Overcoming the Connection-Challengers, Part 2
And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread. And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Matthew 16:5-6
Jesus had just fed four thousand men along with at least as many women and children, using only seven loaves and a few small fish (see Matthew 15:34). The leftovers from that meal filled seven large baskets.
After this mind-boggling miracle, both Jesus and His disciples were accosted by vicious challenges to their secure connection with God.
One challenge targeted Jesus Himself. The Pharisees and Sadducees contested the Lord’s authority with a brazenly snide challenge to the miraculous power of God which was flowing from Him. The other challenge zeroed in on the disciples. This one was a devilishly subtle twisting of the words of Jesus in their minds that filled them with shame and a sense of not measuring up.
The disciples vs. the Connection-Challengers
Jesus definitely had the edge over any connection-challengers that came His way. He had this going for Him: “…He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man” (see John 2:25). His disciples, however, were not so perceptive. When their connection was challenged, they often didn’t see through the attacks, and they needed help not to succumb to lies meant to undermine their confidence in the Lord.
Jesus had just silenced His self-righteous taunters with the example of Jonah (see Matthew 16:4 and my previous entry, http://www.firstofallpray.com/?p=4391). He took advantage of the “teachable moment” and told His disciples, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
What happened next was completely unexpected; out of left field condemnation and a deep sense of shame overtook the disciples because of what Jesus said. As out of kilter as it sounds, this is a common tactic of the devil. Day in and day out, the enemy of our soul busily seeks to twist and weaponize the Word of God against us to bind us up in condemnation, confusion, and shame.
Jesus had just warned His disciples, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” The leaven of which He spoke was hypocrisy—looking spiritually “together” on the outside, while inwardly, pride and rebellion raged against true connection with the Lord.
Jesus was actually saying to His disciples,”Boys, you’re doing great. You’re following Me; just keep your connection with the Father genuine, simple, and tight like it is right now. It’s when folks get all gummed up in looking good and keeping up with the religious ‘Joneses’ that they start losing their grip on what’s really important.”
But His disciples didn’t hear that. When Jesus said, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,” they heard, “You Bozos! You forgot the bread AGAIN?!”
The Book of Matthew expresses their thinking a little more politely. It says, “They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, ‘He said that because we did not bring any bread’” (Matthew 16:7).
Let’s think about this. Jesus was using a teachable moment to train His men to discern religious agendas. The leaven He was exposing was an imposed conformity to looking holy as opposed to simply and freely connecting to the Holy One Himself. This type of leaven was all about how things looked on the surface.
While Jesus was warning them to avoid getting caught up in appearances, the disciples were worried about how stupid they must look because they forgot the bread. We’re idiots! they were probably thinking. We look so inept! We’ll never measure up! Jesus must be disgusted with us—He’s talking about leaven because we forgot the bread! Their minds were spinning out of control and condemnation was having a heyday.
The disciples were yielding to the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees by buying into the agenda of “you have to look right to others to be right”. They yielded to the leaven of hypocrisy by assuming that their relationship with Jesus hinged—not upon the genuineness of humble connection—but upon whether they had performed with perfection.
Unfortunately, this thinking plagues believers in our time as well. Whether you seek to perform to obtain approval from God or man—like the disciples—or like the Pharisees, you seek to appear more spiritual to gain advantage over others, Jesus is speaking loud and clear: “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
In closing, here are the notes that I wrote that snowy morning to sum up everything that I had received from the Lord that day about connection:
“PERFORMANCE and APPEARANCE VS. HEARTFELT CONNECTION
“Trusting in my performance and adjusting my appearance to avoid disapproval leads to disconnect before God. But when I prioritize connection with the Lord, performance and appearance will take a back seat to God’s will for me. Interestingly enough, however, as I merely obey what He reveals about connecting with Him, appearance and performance will take care of themselves and be conformed to His will naturally.”
Bless you as you connect tightly with the Lord.
