves as he views us when we have sinned
• We need to use God’s model of forgiveness in our own lives when dealing with hurts and grudges or holding on to things that people have done to us—let’s wipe the slate clean!

I will never forget my first glimpse at victory through the eyes of defeat.  I had been waiting for God to answer a prayer for a very long time.  Throughout this duration, God would reconfirm His promise to me.  Believing I only needed to wait for Him—I did just that.  Everything was going smooth, until that faithful day.  Recalling that day—I woke up to what seemed to be a nightmare!  How I wished it had been only a nightmare, only it was not—it was actually happening.  All that God had promised seemed to be fading away right before my eyes and there was nothing I could do.  What was supposed to be VICTORY seemed like DEFEAT.

FINDING THE SOLUTION

I was despairing when I finally looked to God for the solution.  As God began to work, it became clear to me, He wanted obedience from me and wanted me to walk by faith.  My mind was made up.  I was not going to do what He wanted.  It was just too difficult.  God certainly has a way of getting you to see His point of view and so He did with me.

Finally, God graciously allowed me to realize He was not going to change His mind on this and if anyone was going to change, it was going to be me.   I will never forget my first seps into obedience.  Just picture a toddler taking their first steps.  It was really shaky there for a while.  Unsure, yet moving out on what I knew God desired of me.  Of course, I failed a few times, but I never quit.

Wouldn’t you know it, when it seemed as if I was getting the hang of this obedience thing, everything seemed to fall apart!  I began to believe I had misunderstood God.  Then I thought God had led me down a path and turned His back and left me.  I actually felt abandoned.  Even though I have always known that God would not forsake me—I just could not hold on to that at that time.  You might have a different situation but yet it calls for some type of obedience on your part.   We seem to have myriads of questions for God when we are in a situation that calls for trust  in God.  We want to know from God, WHY?  Why do you want me to do this?  Why are you doing it this way God?  Then it’s WHAT?  What if you do not come through on your part?  What if I misunderstood you.  Then it’s HOW?  How are you going to fix this?  How am I going to be able to do this?  How long will I have to wait?  To find the solution, you must be willing to trust God with your situation.

GOD’S SOLUTION

When we are going through, our problems seem magnified.  They seem larger than life and unsolvable.  When we see obstacles and problems, God sees the SAME obstacles and problems as opportunities.  We demonstrated through His Word that obedience was what He required from me despite what I saw.  We are told in 2 Corinthians 5:7, that we must walk by faith and not by sight.

A good example of someone walking by faith is told through the circumstances of a prophet named Elijah.  Elijah was told by the Lord to inform the people that it was not to rain for a long time.  After Elijah told the people, he was instructed to leave.  Without a second thought, Elijah obeyed God.  No questions were asked of God by Elijah.  He simply obeyed.  He did not make any excuses of delays, he just obeyed.

God told Elijah He would make provisions for him and Elijah trusted Him.  He told him a raven would feed him meat both day and night.  If this had been me, my first thoughts would be:  “what a raven—bringing me food.  For one thing, how is this bird going to find me?  God, I just cannot see this one!”

God wants us to know He can use anyone or anything to bring about His purpose.  He is not limited by anything!  I probably would have wanted to stop right then and there.  What if Elijah had stopped.  What a blessing he would have missed!    Then God told Elijah there would be a little brook that would provide him with water.  Would we have believed this?  By faith, Elijah complied and found God to be true to His word.  He will be faithful to you too.  God is not slack concerning His promises.  He cannot, nor will He ever lie to us.  We can trust Him.

Can you see Elijah enjoying God’s blessings?  All that God said would happen, did.  There Elijah was without a care in the world.  He did not need to look for food.  The bird was like clockwork.  He brought his food just like God said, both day and night.  The only thing though, Elijah’s little brook was drying up.  Then it happened—the brook was dry and there was no more water!  VICTORY looked like DEFEAT!   Do you think Elijah wondered why God led him out there and then allowed the brook to become dry and for him to possibly die?

Sometimes we believe that God has forsaken us.  We began to believe God has failed us or allowed our brook to become dry.  We fail to realize that even this seemingly disaster was a part of God’s overall plan.  In this instance, God had to answer another prayer through this dried brook.  When we are in similar circumstances, of VICTORY looking like DEFEAT, we need to apply 2 Corinthians 5:7  I know it is impossible to comprehend the ways of God.  He usually takes what looks like defeat or failure to demonstrate His power.  If your situation does not look good, won’t you trust God with it?

