Tests of God

Tests of God

that people will encounter.

~

Passing God's tests

results in

Spiritual Growth and Maturity.

God does not tempt us to sin.

(James 1:13)

But God does put us through

tests

to mature us

and

get us ready for our destiny.

God has a destiny for each of us.

Many people

experience their destiny as a dream in their heart.

Introduction

If I am living my life “for me,”

I will find myself being self - centered and worldly.

I will end up

feeling

distant from God,

frustrated, unhappy, and disappointed. 

If I am living my life “for God,”

I will find wisdom, purpose, peace with God, and

joy in godly activities.

If I am living " for God, "

I will end up

feeling

close to God,

blessed,

and

accepted and satisfied in God. 

Life

is designed

to be lived “ for God. ”

Tests of God

There are tests that you and I

may

have to take and pass

in order to

get to our destiny.

I am going to give

a list

of some

of the tests that people have to take.

I am not saying

that you will have to take and pass all of these tests.

I am just giving you examples

of tests

that people sometimes have to take

in order to

get to their ultimate destiny for God.

I will give the name of the test

and examples

of people in the Bible who had to take each test.

You will notice

that some

biblical characters

passed their test and some did not.

-

God may

have re-given a test

to a Bible person who had failed

and not recorded that in the Bible.

These are given

in no particular order.

Test # 1

The willing to look foolish TEST

Noah passed it.

Noah had to build the ark for years with thousands (maybe millions) of people laughing at him. But he never stopped building the ark. He was diligent for God. He withstood peer pressure and continued to be obedient.

Many people will not follow God,

because

they will look foolish.

Test # 2

The willing to refrain from blaming others for your decisions TEST

Adam failed it.

He ate of the tree but blamed Eve.

Eve failed it.

She blamed the serpent.

Test # 3

The willing to spend time with God alone TEST

David passed this test.

David was alone a lot with sheep when he was young. David decided to use that time to spend quality time with God. Many of the psalms reflect that time in his life.

** We all have to pass this test in order to fulfill our destiny.

Test # 4

The -  are you willing to suffer and not give up on God TEST

Joseph passed.

Joseph was suffering in Egypt, but he did not give up on God.

We either move closer to God in suffering or further away. 

Test # 5

The willing to refrain from becoming bitter when people treat you wrong TEST

Joseph passed this test.

Joseph overcame bitterness from the actions of many people. He passed this test many times. God wants us to learn to forgive and overcome offenses.

Consider our page - Overcoming offenses

Consider our forgiveness pages - Here

Test # 6

The willing to see your dream die and still continue to have a happy attitude TEST

Sarah failed it.

Sarah wanted a baby more than anything. She saw her time of fruitfulness pass as she went through the change of life. She decided that she could not be happy without a child, so she took matters into her own hands.

Sometimes we see our dream die (or appear to die), and later God resurrects our dream.

Test # 7

The willing to quit longing for evil things TEST

Lot’s wife did not pass this test.

She failed, and she turned into a pillar of salt.

God has strong words to say about

friendship with the world.

James 4:4 NLT

says,

"Don’t you realize

that

friendship with the world

makes you an enemy of God?

I say it again:

If you want to be a friend of the world,

you make yourself an enemy of God."

1 John 2:15 ESV

says,

" Do not love the world

or

the things in the world.

If

anyone loves the world,

the love of the Father is not in him. "

Test # 8

The - will you stop listening to God when he says hard things that you do not want to hear TEST

Peter, and the other disciples, passed this test.

The crowd, of people who came to hear Jesus, failed the test.

In John chapter 6, Jesus preached a hard sermon and all the crowd of people who came to hear him left. Then Jesus asked the disciples if they were going to leave also. They stayed with him and continued to listen to him and follow him.

We must listen and continue to obey God, even when he tells us hard things that we do not like. 

Let's take a Humor Break

Recently a friend of mine, named Linda, and I

were reminiscing about fond memories of our children.

Linda told me a story about her son, Michael, that happened when he was about three – years - old. Michael was staying with his grandmother for the afternoon.

During his stay, Michael was caught doing something naughty.

His grandmother said,“I don't think your mom would want you to do that. The Bible says that you have to mind your parents.”

Michael's eyes narrowed.

He put his little hands on his hips

and began to stomp out of the room.

As he was leaving, he mumbled,

“I wish they would just rip that Bible page out.”

More Tests of God

Test # 9

The -  know you are doing wrong, so you get upset with people who are doing right TEST

Cain failed this test.

Cain did not follow God's instructions. Instead of deciding to start listening and obeying God, Cain decided to get angry with his obedient brother Abel.

Test # 10

This is similar to the last test.

The -  know you are doing wrong and attack anyone who comes to talk to you about your sin   TEST

David passed this test. 

This test is in 2 Samuel chapter 12.

When Nathan came and pointed out David's sin,

David

did not attack Nathan,

he did not become defensive,

and

he did not justify his sin.

David

admitted his sin,

took the words of Nathan to heart,

experienced godly sorrow,

and

repented to God

David wrote Psalm 51 about this sin. 

Proverbs 10:8

says,

" The wise man is glad to be instructed,

but a self-sufficient fool falls flat on his face. "

Test # 11

The willing to walk all alone TEST

Elijah passed it.

Elijah did a lot of walking alone for God. And Elijah often felt lonely for human companionship. He longed to have many strong, godly men walking alongside him.

In the verse below, Elijah told God that he was literally "alone in the world, " since no other servants of God had survived.

1 Kings 19:14

And he said,

“I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts;

because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant,

torn down Your altars,

and killed Your prophets

with the sword.

I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

God answered him in verse 18,

by saying that there

were still

7,000 people in Israel

who have not turned away from God.

Test # 12

The willing to allow God to mold or change your dream TEST

Mary passed the test.

Mary had a dream in her heart that her first child would be Joseph's child.

(And all her children would be Joseph's children.)

She endured the gossip and the hardships

that came with God's destiny for her.

In doing so,

Mary passed many tests

such as ....

The test of looking foolish,

The test of suffering,

and

The test of not getting bitter.

Mary pleased God.

She was content to please God and accept her destiny.

Notice that Mary's ultimate dream was to please God.

May we all have that

as our ultimate dream and main destiny goal

of our life.

Test # 13

The willing to work hard for God TEST

Nehemiah passed the test.

Nehemiah got the walls rebuilt for the Lord.

Test # 14

The willing to give up your rights for a reduction in strife TEST

Abraham passed the test.

Abraham let Lot choose which land he wanted. 

Test # 15

The test of - will you lay your Isaac down TEST

This means > laying down the thing you cling to the most TEST

Abraham passed that test.

Abraham gave Isaac to God. 

What is the person or thing

that you place as more important than God?

Here is a song about

Laying your Isaac down.

Satan knows

that all of us have a destiny

and

dreams

we want fulfilled.

Satan's demons

are ready and willing to come against us

when we try to follow God.

The demons come against us

when we try to follow God in small ways and in big ways.

Satan's demons will tempt us

to get out of step

with God’s plans

for our daily life

and 

for our dreams and our destiny.

Copyright © 2014 Beth McLendon of Inspirational Prayers.com