Dorothy
Read MoreOvercoming the Connection-Challengers, Part 1
And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full. And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. And sending away the crowds, Jesus got into the boat and came to the region of Magadan. Matthew 15:37-39
And immediately thereafter…
The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. Matthew 16:1
Jesus had just fed four thousand men along with at least as many women and children, using only seven loaves and a few small fish (see Matthew 15:34). The leftovers from that meal filled seven large baskets.
After this mind-boggling miracle, both Jesus and His disciples were accosted by vicious challenges to their secure connection with God.
One challenge targeted Jesus Himself. The other challenge zeroed in on the disciples. And it all came via the demands of “prove-yourself” religion, complete with a heavy dose of “appearances-R-us”.
Jesus vs. the Connection-Challengers
Instead of scrambling to whip up a miracle to impress the religious heavyweights before Him, Jesus replied back to them with a challenge of His own:
“When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?” (Matthew 16:2b-3).
He stated the obvious: they knew how to accurately predict the weather by looking at the appearance of the sky; but even though they heard and saw the miraculous works of Jesus, they refused to acknowledge the reality of what they were witnessing. In their arrogant rejection of the Truth standing before them, they attempted to dismiss the Lord by downgrading the display of God’s mighty power to the status of carnival tricks (Show us a sign, they mocked, like teenagers at a magic show hosted by a second-rate magician).
Jesus could read their intentions like an open book. Bottom line: they wanted to stop the manifestation of God in His life—or at least control it. And they were attempting to do so by intimidating Him with scorn, hoping to push His buttons. If they could coerce Jesus to try to “prove” Himself to them, they would be in control, having gained the upper hand.
But Jesus would have none of it. Instead, He declared, “‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.’ And He left them and went away” (Matthew 16:4).
The web had been woven; the spiders were eagerly awaiting their prey; but this One refused to be caught and instead, snared the predators with their own web.
Here’s my paraphrase of the words Jesus used to confront them:
You seek after a sign, you say, but we all know the truth. You don’t intend to give God the glory for any sign He displays in your midst. That’s because you are an evil, adulterous bunch—you’ve strayed from the One to whom you were betrothed.
But the Lord gave them a sign, nonetheless—the sign of Jonah. And then He walked away.
Of all the Old Testament signs Jesus could have cited, He chose Jonah.
Yes, Jonah was swallowed alive by a big fish and was trapped within its belly for three days and nights before being vomited onto dry ground. In this way, Jesus was foreshadowing His death, burial, and resurrection.
But there was another pointed reason that Jesus chose the sign of Jonah, in my opinion. Jonah, the prophet of God and the man with the message, was all about—at least throughout most of the book bearing his name—Jonah. And the Pharisees and Sadducees knew it.
Jonah fled in disobedience from the Lord when God wanted him to preach to Ninevah. The Pharisees and Sadducees knew this.
A storm overtook the ship upon which Jonah was sailing and catastrophe was about to befall everyone onboard on account of Jonah. And the Pharisees and Sadducees knew it.
The storm ceased when the crew threw Jonah overboard. And the Pharisees and Sadducees knew this.
A giant fish swallowed Jonah alive. And the Pharisees and Sadducees knew it.
Jonah was forced to acknowledge his rebellion and sin while sloshing around inside the fish’s stomach contents. And the Pharisees and Sadducees knew this.
The fish vomited Jonah onto dry land—quite an ignoble deliverance for such an important man. And the Pharisees and Sadducees knew it.
Jonah preached to Ninevah, and the Ninevites repented before God with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes—signs of truly humble, repentant hearts. And the Pharisees and Sadducees knew this.
God did not judge Ninevah, and because of this, Jonah was furious. And the Pharisees and Sadducees knew it.
There was more. Jonah rested under a plant appointed by God which gave him shade and comfort…and then it was attacked by a worm and died. And Jonah pouted, whined, fretted, and wished to die. The prophet—the religious heavyweight—threw a tantrum. And the Pharisees and Sadducees knew it.
