God allows both blessings and difficulties in our lives for a reason, and this episode explores the significance of those trials. I discuss how testing can reveal the depths of our faith and reliance on God, as illustrated in scriptures from Deuteronomy and Matthew. While we often prefer to focus on God's provision, it's essential to acknowledge that challenges can also serve a divine purpose. I provide insights on how we can approach these difficulties, encouraging reflection and growth during tough times. Ultimately, our trials are not meant to be permanent but are opportunities for spiritual development and preparation for what lies ahead.

Takeaways:

• God sometimes sends trials into our lives to test our faith and resilience.
• Difficulties can have a purpose, helping us to grow spiritually and mature in our trust.
• We must remember that God is our refuge during hard times, not just when things are easy.
• Trials can reveal areas in our lives that need correction and spiritual growth.
• It's essential to look for lessons in our challenges rather than simply questioning why they happen.
• Our experiences with trials can equip us to help others facing similar difficulties later on.

Episode number 69 God gives blessings and difficulties I've got two verses for you as we start today.

The first one is in Deuteronomy, where it says in chapter 7, verse 13, "Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these 40 years to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands."

And then the next One comes from Matthew 4, verse 1, where it says, "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil."

These are difficult words. We like to focus on God's provision of blessing and joy in our lives, to be reminded that difficulties and testing are also allowed by God.

We'd rather not think about that option.

We can blame all sorts of things for the troubles in our lives, but these passages tell us that God is sometimes the one who sends the troubles into our lives. How do we deal with that?

I'm going to offer a few suggestions today, but I'd encourage you to look at lessons on Bible 805, particularly on the Book of Job, for some expanded ideas. But here are some things to think about today at those times of difficulty and troubles.

These verses can actually comfort us because our troubles have a useful purpose. You never know how strong a rope is until a weight is hung from it.

You never know how genuine trust in God is until until it's tested in the daily grind of projects and deadlines, we might assume we rely on God in every part of our life.

But until we absolutely cannot handle a technology or a work issue, or maybe a simple life issue, something at home that we just can't figure out without God's help, we may not realize how we left that part out of his guidance and control. In the same way that we can't correct a manuscript if you're a writer, you can't correct it until you see it.

It's hard to grow in our faith if we aren't aware of shortcomings.

So the Lord allows testing to come often in the middle of our work for him, in the middle of our days, in the middle of our projects, and the things that we just think we can't be bothered with so that we can learn and grow. Now, when these things happen, here are some additional biblical realities to keep in mind.

First of all, remember that God is always at work, and he's at work in the midst of trials as well as good things. He isn't just with us when things are going well. Isaiah 43:2 says when, not if, when you pass through the waters, I'll be with you.

When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you. You will not be burned. The flames will not set you ablaze.

And Psalm 46:1 says, God is our refuge and strength and ever present help in trouble. These verses encourage us because one of the biggest dangers in hard times.

And we tell ourselves we'll feel better when this happens, or we think that God will help us win.

Maybe we get our act together in this area, we start reading our Bible more consistently, or we start doing what we've always promised to do, or whatever this sort of win is. But I hate to tell you that that win isn't going to come anytime soon. God never says he's with us only when a trial is over.

God is in it with us now, not when things are only going smoothly. Now we can look at what he can do in and through us during the trial. Because next thing to remember, trials do help us to grow spiritually sometimes.

You know, oftentimes my journal, I will start out by saying something like, well, Lord, you've often said it's the easy way or the hard way. And it seems like once again, I've got to learn it the hard way. We do often, though, grow the most when times are the most difficult.

In Psalm 100, 19, 67, and 68, it says, this is kind of interesting. I'm going to read you a couple of translations. But first of all, it says, before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I obey your word.

And that was in the niv. This is in today's living Bible.

It says, the punishment you gave me was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to your laws. They're more valuable to me than silver or gold. Trials can help us look at ourselves in ways we wouldn't consider.

When things are going well and we don't need to look at ourselves. It's kind of like maybe getting a minor medical scare when that makes you realize that the doctor really knew what she was talking about.

And so we can correct our lifestyle and actions before things get serious and irreversible. It's like that spiritually. God will often warn us when a path we're taking isn't good.

We might have a little trial, a challenge, whatever, but if we continue down it, it might become horribly destructive to our lives. To get a correct diagnosis, you don't want to say, oh, Lord, why is this happening to me?

No, the correct question is, lord, what do you want me to learn from this? Check to see if you're unaware of or if you've ignored a sin that God wants you to change.

A really good prayer comes from Psalm 139 where it says, search me God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there's any offensive way in me and lead me in the way Everlasting God's Word helps us know what isn't pleasing to Him. We won't get that from our world. We honestly sometimes don't know that certain things are displeasing to Him.

Consider how people talk to each other on TV and social media. Seems like the most snarky wins, but that's not how God wants us to act.

In contrast to these things, God's Word tells us, live a life worthy of the calling that you've received. Oh, we need to stop and evaluate if we're doing that. The passage goes on to say, be completely humble and gentle.

Be patient bearing with one another in love.

Don't let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen to the message. Translation puts it this way. Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth.

Say only what helps each word A Gift if we are experiencing trials, take time to do a little bit of inventory of our lives to see if we're living up to our calling as Christians and make changes if we need to. Remember also that trials aren't only about us.

Remember in 2nd Corinthians 1:3:5 it says, all praise to the God and Father of our Master Jesus, the Messiah, Father of all mercy, God of all healing counsel.

He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before we know it, he brings us alongside someone else who's going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God is there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort.

We get a full measure of that too. Now remember that when you go through the trials, save what you've learned. Pray about what you've learned.

Ask that the Lord make your heart tender and open to him and help you to see other people that might be going through similar things so that you can encourage them.

Let's go back as we close to the verses that we opened with and remember how it talked about how God led the children of Israel in the desert and then how he led Jesus into the wilderness. But also remember how both these situations ended. Neither Jesus nor the children of Israel stayed in the desert of tempting.

Jesus came out of the desert to a life of ministry. The children of Israel did make it into the Promised Land. Our trials serve the same purpose.

We aren't destined to stay in them, but to learn from them, to be better equipped in the life and ministry. The Lord is leading us to where we can accomplish things for him we can't even imagine now.