As I mentioned earlier that God used Elijah’s situation to work a blessing for someone else too.  When it seemed as if all was lost, God had it under control.  He has your situation under control too.  Like Elijah, maybe your brook is drying up and you are wondering when will God intervene.  You should follow Elijah’s example.  He trusted God and was obedient to God.  Let God fix it however He wants to and when He wants to.  We must trust and obey God even when we cannot see His plan of deliverance.  Let’s see how God worked it out.  God spoke to Elijah and told him that He had commanded a widow woman to look out for him and feed him.  When he got to his next destination, he found God to be true to His Word again!  He saw the woman and asked for water and bread.  The woman told him she only had a few morsels of meal (flour) and just a little oil.  In addition, she had just a child.  The woman told Elijah that she had so little food until she planned to get some sticks (firewood) to cook it so she and her son could just die.  VICTORY was looking like DEFEAT.

Can you see how this woman needed God’s help in a pressing way?  She was desperate and was ready to give up when God stepped in right on time.  God so orchestrated the moments of Elijah so that both of them would have their needs met.  Can you see how God might be using your situation to help someone else?  Look at Elijah’s trust and faith in God.  He heard the woman, but he had also heard God.  Not knowing how God would use the woman’s small amount of food, Elijah only knew that God would provide enough for all three.  It was almost as if Elijah became hard of hearing.  He said again, “Go and fix it and bring it to me FIRST and then you and your son eat what’s left.”  Now, she had to have thought, “What’s left, he did not hear a word I said, I only have a morsel!”

I can imagine her mumbling to herself, “I only have a few morsels, and it’s not even enough for one, let alone three.  Plus, just who do you think you are.  I don’t even know you and you want me to feed you before my child!”  Elijah must have known she was struggling with his request or somewhat demand, because he said to her, “God is going to replenish your barrel of meal and oil until the day it rains.”  What a promise!  This lady did not even have a full cup of oil or meal and God tells her to give up all that she had and he would replenish her barrel!  Would you have been able to take God at His word, or would you have missed out on your blessing? 

Look at what the Bible says happened next.  The woman went and did according to all Elijah had said.  VICTORY for both the woman and Elijah did not come until after they went and did what God said for them to do, despite what they saw, believed, or thought.  God was true to His word.  God wants us to surrender all and depend only on Him.

VICTORY can be seen and understood through the lives of Abraham and Sarah.  They were faced with a situation resembling DEFEAT as well.  Yet, God used the situation to give them the desires of their heart, bring about His purpose for their lives, and demonstrate to you and me His astounding power!  God told Abraham, look take your son, Isaac—yes, the one you love and give him as a burnt offering to me.  To any parent, this would be a nightmare!  God wanted him to know that He understood just how important Isaac was to him, and He knew Abraham loved  his son.  Strange.  Wouldn’t you say!  God knew how long Abraham and Sarah had waited for their son.  In fact, He knew how they had longed for a child.

Sarah was an older woman and except for God working that miracle, there was NO WAY she could have been physically able to have a baby.  She was over 90 years old.   God wanted Abraham to know that He knew exactly what He was asking him to do and yes, He wanted him to do it.  Without hesitation, Abraham did as he was instructed.  He took his beloved son, whom he had prayed for, and was prepared to give him to the Lord as an offering.  Again, God required total obedience to Him.  Abraham was willing to do what God said, and how He said do it.  Surely VICTORY looked like DEFEAT to Abraham.  All that praying and waiting and when God finally answered his prayer, look at what He now wants.  Despite this, Abraham did all that God told him and it was not until AFTER his obedience, that VICTORY came running in as a ram.

God used the ram instead.  Know this, God is faithful.  Can you trust Him with your Isaac—your most prized possession?  Are you willing to give up all to receive God’s best for you.

The Ultimate Example

It must have been a pretty dim and sad day when the disciples saw Jesus being humiliated and laughed at—hanging on a cross.  Jesus, the one they had walked with.  The one they had witnessed performing many miracles.  The one they had heard say, He was going to prepare a place for them.  The one they had heard say, He was the way, and no one could come to the Father, but by Him.  Oh, it must have been a pretty dim and sad day for the disciples as they saw what they believed to be the end of their hope hanging on that dreadful cross.