And the sign of Jonah, given to the Pharisees and Sadducees—men of great religious import—was a fore shadow of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
But that day—in the arena with men who presumed to know God and to be judges on His behalf—Jonah was also held up by Jesus as a mirror. And as the stunned Pharisees and Sadducees watched Jesus walk away, they could only gaze into the mirror of Jonah—in all of his rebellion and self-absorption—and they saw themselves. And they knew it.
Dorothy
Read MoreBuild consistently upon the Rock
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits… Psalm 103:2
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6
When I taught younger grades, I encouraged my students to frequently quiz themselves on their math facts. That way, they would be able to recall sums and differences, products and quotients at the speed of thought—not at the speed of tapping fingers or after finding a calculator. And with practice, even the more math-phobic ones among them could hold their own.
Youngsters need to review their math facts repeatedly until those answers are as retrievable as their birthday or the name of their favorite pet. In my opinion, such “drill and kill” preparations don’t create math-phobia (especially if conducted in a positive environment where stickers or Jolly Ranchers are involved); such practice actually frees students from one more reason to be math-phobic—I can’t remember anything; I’m just stupid in math!
Jesus spoke of the man who heard the Word and acted upon it, likening him to a wise builder who chose to construct his house on solid rock. He emphasized building on bedrock before the storms arose; and despite the time and effort needed to do so, the alternative—an express-house built on the sand—just wouldn’t be able to withstand the tempest.
Jesus placed great importance upon hearing His word and acting upon it in a consistent, life-building way. If you have accepted the challenge from Jesus to live with determined, intentional hearing and acting—like that child who regularly repeats her math facts—then when the rains fall, the floods come, and the winds blow and slam against your life, you will be able to withstand it all. You will pass the test.
One way to help yourself be consistent with building on the Rock of your salvation is to forget none of His benefits. Remind yourself again and again of the wonderful benefits of your connection with the Lord. Psalm 103 lists them. He:
- pardons all your sins
- heals all your diseases
- redeems your life from the pit
- crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion
- satisfies your years with good things
- renews your youth like the eagle
Like that child learning her multiplication tables, it wouldn’t hurt to build this six-point list into your spiritual memory so that it instantly comes to mind the second you need it.
Another way to consistently build upon the solid foundation of Jesus is to remind yourself frequently of the wonderful things He has done in your life. When I feel attacked and defeated, I will often use my prayer time to review aloud before God all of the sweet, miraculous, remarkable, and kind things He has done for me personally. I’ve learned that as long as my eyes are on my problems and how bad I feel, I won’t ever truly see God as my help in times of trouble, and therefore, it’s impossible to go before Him in faith. But when I start reminding Him of what He has done for me in the past, it isn’t long before joy and praise, confidence and faith arise within me, abolishing despair and defeat. And now I’m in faith, and although I still have no clue how He’ll get me out of this one, I know He will!
A third way to build on that sturdy foundation of the Lord is to acknowledge Him in all your ways. How do you do this? When I was a young believer, I practiced talking to Him about whatever I was doing; I even asked His opinion once about whether I should get Coke or Dr Pepper on a road trip (I was pretty sure He suggested DP).
As silly as my soda inquiry sounds, an important aspect of building on the Rock of your salvation is to keep the lines of communication open. And that means acknowledging Him in all of your ways.
I also remember realizing after I had forgotten for several weeks to keep a running conversation going with the Lord, that I was shocked at the difference in the way life felt when I consistently talked to God versus when I didn’t. My conclusion in those early days? Life felt better when I kept up a conversation with God. And you know something? Nearly forty years later, it still does!
Let’s review. Three ways to build on the Rock and to keep your connection with Jesus tight are:
- Forget none of His benefits.
- Regularly review aloud all the good things that God has done for you.
- In all your ways, acknowledge Him.
May you find great joy and security as you build your life on the Rock!
