Introduction

TRIAL : a test of faith, patience, or stamina through subjection to suffering or temptation;

And to the rigors of life's bombarding we must all come subject. For each and every one of us will have to deal with the issues that come our way. Issues that will try us to the very core.

This is the time when the people of God are being tried to the very core.

when the enemy is trying to beat every ounce of steadfastness out of you.
as Jesus told Peter, " The devil desires to have you and to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you".
and the devil is still trying to sift the people of God like wheat.
this is his testing of our faith.
he wants to know if there is anything in us that will give him the opportunity to gain victory despite our boisterous testimonies and our outward displays of power.
so now is the time that our enemy is seeking as the Bible says to wear out the saints of God.

But while the devil is trying to tempt us, at the same time, God is testing us.

for God's testing and the devil's temptation are totally different in their scope and in their intended end.
for God tests you in an attempt to prove you and thus promote you higher in the ranks of the anointing.
but the devil tempts you to make you fall and bring you from your place of anointing down to a place of no power.
so if God is testing you, and the devil is tempting you, one way or the other, your faith must stand trial.

Peter Begins.....

Peter now begins his discourse with a doxology to God. But not just any common doxology to God; but a doxology with a difference.

for it was common for a Jewish prayer to begin with the words, " Blessed art thou, O God".
but because Peter was a Christian, he shows an understanding of just who this God is that he now knows in an intimate way.
he says that the God that he serves is the Father of Jesus and therefore he must be like Jesus, and further it is through Jesus that he may come with childlike confidence.

He quickly moves to the process of rebirth.

rebirth which means that there has been a change so radical that the only way it can be described is by saying that anyone with this experience has begun life all over again.
for he has begotten us unto a living hope.
not a hope rooted in anything foolish, but a hope that stands forever.
not a human hope, because human hopes diminish with the passing of time.....making it big.....millionaire by 40.
what is hope?
it is a conviction that something will happen in the future.
it is a reasonable expectation based on the pattern of the past.
what is the strength of my hope and expectation?
it's the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead.
and if He could raise Jesus out of that situation, then He can raise me out of the situation that I am in just the same.

Kept By The Power Of God

He is said to have an inheritance for me that He has reserved in heaven for me.

which makes it more than likely, it is guaranteed.
what I am experiecing now if only a foretaste of what heaven has to offer.
but an inheritance is no good if the heir is not going to live to receive it.
so the Bible says that not only is the inheritance being kept by God, but He is keeping us as well.
which is why I don't worry about whether the devil is going to get the best of me.
because I'm not depending on the hold that I have on God, I'm depending on the hold that God has on me.
He is keeping me in the midst of it all.

There is an inheritance waiting on you that not even the devil in hell can take from you, and you yourself are being kept by the power of God. THE ONLY THING LEFT FOR YOU TO DO IS BELIEVE.

and this is where you are going to have to fight.
because your faith must stand trial.

Only For A Season

Peter says in verse 6 for the saints to keep rejoicing even if you've got to suffer, because sufferring is only going to last for a season.

and some of you are going through a season of sufferring.
and he uses the word 'heaviness' which means to have weight in you spirit.
to have a heavy spirit.
and on top of that, he says that your heavy spirit will sometimes come from the fact that your temptations are manifold.
which literally means multi-colored.
but it is good to know that there is a grace to match every trial.

Faith On Trial

And the devil is still fool enough to believe that the only reason why you are living for the Lord is because of what it is that the Lord can give you.

this is why he'll throw things at you, because he feels that things are your motives.
and if it's things that you are after, then whoever gives you more things is the one that you are apt to go after.
and the devil would love nothing more than for you walk away from God and leave

He wants to frustrate you with time.

and get you to the point of frustration and exhaustion.
but you've got to get to the point to where you testify that I don't mind waiting on the Lord.
the devil wants to paint you the picture that there is no end to your faith.
that you are wasting time waiting to come out of situation when there is no forseeable end.
but no matter how long it takes, my inheritance is secured becuase he is keeping it and me.
all I have to do is believe.

But I Still Believe

My faith has to come out of my trial as strong as it has ever been.

I have to come out with the understanding that real faith is better than gold.
it's better than riches.
it's better than pleasures.
it's the kind of benefit that is enduring.
my faith outlasts the trouble.
my faith outlasts the pain.
my faith will outlast the heartache.
my faith will outlast depression.
my faith will outlast the misery.
and what I go through will bring praise and glory in the end.
so my faith is not shaky faith.....

But I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

through the trial he is holding me.
and the safest place in the whole wide world is in the will of God.
as long as I know that God is holding me, I am convinced that the water can't drown me.
that the fire won't burn me.
that the wind can't blow me away.
but rather, I'm being strengthened by what I am going through.

I still believe.....

that He is a way out of no way.
that He is a battle axe in the time of trouble.
that He is a shelter in the time of storm.
that He is a mind regulator.
that He is able to exalt every valley.
that He is able to bring down every mountain.
that He is able to bridge the river.
that He is able to pull me through it.
that He is able to hold me.
to secure me.
when the storms of life are trying to blow me down.
and when I've got to fight just to keep my head above the water.
when the floods are coming to drown me in the issues of life.
I still believe that He is able to keep me from falling.
for if He could raise Jesus from the dead, if He could reverse rigormortis.
if He could bring life in the absence of blood.
if He could cause a heart to beat after 72 hours.
then what I'm going through is no match for my God.
and my faith looks up to the, thou Lamb of calvary, Savior divine. Lord hear me while I pray and take all my sins away, and Lord let me from this day, be wholly Thine!

The Extra

James 1:2-4

There is first of all the cause and effect trial.

basically the principle of reaping what you sow.
and this is many times cause by our own disobedience.

Then there is the trials that come to the Child of God not through what we have already sowed, but rather because of the spiritual battle for the faith.

this comes from the simple act of living holy.
this is what Paul says to Timothy concerning this type of trial.....
he says first of all that it is a fight.
secondly, he stresses the fact that it is a good fight.
then he says that this fight is all about your faith.
seems as if you are alright until you decide that you are going higher in God.
and just as soon as you make up your mind that I'm going to do more this year, here comes the trial.
just as soon as you get close to the man of God, the bottome falls out.
because I have found out that you don't have to be the preacher, just get close to the preacher and the darts begin to fly.

Thirdly, there is the mysterious trial.

the truth is that to this trial, there seems to be no logical explanation.
this is when you don't understand the "why" of the trials.
why am I in this situation?
why did I have to lose my loved ones?
why did I lose my job?
but even in Job's life, God was faithful even when Job could not understand the "why".
but the good thing is that God can always be trusted.

Your Faith Is On Trial