UNDERSTANDING ADVERSITY: PART EIGHT

 

UNDERSTANDING ADVERSITY PART EIGHT

 

The Eighth Look at adversity is Adversity Is God’s Method Of Purifying Our Faith.

Here is a little illustration about simple faith that I wish we could all have. Many of us need to be more like the little girl whom the farmer found lost in his meadow. The farmer said to her, "Don’t cry; I'll take you home." The little child snuggled up to him, and with a smile, said, "I knew you would; I was waiting for you." "Waiting for me?" said the man. "What made you think I was coming?" "I was praying you would." she said. "You were Praying the farmer said? When I first heard you, you were saying A B C D E F G. What was that for?" She looked up again and said, "I'm just a little girl. I was praying all the letters of the alphabet and letting God put them together the way He wanted to. He knows I was lost, and He knows how to put them together better than I do."

What a difference if we would only let God put the letters of our lives together.

A young Christian man asked an elderly believer to pray that he would have more patience. The older man got down on his knees and began,  “Lord send this man tribulation in the morning, send this man tribulation in the afternoon: send this young man…” At this point the young Christian blurted out, “no, no, I didn’t ask you to pray for tribulation. I wanted you to pray for patience.” “Ah,” responded the wise Christian, “It’s through tribulation that we learn patience.”

This man’s words echo the apostle Paul in Romans 5:3; when he said that, “tribulation produces perseverance.” According to one Bible commentator the word that is translated patience or perseverance means “steadfastness, the ability to remain under difficulties without giving in.” That was certainly true in Paul’s life and ministry. He had suffered beating, whipping, stoning, and shipwreck, yet he remained steadfast in the faith and did not shrink from his calling. You can read that in 2 Corinthians 11:23-33;

Are you facing a difficult test? Then begin to praise God! Because under his wise control, everything that happens to you, whether enjoyable or painful, is designed to develop perseverance. That’s why suffering saints can glory in tribulation.

Adversity exposes the futility of putting our faith in anyone or anything other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 11:6 ;says, “And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.”

and  I Peter 1: 6-7; says, Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, ye have been put to grief in manifold trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ:

Faith is essential for living the Christian life because the ways of God are opposite to the natural inclinations of man. Because of this dichotomy, adversity may come from those who mock God’s principles or it may come because we violate God’s principles. In either case, adversity will strengthen our faith. A further byproduct of having our faith purified by the fire of adversity is learning patience. James 1:3; says;  “Knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience.”

 and

Hebrews 6:12; says, “that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Remember: Adversity removes those things in which we put our trust so that we can clearly see the faithfulness of God.

 Romans 5:3; says;  “And not only so, but we also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing tat tribulation worketh steadfastness;”

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Shall we pray. If you do not Know Jesus as your Savior today, I invite you to say the sinner’s prayer with me now.

Lord Jesus, I come to you today in need of a Savior. I believe you came to this earth as a man and walked among us teaching and healing and saving souls. I acknowledge today that I am a sinner and that you died for me and rose on the third day, ascended to Heaven and are seated by the Father. I ask you to forgive me of my sins and come into my life and be my savior today. I believe I am now born again and one day I will be with you forever. Thank you in Jesus name. Amen

 See you in Part 9, Have a blessed day.