Being Tested And Refined

10 For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us like silver. 11 You led us into the net; You laid burdens on our backs. 12 You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us into abundance.

Psalm 66:10-12 BSB

Why does God have to test and refine us? The answer is found in James 1:2-4.

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. -James 1:2-4 BSB

Tribulations and trials force our faith to grow as we have to use it to trust in Lord earnestly, to endure our difficult situations.

The Lord will allow us to fall into the net or trap of the enemy, which means that we will have to face them. The word “burdens” means distress. Wicked people will come to test our faith to see if we will bend to them or stand up for the truth.

In verse 12, the Lord allowed Israel’s enemy to defeat them, to refine them through fire and water—alluding to great difficulty. So, when Israel’s process reached its fulfillment, God brought them into a place of rest and blessings. That is a picture of how God uses difficulty for us today. After believers come out of the process of being refined, the Lord will bring blessings and rest.

Today, we are living in a time of darkness. The power of darkness is trying to take away our freedom by forcing us to take the vaccine, which contains deadly nanobots that have killed thousands of people already. This vaccine is not from God. Even if you have it, you will still get COVID-19. So, what is the purpose of it? I think you know the answer to that.

That’s not even mentioning what we see around the world like false doctrine, false teachers, anti-Christianity, all over the world, socialism, etc. God will use all those things mentioned to refine the true believers and to expose false ones. The Lord is cleaning house and, you will see who truly loves Jesus Christ and the Word of God from those who will shy away from it.

Testing one’s faith with fire does two things: 1. it will destroy one’s faith, or 2. it will make it even stronger. If your faith gets destroyed, then it will reveal that you had a false faith. But if it makes it stronger, then it will show you that you have genuine faith.

If your faith gets tested today, will you come out with a stronger faith or with no faith at all?

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Getting Ready For Tribulation & Starting To Live Right In God’s Eyes

I, John, your brother and fellow participant in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

Revelation 1:9, NASB

The Apostles were not exempt from going through their own tribulation for the sake of Christ. Likewise, we have to prepare our minds for any hardship that we may face. Even though it might not be evident that it is for the sake of Christ, remember, the devil is working in the background to tempt you with tribulation, so that you may abandon your trust in Jesus Christ.

Everyone who calls themselves a Christian and truly divides the Word of God accurately—you will be under great assault by the enemy. It doesn’t matter what platform you are on. On the other hand, if you are representing the Scriptures in the wrong way, the devil will leave you alone, as you will be making people stumble, pushing them away from the Lord through a false interpretation. If you walk in the enemy’s direction, he will leave you alone, but if you walk in the opposite direction, you will end up clashing at one point with the devil.

1 And you were dead in your offenses and sins, 2 in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. -Ephesians 1-2

We know that the unbelievers are walking with Satan—living in a manner as he would like them to live, like him, which is in opposition to God’s standard. But, if the Christians are not careful, we can fall into sin (Satan’s trap), and what makes it worse is staying in that condition for awhile, living in opposition to God’s Word. That would make us walk alongside the devil. We must avoid at all costs to walk against the Lord.

We have to walk according to the Spirit of God. That is how we will avoid walking in the same direction of the devil’s. We will be judged for how we live for the Lord and the things that we have done for Him. God will only use you if you allow the Holy Spirit to direct your steps into His direction.

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want. -Galatians 5:16-17

Many Christians think that things will get better. The reality is that the Scriptures clearly states that before the rapture occurs, the world will become more hostile to believers (2 Timothy 3:1-5). People will become cold and hate one another. With the times we are living in, you must get your spiritual house in order, referring to your life. Start doing something for Jesus because He is coming very soon. Any sinful habits that you may have that is causing you to fall, get rid of it because you don’t want to be caught in sin when Jesus comes for His bride. You will be greatly humiliated.

Now, little children, remain in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not draw back from Him in shame at His coming. -1 John 2:28

Trials We Must Face

The Holy Spirit took Jesus to the wilderness to meet Satan for battle before His mission [of spreading His good news] would commence. Satan wanted to face off with Jesus to stop Him from starting His ministry by hurling his top temptations.

All Christians will be taken to meet the enemy for testing. Testing is the mechanism that refines a believer in Christ. While amidst our testing, it will be uncomfortable, but afterward, we will see the result in our lives.