VICTORY must have looked like DEFEAT to them, when they had to witness Him taking his cross on His own shoulders.

VICTORY must have looked like DEFEAT as He hung there between the two thieves.

VICTORY must have looked like DEFEAT when the crowd sarcastically told Him if you are who you claim to be, come on down from the cross.

VICTORY must have looked like DEFEAT when hung His head, and uttered it is finished, but then died!  It must have looked pretty dim.  Yet, it was AFTER Jesus’ obedience that we saw VICTORY come running in through His resurrection and all power in Heaven and in Earth.

When it looked as if all was lost, and as though there was no hope for us, and looked as if the end had occurred, God presented Jesus with all power.  He got up from the dead and paid the penalty for our sins.  His death gave us life—eternal life.  VICTORY came through the eyes of supposedly DEFEAT.

YOUR VICTORY THROUGH DEFEAT

No matter how dim your situation may look right now, be obedient and trust God.  God told Habakkuk, the just shall live by faith.  Just trust God to handle your situation.  If you remember, the VICTORY came in doing it HOW, WHEN and WHAT God said do.  It may look like DEFEAT, but you have to be obedient anyway.  VICTORY was there all along, but it did not make itself known until after obedience. 

I know God is faithful and will see you through.  Trust God, believe God.  He is able to turn what seems like DEFEAT into a major VICTORY!

Scripture Reading

1 Kings, Chapter 17

Genesis, Chapters 21, 22

John 14:1-6; John 19:17-18

Matthew 27:28-31; 27:39-43; 28:5-6; 28:18

Psalms 32:8

2 Corinthians 5:7

Part II

Lita A. Reeves

In Count It All Joy, Part I, we defined trials and faith, and gave examples of living faith.  In Count It All Joy, Part II, we:

• Further explore those earlier mentioned concepts,
• Discuss the favor of God;
• Ask and answer the question of whether anything is too hard for God;
• Demonstrate the comfort of the Lord in our trails,
• Demonstrate how God turns sour lemons into sweet lemonade, and
• Finally, explain how to Count It All Joy!

When God Gives You Favor!

So, let’s pick it up, where we left off.  God will be with you and He will give you favor.  What do you mean?  Well, let’s look at Joseph.  His brothers disliked Joseph very much, they were so jealous of him -–they stripped him of his coat and sold him into slavery.  Sounds like it is over for Joseph.  Sounds like poor Joseph is never going to get out of this.  But, they didn’t know what God had in mind.  God can use even the worst of situations; to fulfill his will and purpose.  Even though Joseph’s brothers meant it for his harm, God turned it around and used it for his good.  Won’t God turn your situations around!  Won’t He give you favor.  That’s what He did for Joseph.  Joseph began to be the overseer in Potiphar’s home.  The Bible says that “But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison (Genesis 39:21).  Who would have thought being sold into slavery, thrown into jail for 7 years and going through famine, could in any way turn out good.  But that’s exactly what happened.  You know how it ended for Joseph.  Joseph was 2^nd only to the King.  He was Governor.

Is Anything Too Hard For God?

Even when victory looks like defeat or even when you can’t see victory because of so much defeat.  You’ve got to believe God.  Look at Sarah and Abraham.  You know how much they wanted a child.  But, Sarah was barren.  She had gotten to be up in age and thought it was over for her.  She then devised a plan to get children.  You know how that ended.  Never, ever step out on your own.  Always wait for God.  God will help us with our problems.  In Romans 8:26, Paul tells us that even when we don’t know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit prays for us in our behalf and God hears him and answers according to His will.  God told Abraham and Sarah that he was going to give them a child.  They both laughed at God and just really couldn’t believe God.  Sarah was beside herself with laughter.  But, God told them he was surely going to give them a child.  They couldn’t see beyond the circumstances that were at hand.  God didn’t ask them to do that.  He only asked them to trust Him.  Finally, He asked them is anything too hard for him.  I’m asking you that same question this morning.  Is anything too hard for God?

