HOW IS YOUR FAITH?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize
with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted
in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”
(Hebrews 4:15)

MEDITATION:
When something bad happens to us, we may respond with,
“What did I do? I must have done something terrible.”
Then we proceed down a trail of morbid introspection.
We look at ourselves introspectively.
We take ourselves apart piece by piece, examining and re-examining ourselves.

Then we put ourselves back together trying to figure out what we did wrong.
It may be that we have done absolutely nothing wrong,
but God is simply testing our faith.
If we don’t understand this, we may get discouraged because the seeds
of doubt and discouragement can sprout from the testing of our faith.

Why would God want to test our faith?
Doesn’t He know the level of our faith?
Of course He does!
Since He knows us, the testing must be to encourage us and strengthen our faith.
How can we know how much we have matured spiritually unless we are tested?

We experience the same thing in the secular world, don’t we?
When we are in school, we are periodically tested to see how much we have learned.
When we get our driver’s licenses we are tested twice to see if we are ready to drive.
They give us written tests to see if we know the rules and guidelines for driving;
then they give us driving tests to see if we can physically maneuver a vehicle.

When we are hired to work for a company we sometimes have a probationary
period to give the company time to evaluate our ability to perform our assigned tasks
(this is a time when they compare our abilities to what we listed on our resume).
We also have periodic reviews which highlight our positives
and identify the areas where we need to improve.

When it comes to our faith being tested,
it could be a time to compare the faith we claim,
to the faith we live (“where the rubber meets the road”).
For instance, we may claim to care about others,
but what actions do we do to prove it?

We may claim to love the Lord, but what do we do to prove it?
Do we go to His house and spend time praising Him
and listening to what He communicates to us through the speaker?
Do we look forward to hearing from God,
or do we choose to give more importance to other desires?

Do we claim to love our spouse, but explode
with anger and verbal abuse when things aren’t going our way?
Do we guard our language and attitudes
so that others will see that our faith is genuine?
Do we try to justify the things we do (or don’t do),
when we KNOW we are out of the Will of God?

Again, God may test our faith for our own benefit;
so that we will either confirm our faith is genuine,
or realize there are areas where we are closing the door
and preventing the Holy Spirit from having control of our lives.

ACTION:
Think about this – why did you read this devotional today?
Is the Lord trying to get your attention in a specific area?
Does He have a special message just for YOU?
Is there an area of your life where you are in denial,
but in your heart, you know you need to make some changes?

Claim the promises of 1 Peter 1:3-9 for strength in the midst of your trials.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy
he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or
fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded
by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in
the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may
have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven
genuineness of your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even
though refined by fire — may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus
Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even
though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an
inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith,
the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9)

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, show me the changes I need to make in my life.
Make me aware of Your commands that I am ignoring, and those I
am disobeying, but I am in denial that I am disobedient. Help me to
realize that whenever I am either bending Your commands or justifying
my disobedience of them, that I am out of Your Will for my life. Forgive
me of my sins, and lead me back to You and to obedience. Help me to be
more like Jesus.”

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