Andy preached one of his best messages yesterday on "The Principle of Perseverance". He acknowledged that each of us have some type of trial in our life. Some of our trials are a "2" and some of them may be a 9 or a 10. But we will never be without them and we rarely get to choose them.
Andy had a bunch of dumbbells that we work out with on stage with him. He explained that God uses every test to develop our muscles of faith. God is going to use those muscles in amazing ways in the future that we can't understand right now. This trial is developing us for what's to come. Just like when we work out physically, our "faith muscles" are going to get sore and pain will be involved when they get tested. But it's a productive pain that will produce a harvest of righteousness and fruit in our lives.
The hardship and pain that we face does not have to define us, but the way that we respond to it will shape us.
In my life right now, I feel like the greatest trial I'm personally facing is this "waiting" for our child. I've realized that the wait time may be longer than I had originally expected and that's hard for me. I can allow this waiting to make me anxious, depressed, and frustrated. Or I can allow this trial to develop muscles of patience, peace, and perseverance. In order to allow "perseverance to finish its work" (James 1:4) I need to take my eyes off of my problem and put my eyes back on my God.
Andy reminded us that when our God is too small, our problem will be too big. But remembering how great my God is takes the problems that seem over my head and puts them under His feet.
What trial are you facing in your life today? Compare your problem to the glory of God, and be encouraged! The more we endure trials, the more confidence we will have in God!
No comments:
Post a Comment