"Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Genesis 22:1)
"And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not." (Deuteronomy 8:2)
"But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts." (1 Thessalonians 2:4)
Tests - the sound of that word makes most of us uncomfortable. In the world we are living in, many have come to accept periodic observations/reviews at their places of work as the norm. Employers want to know how their employees are faring. God tested Abraham and Abraham passed the test with flying colours. After the test, God said
"By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son - blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies" (Genesis 22:16-17). God was impressed and delighted that He poured out blessings on Abraham because Abraham did not hold his only son (Isaac) back from God. Wow. What a man!
Today, many are holding back from God what He has provided for them. Isn't that folly? The children of Israel were tested in the wilderness and they failed woefully. They believed an evil report and reaped the dire consequences. Hear what God told them,
"Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection" (Numbers 14:30-34)
God had promised to give the children of Israel the land of Canaan but they fixed their eyes on the giants of Canaan and disregarded His promises.Will you pass God's test? Do you think you will not be tested? The flesh would really love to abolish the word test because it brings discomfort to to the it. In Judges 7:4-6, ten thousand men were tested by God, only 3% passed the test, that is 300 men.
"But the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.” So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.” And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water."
It is impossible to pass God's tests if you are walking in the flesh and living a carnal life. It is impossible to move forward in your spiritual life if you fail the tests set before you. The children of Israel wandered for forty years in the wilderness because they failed a test of faith. 9700 men who had been chosen by Gideon had to be sent home because they gave in to the cravings of the flesh. These men got down on their knees to drink water forgetting that they had enemies and that called for alertness. Are you alert and vigilant in the spirit? Entanglement with the pleasures of this world constitute a hindrance to passing God's tests. God will test our hearts. No wonder we are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength (Mark 12:30).
How do you prepare for the tests? Fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). Abide in Jesus (John 15:4) and you will definitely be fruitful passing the tests with flying colours.
Finally, it should be stated that tests are not designed to make you fall but they are administered by God to enhance your spiritual growth. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). Have a blessed day.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.