Situation – Trials That Test and Shape Your Faith
Life is full of circumstances that test where our allegiance really lies – will we operate in the flesh or in the Spirit? This article looks at why God allows trials, how He uses them to shape our character, and how to respond so that hardship becomes growth rather than defeat.
Trials With a Purpose
Numerous events test our faith and allegiance each day. When God allows trials to test us, these are opportunities to outwork the death of our self-nature, and they are not beyond our ability to overcome, with His help (1 Cor 10:13).
Although many things in life do not go the way we would like, by not meeting our perceived needs, we can look back and see their contribution in developing our character. In spite of the difficulties, provided we have responded appropriately, we will be better people because of these experiences.
Thank God for the tools He is using to shape you
If you are yielded to Christ, view the trials that you face as the best tool to shape you for eternity. Don’t fight against the trials of life but learn from them and, above all, depend on Jesus who invites us to cast all our cares on Him (Mt 11:28; 1 Pet 5:7).
Responding God’s Way Under Pressure
We are to bear our burdens with a right attitude, and try to see things from a Godly perspective. Paul challenges us to welcome and embrace hassles as another opportunity to demonstrate the nature of God (Rom 5:3-5). How can I ensure the annoying pressures and circumstances that bombard me work to my advantage? The Bible has much good advice: “Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thes 5:16-18). Trust the God of love to do right and work it out for our best, rather than resigning to a victim’s complex – ‘Lord there is nothing that you and I together can’t handle!’ (Gen 18:25; Rom 8:28; Phil 4:13; 1 Jn 4:8,16).
I will bless the Lord at all times – Psalm 34:1
Even though the circumstances may not necessarily change, your attitude to them will. We ask God to change our situation, not knowing He puts us in the situation to change us. While we should pray and support others (besides asking for prayer for ourselves), in the final analysis it comes down to the individual’s choice as to how they respond to what life throws at them – whether they come out bitter or better. I will emerge a godlier person if I respond correctly. Our flesh wants relief by running from the hassles, Satan’s desire is our ruin and defeat, but God wants refinement and victory. How do I view the ‘instruments’ He arranges to bring about His purposes in me?
Inviting Jesus Into the Storm
The disciples were doing what Jesus had instructed them, yet they found themselves in the middle of a storm. Rather than continue to struggle on their own, they invited Jesus into the situation and His power transformed things (Mk 6:45-52; Jn 6:16-21).
Ask Jesus into your challenging difficulty
Job and Paul are two examples of people who walked close to God and yet experienced great hardship, showing no one is exempt from trials (Job 1:13-2:7; 2 Cor 11:23-29).
Satan’s Aim: To Separate Us From Jesus
Satan’s primary strategy is not simply to make life difficult – it is to drive a wedge between us and Jesus (Jn 10:10; 1 Pet 5:8). He demanded permission to sift Peter like wheat (Lk 22:31), hoping that under pressure Peter would rely on himself, deny the Lord and be cut off from his brothers. The enemy knows a believer who stays connected to Christ is a threat to his kingdom, so his goal is to get us isolated, discouraged and self-reliant – fighting our battles alone in the dark, rather than alongside the One who has already won the war.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God – Romans 8:38-39
The trap he sets is subtle: he doesn’t need us to renounce Christ outright – he is quite content for us to keep being religious while battling in our own ability. Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water while his eyes were on Jesus, but began to sink the moment he looked at the wind and waves (Mt 14:28-31). Jesus said, “apart from Me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5), and Zechariah reminds us the battle is won “not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit” (Zech 4:6). To strive in the flesh what began in the Spirit is to be bewitched by self-effort (Gal 3:3); our weapons are not carnal, and the battle is the Lord’s (2 Cor 10:3-4; 1 Sam 17:47).
The answer, then, is not to try harder in our own strength, but to labour together with Jesus rather than battling alone. He invites us to take His yoke upon us and work alongside Him, and His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Mt 11:29-30). Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase (1 Cor 3:6-7); we work out our salvation because it is God who works in us (Phil 2:12-13). So when the enemy tries to separate us from Christ, we resist him steadfast in the faith (1 Pet 5:9), draw near to God (Jas 4:7-8) and come boldly to the throne of grace for help in time of need (Heb 4:16). Stay connected to the Vine, and the pressure that was meant to defeat you becomes the place where His strength is perfected in your weakness (2 Cor 12:9).
Work alongside Jesus rather than independently of Him
Reflection and Application:
- Identify the ‘tools’ God is currently using in your life and thank Him for each one.
- Invite Jesus into your difficulty instead of struggling on alone.
- Ask yourself honestly: in my current struggle, am I battling in my own ability or working together with Jesus (Jn 15:5; Zech 4:6)?
- When you feel isolated or defeated, treat it as the enemy’s attempt to separate you from Jesus – resist him (1 Pet 5:9) and draw near to God (Jas 4:7-8).