Welcome to Weekly Topic Saturdays!
Hello all, I pray that your week was filled with joy and love. Welcome back to those who have been with me here at A Golden Dream. For my first-timers, a great big hello there, if you haven't already please check out my previous posts when you get a chance.
Please don't hesitate to join the conversation, there are no right or wrong answers or questions. I'm not proclaiming to know everything, I am simply just discussing and picking topics on things that I personally have gone through and that I know would help someone.
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
In our lifetime, it is inevitable, we are going to have to go through trials and tribulations. Trials and tribulations are tests that are meant to test our endurance, faith, trust, and patience. There is no being on earth that has not had to experience this. Even Jesus had to endure these tests but he was able to overcome them because he depended on God for guidance.
I once read that we should consider these trials and tribulations as a form of training or boot camp. We have to go through these tough situations so that when the time comes we will be well trained and prepared for what God has in store for us in our eternal life. The good news about these trials and tribulations is that no matter how bad they may seem they do not last forever. After every test and every trial, there is a revelation that God is able to provide for every one of your needs.
Building Endurance
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
James 1:22
The definition of endurance is the power or the will to persevere through an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving up. We discussed this in Motivation Monday #16: Not Meant To Break, I mentioned the scripture Daniel 3:16-28. The scripture talks about the test that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went through when interacting with Nebuchadnezzar. Their test not only tested their faith but it tested their endurance. They were willing to be placed into the fiery furnace and endure the pain happily if it were within God’s plan for them to do so. At any moment during that whole situation those men could have given up, they could have said this is too much for me, the fire is too hot, but they didn’t. They persevered, they endured because they knew what God had planned for them was worth so much more. Their response was to trust and place their faith in God’s hands.
Building Faith and Trust
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
James 1:2-8
One of the many reasons why we go through these tough times and have to endure these trials and tribulations is for us to build faith in the Lord. Collectively, so many people put their faith in materialistic things, worldly things, money, and/or in man. We cannot be conformed to this world because we are not of it. We are here on a temporary loan. The things that are here on earth will eventually weather away.
You want to put your faith in something that is everlasting and can stand the test of time and that is God. One thing that is for certain is that God is the same today as he was yesterday and like he will be tomorrow that will never change. God wants to know that when the situations get tough will you give up or will you call on him and depend on him to help you fix it. God is training you to have complete faith in him without doubting him because doubting is the number one killer of faith. Have faith in God and he will show up and show out every time.
Our Own Doing
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on you own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Sometimes we suffer because of our own doing. We make things more difficult than they need to be. When we choose to ignore God and follow our own logic we are going against his will. As human beings, we like to be in control all the time. Who wouldn’t? We want to know what is going to happen, how it's going to happen, and why it's happening. What a lot of people don't realize is, is that the control that we are trying to establish for ourselves is causing us to suffer worse. Our suffering becomes our own doing because we refuse to allow change, we become disconnected from Christ, we diminish our worth, we become delusional about reality, we allow the world to guide us instead of God’s Holy Word, we choose fear over faith, we continuously live in the past, and/or we play the victim,
When we refuse to allow change or growth within our lives we are already fighting a losing battle because the only thing that is constant is change. I have said it before, every moment, every day, every year, is a new chance that God has given us to become more like him. Fighting against that change is only disconnecting us from God and the eternal life that he has planned for us.
The reality is that we have to learn to play with the hand that we have been dealt no matter what it is. That is not saying that your outcome is fixed and unchangeable, you have the power to decide how the cards will play. If you spend all of your time wishing your hand was different you will fail to see what God has set forth for you. God did not give us the spirit of fear, he wants us to act with bold faith and confidence. If we ask God and we spend time with him he will guide us the way that we are supposed to be going. That is why it is so important to consult with God because he can help us through.
Rejoicing
More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
Romans 5:3
The bible tells us that we should rejoice and be happy that the Lord is testing us. We should be happy that we are going through trials and tribulations because we know that it will bring us closer to God, build faith, improve character, improve trust, promote endurance, and display God’s ability to transform us through the toughest time. Rejoicing means We should rejoice through the pain and suffering because we know that it is only temporary they have an expiration date.
Questions To Consider:
What was your trail? Did you pass the test?
What have you learned from your trials and tribulations?
What is your mindset when you are going through tough situations?
Do you rejoice through your tribulations?
With Love, remember that through all the trials and tribulations, God always wants us to pass the test. He does not want us to fail, in fact, he wants to see us prosper. The sole purpose of trials and tribulations are for us to learn to love and depend on Him more through passion and devotion. Remember to thank God profusely for the trials and tribulations that you are going through, trust in him and allow him to work within you. A gem can not be polished without friction nor a man perfected without trials
~Just Breathe...A Golden Dream~
Amen.