Tested

James 1:2-4 NIV Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let endurance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Have you ever purchased something and as soon as you tried using it, it broke? You immediately questioned the manufacturer’s quality assurance and testing program. Rigorous product testing assures performance, reliability, and durability to produce a product that can be trusted. God knows this principle well: a faith that has not been tested cannot be trusted.

Just when life seems to be running smoothly—peaceful and predictable—the unexpected happens. A financial emergency, a startling medical diagnosis, unforeseen challenges in a relationship, or any number of life’s surprises that we did not choose. God uses these moments to test our faith in Him and strengthen us for the journey ahead. 1 Peter 1:7-9 tells us, “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

Spiritual tests are not optional and can be anything that challenges our level of trust and dependence on God. Tests are not punishments or without purpose but serve to refine our character, develop spiritual maturity, and demonstrate God’s faithfulness. “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation” (Romans 5:3-4). Having spiritual discernment to understand the difference between the testing of our faith and temptation is critical to responding appropriately to challenges in our lives. Testing will always draw us toward the Lord, leaning into his provision, peace, and direction, producing unity. Temptation will draw us toward sin—to steal, kill, and destroy—distracting us from God’s path for our lives. God tests our hearts to see if we will trust Him alone, building our complete trust and reliance on Him.

Calling God faithful is not only something that sounds good; it is the result of being tested over and over again. Psalm 119:140 states, “Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.” In Malachi 3:10, God almost dares us to test him in the area of giving: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my house. If you do, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!”

Like the physical, spiritual strength and endurance are not something you get just by asking—they are the result of consistent training. We pray and ask God for strength but want it to come in a microwaveable package. But acquiring God’s strength comes from learning to lean into and rely on Him at all times, good and not so good. It is the result of testing and proving His faithfulness and goodness. You don’t wait to build endurance and strength until you need it. Through preparation and training, even when everything seems right, you are prepared for the road ahead. Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5); learning to trust Him is everything.

Job knew something about tests and yet proclaimed, “He knows the way that I take, and when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). Whatever you are facing today, lean into Him; cast everything on Him. God is making you perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Trust Him completely!

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Gary and Sandy Anthony

Psalms 66:8-12 NIV Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.

Psalms 119:138, 140 NIV The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy. Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.

Proverbs 30:5 NASB Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

Psalms 19:7-9 NIV The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.

Psalms 18:30 NIV As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he is a shield to all who take refuge in him.

Isaiah 48:10 NIV See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake I do this.

Psalm 12:6 TPT For every word Yahweh speaks is sure and reliable. His truth is tested, found to be flawless, and ever faithful. It’s as pure as silver refined seven times in a crucible of clay.

Proverbs 27:21 TPT Fire is the way to test the purity of silver and gold, but the character of a man is tested by giving him a measure of praise and fame.

Genesis 22:1-2 NIV Sometime later God tested Abraham. He said to him, Abraham! Here I am, he replied. Then God said, Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.

1 Timothy 3:8-10 NIV In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.

Psalms 81:7 TPT You called out to me in your time of trouble, and I rescued you. I came down from the realm of the secret place of thunder, where mysteries hide. I came down to save you. I tested your hearts at the place where there was no water to drink, the place of your bitter argument with me.

Malachi 3:10 NIV Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

Deuteronomy 8:2 NIV Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

Jeremiah 17:10 NASB I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.