Dorothy
This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:21-23
Read MoreThe simplicity of the Lord’s test—the test within a test
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land. Exodus 14:15-16
Pharaoh had finally insisted that Israel depart Egypt following a series of ten plagues which fell upon the land, one after another.
Yet soon after Moses and God’s people left, this happened: “When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, ‘What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?’” (Exodus 14:5.)
Sometimes God will grant you a great deliverance—you are born again; perhaps you get healed from sickness or are delivered from an awful addiction—and the devil smacks the side of his head in fury, stomps his feet, and determines this: I can’t let him go! I’ve gotta recapture her! You see, you submitted to God; He delivered you with His mighty hand; now the devil is enraged and wants you back—or at least to re-bind you so you’ll be hindered from inflicting further damage upon his kingdom.
This is what happened to Israel after they exited Egypt. Pharaoh and his troops set out after the exiles to drag them back to Egypt and resume their servitude.
“As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord” (Exodus 14:10).
A massive attack against the people of God was looming—just upon the doorstep—and the people spoke harshly against Moses in their panic (see verses 11-12).
But Moses, every bit as vulnerable as the people, spoke with confidence in the living God. “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent” (verses 13-14).
I believe that Moses had no idea how they would be delivered at this point; he merely spoke from the place of trust in God’s purpose, power, and loving connection. And I believe that God’s response—a test in the midst of the test—was an act of drawing near to Moses who had chosen to draw near to and honor Him in the face of sure annihilation. Here’s what God said:
“Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land” (verses 15b-16).
Moses heard the words God spoke and he acted upon them. The rest is history—the Red Sea parted, the Israelites crossed over on dry ground unscathed, the Egyptian army pursued through the walls of water, and were subsequently crushed under the sheer force of the sea falling back into place.
After that amazing deliverance, Israel rejoiced in exuberant song and dance. But soon they found themselves in the wilderness for three days without water—and they complained bitterly.
“When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’” (Exodus 15:23-24).
Again, circumstances turned south and the people were under attack—this time in severe need of water. And once again, just after victoriously worshiping God for His miraculous intervention, they complained bitterly.
And yet again, Moses held himself steady and turned to God.
“Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet” (verse 25a).
Yet again, God responded with a test within the test: throw the tree I’m showing you into the water. Moses heard the word of the Lord and acted upon it, and God followed through with miraculous intervention.
Are you picking up on a pattern? Here’s what I’m seeing:
- A test comes through circumstances—orchestrated by wicked men, the devil, or stressful, unpleasant events.
- A choice is made—either to complain bitterly or to trust in God.
- When trust in God is chosen, God hears and responds with a “test within the test”—in other words, He gives you something to obey or act upon.
- You hear the word of God and act upon it—you do that thing which God tells you to do.
- God responds with miraculous intervention.
Two times in a row, God heard the lone voice of trust within a sea of bitter complaints and responded with deliverance. However, both times, the rescue was based upon a “test within the test”. Would the people let go of their panic, fear, and anxiety long enough to hear the word of God and then to act on it? “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24).
The waters became sweet and safe to drink when Moses heard God’s instruction and acted upon it. And it followed that “there He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer” (Exodus 15:25b-26; emphasis added).
What is the test of the Lord?
- Give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God and give ear to His commandments.
- Do what is right in His sight and keep all His statutes.
The “test within a test” is God’s way of delivering you when all hell breaks loose against you. The trial or attack threatening you is not from God; but when it hits you, He will provide an escape route so that you will not be destroyed (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). And that escape route is what Jesus taught at the end of the Sermon on the Mount: Hear these words of Mine and act upon them (see Matthew 7:24).
So, the next trial you face, choose to trust God rather than to panic, despair, or complain. Call to Him, listen to His Word, and obey what He shows you to do. He will not leave you in the lurch. He will give you a simple “test within the test,” and as you obey, He will come through for you.
He will always provide the way of escape.