Whatever your problem is or whatever your test or whatever your storm – do you believe it’s too hard for God.  I’m telling you that God is able.  He can handle your little trial.  I’m trying to tell you that you can count it all joy.  You don’t have to give in or despair.  All you’ve got to do is hold on.  We are more than conquerors.  We know that all things work together for our good.  Maybe you’re down to your last dime and you’ve got bill collectors calling – I’m telling you to hold on—God can make it good.  Maybe you’ve lost your job and you just can’t seem to find another one—I’m telling you to hold on, God can make it good.

It’s all Good!

Whatever your problem is – God can make it good.  If God is for us, who can be against us. To receive the promises of Romans 8:28, we must love Him and be called according to His purpose.  God works in all of our situations – not just the good ones.  When we are going through trials, sometimes we began to do the very thing that Peter tells us not to do.  Peter said … think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as thou some strange (or uncommon odd or different) thing happened unto you…” Peter said our trials are going to be fiery – which means difficult or almost unbearable.  When the trial is most intense – when it seems that all hope is gone. I’m here to tell you to stay in it. When it’s at it’s most intense, the Holy Spirit is right there comforting you and praying for you.  When it is at it’s most intense, God is there. 

Maybe you are in what feels like a fiery furnace and it seems unbearable.  Do you know that God is right there with you?  For example, you know about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  You know the ones who wouldn’t bow down to the golden image created by King Nebuchadnezzar.  As a result, the King tossed them into the furnace.  Did they want to go?  No, but they said, our God is able to deliver us and will deliver us out of your hand.  And, so they went in there.  What did God do – He delivered them.  They exercised faith and God was faithful with them.

We’ve already defined what trials are and now I want to talk about the purpose of trials.  James said in James 1:3 that trials come to worketh patience.  The word worketh means to fashion or create a useful or desired product by expending labor or exertion on.  Worketh means to bring into a desired form by a gradual process of cutting, hammering, scraping, pressing or stretching.  So, one reason trials are sent is to create or give us patience or perseverance.  Let’s look at another reason we have trials.  They are sent to try our faith.  The word try is best explained as to test or to check-up or to examine.  They are sent to measure our maturing and examine our faith under direct pressure.  So, another reason we have trials are so that are character can be tested.  God wants to show us how we hold up under pressure and to show us who we really are. 

Comfort In our Trials

Let’s look at another example.  Paul also put it this way, he said …The God of all comfort: who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God…”  (2 Cor 1:3-7) God is right there.  He’s comforting us.  I don’t know about you, but I’m glad that God is right there.  I’m glad that He knows what I’m going through.  I’m glad that as the word says, He’s going to comfort me in all of my troubles.  So we also receive trials so that we will know how to comfort and support others in their troubles, and so that we can receive the comforts from God while we are in our own trials.

When Is This Trial Going To End?

How long do trials last?  When it’s your turn, they seem to last a lifetime.  But, I came to tell you that God said in his word that they would only last for a season.  They last for just a little while.  Peter said, …”Thou now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:  that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that peristheth, though it be tried by fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7)  This is also another reason why we have trials.  Paul said the light afflictions are but for a moment.  Yes, it’s going to be hard, and yes, it’s going to be tough, but you’ve got to hang in there.  You can count it all joy.  Paul tells us in Romans 8:18 that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 

How to Count It All Joy?

So, how do you get through trials?  Let’s learn from Paul. He says, in Philippians 4:6 – “Be careful for nothing: but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto God.  So, what shouldn’t you do when you’re in a trial?  Worry.  Yes, that’s right; don’t worry about this situation or your circumstance.  What should you do?  Pray, give thanksgiving and let your needs be made known to God. You’ve got to do this while you are in your trials or your storms.  He says IN every thing.  In Philippians 4:4, Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord always.  Rejoice means to experience great pleasure joy or delight originating from emotions being expressed or shown. 

My philosophy is the harder the problem—the louder the praise.  After all God did make us some promises there.  He said that He would guard our hearts and our minds.  He has also promised to give us peace that surpasses all understanding.  With this peace, you can go through your trials, yet praising God and recognizing who God is.  Keep your eye and your focus on God and not on your problem and your situation.  God will work through your problem every time.  You don’t have to worry or be afraid.  Just trust God, believe God, pray to God, and thank God and stand on the promises of His word and watch Him work through your problems meeting your need. 

When you look at your problems and trials in relationship to who is in control (God), you can count it all joy.