Hebrews 11: 6, But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.NKJV
The Word of God says, "Let every man be a liar, and let God be true." Whenever God allows us to face the fiery furnaces in this life, our flesh nature makes it hard on us to trust in God. In our hearts, we still believe that God is good, and that He desires only good things for us. Life can deal us some serious blows that are very hard to endure, much less overcome. Wouldn't it be so nice if Jesus would just protect us so that we would never have to have another bad day or hear an evil report?
Wake up your daydreaming! We all live in a fallen world. Evil things happen to good people, and good things happen to evil people. Wait a minute; didn't Jesus say that there was none good but God? Yet, God still gave His Son for us, and Jesus still gave His life for us while we were evil. Thank God He doesn't just bless good folks, or we would still be lost with no hope. What you will find is this: there is no justice in this world, but God is just. More than that, God requires the just (Christians) to walk by faith and not by sight or feelings.
How can a just and holy God allow us to face horrible situations? To answer this hard question, we need to use some more Bible. 1 Peter 4 : 1 - 3, Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. NKJV
Satan is convinced that when Christians face tragedy or calamity we will betray our faith in God and go back into sin, but Peter, under the leading of the Holy Spirit tells us just the opposite. When we choose to suffer for the sake of Christ, we will cease from sin. So what Satan meant for evil, God, through the Holy Spirit within us, turns around for our spiritual benefit and maturity. Peter also tells us that all who live godly will suffer persecution. Have you faced a few mountains since becoming a child of God? Learning how to stand on the Word of God during the difficult times of life builds godly character in us. In other words, we become stronger in our faith rather than weaker when we choose to stand on the Word instead of running in the weakness of our flesh nature.
All you must know when facing a trial is what God is speaking to you by His Word and the Holy Spirit. When you have a Rhema Word from the Lord, and you know that it is impossible for God to leave or forsake you, the attack of Satan will only make you stronger in your faith, not weaker. God has predestined us to be conformed into the image of Christ. Therefore, when you go through what might seem like (hell) at times in your saved life know that the old man is being crucified, and the new man is emerging out of the flames of affliction.
The end result of your battle is victory over the Devil. You might be thinking, "I thought he was defeated at Calvary?" If you believe that, you are absolutely correct, but your carnal mind doesn't know that yet. Our faith doesn't give us so much victory over the Devil as it does victory over the mind that he offered to Adam and Eve when they sinned against God's will in the beginning. We used to be alienated from the life of God because of the carnal mind. Once we pass through the fire and overcome the flood, our faith in God renews our minds and we become one with God in our minds as well as our spirits.
With each trial we are separating ourselves from the strongholds of this world and becoming one with Christ through our faith. Instead of trials taking us further from Christ, through faith, they bring us closer to Christ.
Becoming Like Christ,
Pastor Asa
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