Dorothy
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24
Read MoreGod tests with His Word
Connections—for example, plumbing connections (or any other arbitrary household, vehicular, or structural connection)—are often put to the test. The test might involve an inspection or a tune up by a certified professional or the owner; such tests are a good thing.
Connections will also be tested without any warning at all due to random events that occur beyond the control of the individual. Because of such unforeseen events—hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc.—architects and city planners have learned to build structures and systems to withstand a variety of cataclysmic misadventures.
Testing is an integral part of good architectural design. Without testing, there is no way of knowing whether a structure will be able to hold up against the worst of nature or evilly-motivated men. This testing is designed to tweak and adjust, retrofit and restructure so that buildings will be able to stand—and so that the lives of those living or working within will survive if the unthinkable happens.
So, there is a good kind of test and an evil kind of test. The good kind of test prepares for the worst but is designed to bring about the best outcome possible. The evil kind of test collides with everything in its path to wreak havoc and destruction.
Guess which type of test is from God? Guess which type is not from Him? In light of the architectural analogy, it’s not hard to discern the difference.
Jesus used an architectural analogy Himself when instructing His followers concerning being prepared for the cruel tests of life. As He concluded His Sermon on the Mount, He revealed that His words were not only to be heard, but to be acted upon, as well. Jesus, the wise Teacher, had just distributed the test—words of life and sober truth—among the crowd, and He set the bar high.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock,” He declared (Matthew 7:24). He was saying, in essence, You’ve heard Me; now, if you are wise, you will follow through. This was a test—a controlled, Teacher-directed test in a safe environment.
Take a closer look at the test:
- Hear these words of Mine
- Act on them
Jesus is teaching you and me today exactly the same thing He instructed His disciples long ago on the Mount of Olives. The controlled test of the Lord, presented and conducted in a safe environment, is simply to hear His words and to act on them. Daily. Often. Consistently. Time and again. Over and over. Regularly.
But why?
“...the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock” (Matthew 7:25; emphasis added).
Studying the Word of God and acting on it is like building a house on solid bedrock. And it is in the safe, controlled environment of learning the Word and putting it into practice that you become equipped to face the cruel tests of life. Rains fall. Floods come. Winds blow. They slam against all of our lives—and if you have built your life upon the Word of God, you will not be destroyed.
Jesus also said this: “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand” (Matthew 7:26; emphasis added). You hear His Word—you’re in the safe-zone, the perfect testing environment for absorbing the truth of the Bible and then obeying what you learn; but you decide you have better things to do.
Oh, that’s OK—God’s really a great Guy. He’ll cover it, you may think. You’ve built a lovely beachfront home, right there on Sandy Lane over by Easy Street, and you are enjoying life at its best. You almost feel sorry for all those poor clods who dig away at the Rock day in and day out, building and calculating and fitting and testing their structures for soundness. They’ve gone off the deep end, you may chuckle to yourself.
But you didn’t take into consideration one teensy, tiny point—typhoon season!
“The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall” (Matthew 7:27; emphasis added).
Jesus clearly revealed the way to not only survive the worst that life could throw your way but to overcome in the midst of it, too. As you allow the Lord to test you by receiving His words and then acting on them in the safe, controlled environment of your everyday life, you build on a solid foundation with materials of an imperishable nature. And when storms crash against your life, you will stand and prevail, because you’ve built upon the bedrock of God’s Word.
May we value to the fullest extent the safe, controlled testing environment of hearing His Word and acting upon it in our everyday lives.
Dorothy
The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands. Proverbs 14:1
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. James 1:22
Read MoreTests
Just about everyone six or seven years old and up has taken a test. What is the purpose of a test in the academic setting? At its best, a test is a tool to assess the ability of the test taker to use knowledge specifically covered in lessons in an accurate and meaningful way.
