For Thought and Meditation - Friday, Dec. 04

Good morning all. Today's devotion is powerful and important to hear right now. And hey Boaz...James... Have a safe and blessed day.

Friday, December 4, 2020 - Pastor Greg Laurie
Battle-Tested

“For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”
—James 1:3

When people sporadically go to the gym, they want to make up for the times they didn’t go. So they end up working out really hard.

The problem is they can’t walk the next day. They overdid it. They need someone to help them learn how to work out properly. Of course, building up muscle means tearing down muscle. You break it down to build it up, and then you get stronger. In time, you’ll develop more physical endurance and can lift more weight.

The Bible talks about another kind of endurance: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow” (James 1:2–3 NLT).

Everything you go through in life as a follower of Jesus Christ is preparing you for something else. God is toughening you up. He’s preparing you for something that is coming. He’s making you stronger.

You might be going through a difficult time right now. God is preparing you for something that is yet to come. So hold your course and know that God is at work. There’s no joy in the difficulty itself, but it is strengthening you.

God wants us to develop character. Justification is what God does for us, but tribulation and perseverance are what God does in us. God is getting you ready because you’re in a spiritual battle. There’s no getting out of it. And the objective is to win, not lose.

We need to look through our sufferings to the certainties and remember that God is at work.

Whatever you’re going through right now, remember that it isn’t a coincidence; it’s providence. It isn’t an accident; it’s an appointment. God is in control. And He’s going to see you through.

Remember - "Yea, though I walk through the valley of death, thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me". We Americans don't want to 'walk through' the dark, dangerous, terrifying valley (our son's translation), we want to drive by in our air conditioned SUV's and point at it. But when we do that we never experience God's comfort - because we have avoided needing it. As a result American 'Christianity' is weak and more Churchian than Christian. We don't, generally, know God because He challenges us. We don't like that.

i am 50% supernatural holy spirit powered!!!!!

Well said Wayne!

Marco I don't think I can put a number on me, it varies.

Kind of like a gas engine powered wood splitter. A 3" poplar stick is hardly going to get that engine revving up.
But a 3 foot oak chunk will take all it can give and a little more.
But the Holy Spirit is at the controls and will see me through. Giving me what I need to get the job done. Every time.

OP good lesson. Hard times are chances for growth often in more than one area.

Amen and thanks for a great well said lesson!