Putting Faith to the Test

Many of us are great faith-talkers.  We talk about trusting God very smoothly, and unfortunately sometimes very glibly.

But trust in God is not a static statement.  It is active obedience.  That’s why you don’t know the stuff your faith is made of until it’s tested.  So what God does is design tests for us—not to wipe us out, but to show us where we stand and teach us how to put some muscle on our faith.  The confidence comes from passing the test.

God does not test you for his information.  He already knows whether you are going to pass and graduate to a new level of spiritual maturity.  God’s purpose for testing you is to let you know whether you really believe what you think you believe.

I used to tell my teachers In school, “I know that stuff.”  They would say, “We’ll see.  We’ll see.”  They were saying, “Okay, Anthony, what you think you know will be  demonstrated by a test.”

Testing is not unusual in life.  James even tells you to get excited when you come up against all kinds of tests because they give you the opportunity to strut your stuff.  Here’s the chance to put into practice the things you have learned.

To get a driver’s license, you have to take a test.  Never mind that you’ve been driving since you were thirteen.  The driver’s test is still the standard you have to attain.  And didn’t it feel great to pass and get that license?  When God gives you a test, He does it with joy because He knows it’s going to bring you joy to pass it.

So Abraham is going to be tested.  Now this is a great test because this is a great man who has received a great promise.  And the New Testament says that you and I, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ, have received many “precious and magnificent promises” (2 Peter 1:4), marvelous things that God has supplied for us in time and in eternity.  Are they worth the effort it takes to pass the test?  You know it!

Tony Evans

Source: Time to Get Serious, by Tony Evans