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Am I enduring adversity? - Part 4

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How to persevere trials 1. Joyous Attitude Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. - James 1:2 (Amplified Bible) The natural human response to trials is not to rejoice; therefore the believer must make a conscious commitment to face them with joy in the light of an unassailable, unchanging relationship with the sovereign Lord of all creation. - John MacArthur 2. Understanding Mind Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. - James 1:3 (Amplified Bible) Through tests, a Christian will learn to withstand tenaciously the pressure of a trial until God removes it at His appointed time and even cherish the benefit. - John MacArthur 3. Submissive Will And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing. - James 1:4 (Amplified Bible) The testing of faith...
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Am I enduring adversity? - Part 3

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Why must we endure adversity? 1. To test and strengthen our faith Trials reveal whether our faith rests in God Himself or only in comfort and outcomes. These trials are only to test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests gold and purifies it—and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold; so if your faith remains strong after being tried in the test tube of fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day of his return. - 1 Peter 1:7 (Living Bible) 2. To humble us Suffering reminds us of our dependence on God and strips away self-reliance. Do you remember how the Lord led you through the wilderness for all those forty years, humbling you and testing you to find out how you would respond, and whether or not you would really obey him? Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to both you and your ancestors. He did it to help you realize tha...
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Am I enduring adversity? - Part 2

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God tested Abraham’s faith and obedience. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes, Lord?” he replied. “Take with you your only son—yes, Isaac whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I’ll point out to you!” The next morning Abraham got up early, chopped wood for a fire upon the altar, saddled his donkey, and took with him his son Isaac and two young men who were his servants, and started off to the place where God had told him to go. On the third day of the journey Abraham saw the place in the distance. “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the young men, “and the lad and I will travel yonder and worship, and then come right back. ” Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering upon Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the knife and the flint for striking a fire. So the two of them went on together. “Father,” Isaac asked, “we have the wood and the flint to make the fire, but where is the lamb for the ...
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Am I enduring adversity?

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Blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] is the man who is steadfast under trial and perseveres when tempted; for when he has passed the test and been approved, he will receive the [victor’s] crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.  Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God” [for temptation does not originate from God, but from our own flaws]; for God cannot be tempted by [what is] evil, and He Himself tempts no one. - James 1:12-13 (Amplified Bible) Adversity is a bridge to a closer relationship with God. - Charles Stanley We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady. Then, when that happens, we are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know...
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Am I obedient?

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So get rid of all uncleanness and all that remains of wickedness, and with a humble spirit receive the word [of God] which is implanted [actually rooted in your heart], which is able to save your souls.  But prove yourselves doers of the word [actively and continually obeying God’s precepts], and not merely listeners [who hear the word but fail to internalize its meaning], deluding yourselves [by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth].  For if anyone only listens to the word without obeying it, he is like a man who looks very carefully at his natural face in a mirror;  for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he immediately forgets what he looked like.  But he who looks carefully into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and faithfully abides by it, not having become a [careless] listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he will be blessed and favored by God in what he does [in his life of obedience]. - James 1:21-25 (Amplified Bible) We would ma...
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Will I trust God?

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Dear children, this world’s last hour has come. You have heard about the Antichrist who is coming—the one who is against Christ—and already many such persons have appeared. This makes us all the more certain that the end of the world is near. These “against-Christ” people used to be members of our churches, but they never really belonged with us or else they would have stayed. When they left us it proved that they were not of us at all. But you are not like that, for the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you know the truth. So I am not writing to you as to those who need to know the truth, but I warn you as those who can discern the difference between true and false. - 1 John 2:18-21 (Living Bible) So in one sense we have to guard the church against the false teachers. In the other sense, even though we’re protecting and guarding so that we can honor the truth which honors God, we realize that when lies come, lies cannot cause true believers to abandon the faith. What the liars do is ...
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Is there fruit?

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The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it. When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” - Mark 11:12-17 (NLT) As Jesus approached Jerusalem in His final week, He encountered a fig tree full of leaves but barren of fruit. It promised life but delivered none. The next scene is no accident: He ente...
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