Not all tests given in schools are great assessment tools; not all tests truly tap into the heart of the knowledge imbedded within students; yet almost all tests have certain things in common—they require some sort of preparation; they draw upon the reserves of the individuals undergoing the test; and they are not fun.
The book of James speaks of the testing of our faith: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance” (James 1:2-3; emphasis added). James is pointing out here that one way the testing of your faith occurs is through trials. The apostle Paul writes of tribulations (which are certainly trials): “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance” (Romans 5:3). Both James and Paul observe that trials which test your faith produce endurance and perseverance.
What is being tested when you as a Christian undergo a trial? Mainly, your faith—your confident connection to God through Jesus Christ. But how do you attain faith?
Faith is the gift of God—it’s not self-manufactured—and it comes as you recognize the biblical truth that you have need for connection with One greater than yourself. Saving faith comes to you when this recognition of need leads you to the truth about Jesus, the One who died for you. It is then—when you link your life to Jesus by the faith arising within you—that you enter into full relationship with God based the substitutionary death of Jesus for you. Note: saving faith immerses you in the righteousness of Jesus, who took your sin on the cross, thereby creating an exchange—your sin for His righteousness. Saving faith can never be granted due to your own personal goodness.
Therefore tests, trials, and tribulations are geared toward one end—your faith in God through Jesus Christ. Who is the author of these tests? Good question; this very question is at the heart of how confidently you approach the test.
When I taught, I devised tests. I spent time thinking about the lessons I taught and how I wanted to assess the mastery of those concepts. In a controlled atmosphere and specific time frame, I gave those tests. They had a beginning, a middle, and an end. More times than I can count, I heard the triumphant word “DONE!” escape the lips of my students—both boys and girls—in every subject and each grade I was privileged to teach, from second to ninth.
But here’s the next question. If I tested a concept, is it safe to say that, as a result, my students would never need to use the tested understanding again? They passed, didn’t they?
Here’s the truth behind controlled testing. At its best and most practical, testing equips students for the real world. Math lessons and tests should prepare you for real-world encounters with everything numeric. English and language arts lessons and tests should prepare you for real-world encounters with everything in the realm of communication—reading, speaking, listening, and writing. The same is true for science and history. Those lessons and tests should train you in scientific thought based on facts, inquiry, and observation and should give you historical perspective from which to draw independent conclusions about human interactions, behaviors, choices, and outcomes.
I’m not referring to the current academic practice of indoctrinating young minds with worldviews designed to lead them to shun biblical faith and traditional values. I am speaking in reference to the true goal of solid education—the equipping of young people with the tools and skills necessary to interact with their world and make wise and well-developed, thoughtful choices based on critical thinking, honest questioning, and self-directed research.
You learn and are tested because of the real world which you face every day. That world is not always nice and neat; that world doesn’t always abide by the Golden Rule; that world doesn’t always think that you are wonderful and deserve a medal.
So…does God test us? Yes. Are all tests from God? No. Then, how will you know the difference? You may not be able to discern at first, but keep this thought in mind—God is a good God, and the devil is a bad devil. Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). If you encounter a test that falls into the category of stealing, killing, or destroying, then you are safe in assuming that the test is not from God. But fear not—He’s already equipped you to face any trial that comes your way. Remember, the goal of good instruction supported by wisely-developed tests is to prepare you for victory over whatever comes your way via the real world or the devil himself.
When trials do come your way, use the clear lessons you’ve learned in the Word, pray for wisdom, and know that the Teacher is within you. He’ll walk you through every part of the test and teach you as you move through its sections. Understand that what you’re facing, He has already faced—and conquered.
God tests us by His Word to do His Word. He does so to equip us to respond according to His Word when tests come from a different source—a decidedly sinister source.
Be confident in the One with whom you are connected. He has gone before you, He has conquered death, hell, and the grave on your behalf, and He will never fail you or forsake you.
When the tests come, the Teacher is on duty inside of you. Lean with confidence upon Him and you will pass the test.
Dorothy
You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5:4
Read More