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And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

--1 Peter 5:10

Are you struggling today?

God never tells us that we won’t experience grief or sorrow in this life. There will be tears. And, to be honest, sometimes life will just suck the air right out of you.

But we must remember that trials do have a purpose. Trials can fortify us. They can prove us, test us, and prepare us.

As today’s verse says, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

The fact is, if you’re a Christian, you’re in a spiritual battle. Which means you have a very real enemy. And trials prepare you for this battle and make you stronger. In fact, you may be going through a spiritual boot camp of sorts today, which is preparing you for the battle ahead!

Think about it this way. When gold is made, all the impurities must be removed. The same process of refining takes place in our lives before genuine gold can come forth.

Whatever you may be facing today, keep in mind that God is forming your character, bringing out the gold in you. Everything has a reason. You may not see it… you may not understand it… but God is working in your life.

Remember that no matter what you may be going through, you can build your life on the certainty and confident expectation that God is in the midst of it. Rejoice because He is working in your life and your future!

THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE TRIALS IN YOUR PAST. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THEM? HOW DID THEY PREPARE YOU FOR WHAT WAS AHEAD?
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Faith is not a sense, nor sight, nor reason, but taking God at His word.

by Neil Anderson

July 18

DEMONSTRATING WHAT WE BELIEVE James 2:17
Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself

Faith is an action word. We cannot passively respond to God. You may have heard the story of the circus performer who strung a wire over a river and proceeded to ride across it on a unicycle. When he returned, everyone applauded. Then he asked, "Who believes I can do that with a man on my shoulders?" Everyone responded in affirmation. He said, "All right, who will hop on?" The person who hops on is the person who really believes. Faith is not just giving credence to something or someone. Faith is demonstrated reliance upon something or someone.

Faith has the same operating dynamic as agape love. When we refer to love as a noun, we're talking about character: patience, kindness, etc. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). When we say that God is love, we are describing His character. Paul says the goal of our instruction is love (1 Timothy 1:5); therefore, the goal of Christian education is character transformation.

When love is used as a verb, it is expressed by action: "For God so loved the world that He gave . . ." (John 3:16). If we say we love someone and do nothing on their behalf, it's only sentimentality and not agape love. True love is expressed by meeting the needs of others.

Faith has a similar dynamic. When using faith as a noun, we're talking about what we believe. But if we're talking about faith as a verb, then it is expressed in the way we live. James says it like this: "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, 'You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.' You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder" (James 2:17-19).

The devil believes in the existence of Jesus and knows that God's Word is true. But he doesn't seek to glorify Jesus or to obey Him. He seeks his own glory, being a rebel at heart (Romans 1:25).

We demonstrate what we believe by how we live our lives. If we believe it, we will do it. If we don't, then what we believe is just wishful thinking.

Prayer:

Lord, help me put feet to my faith every day and not rely on past accomplishments.
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Faith is not a sense, nor sight, nor reason, but taking God at His word.

by Neil Anderson

July 29

KEEP ON WALKING Isaiah 50:10
Who is among you that fears the LORD, that obeys the voice of His servant, that walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God

The life led by the Spirit of God is marvelous. Sensing His presence, living victoriously, and knowing the truth are characteristics of a free person. But what if you couldn't sense His presence? What if God, for some reason, suspended His blessings? What would you do if you were faithfully following God and suddenly all external circumstances turned sour?

My family and I have been through two extremely dark periods in our life. There were days I wasn't sure if we were going to make it. If it wasn't for the message of Isaiah 50:10, I'm not sure we would have survived spiritually. Isaiah is asking if there is a believer, somebody who fears the Lord, walking in darkness. He is not referring to the darkness of sin or even the darkness of this world. He is talking about the darkness of uncertainty--that blanket of heaviness that settles in as though a black cloud has drifted over our very being. God has suspended His conscious blessings.

What is a person to do during these times? Isaiah tells us that no matter how dark it gets, we are to keep on walking. In the light we can see the next step. The path ahead is clear. We know a friend from an enemy and we can see where the obstacles are. But when darkness settles in, every natural instinct says to drop out, sit down, stop! We become fearful of the next step.

Isaiah says don't stop; keep on walking. Keep walking in the light of previous revelation. If it was true six months ago, it is still true. I try never to make a major decision when I am down. Rather, I wait until the cloud lifts and everything is clear and in focus again.

If God's ministry of darkness should envelop you, understand that God has not left you; He has only suspended His conscious presence so that your faith will not rest on feelings or be established by unique experiences or blessings. Listen to Isaiah's advice: Keep on walking. Never doubt in the darkness what God has clearly shown you in the light.
Prayer:

Thank You, Lord, for guiding me through the darkness of my trials with the light of Your truth.
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Faith is not a sense, nor sight, nor reason, but taking God at His word.

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