FAITH TEST THE TRYING OF YOUR FAITH
Welcome to our Cool Confidential Christian Counseling study program. This is our Faith Test Bible study on the trying of your faith in the Bible story and how it affects your be-YOU-tiful Christian walk.
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STEPPING
STONE #8
FAITH TEST THE TRYING OF YOUR FAITH
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Welcome back to ...
THE PATH
Psalms 25:5
Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art
the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all
the day. |
Patience is
a virtue. Virtue is strength or power.
I trust that you're waiting each day for the next step.
By doing so, you're gaining strength. The more strength you have, the easier it is to conquer any
problem. Speaking of patience ... It is written that the trying of your Faith worketh patience.
James 1:3
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith
worketh patience. |
Happy to have
you back here at THE PATH, my friend. Well, we’ve shared a
lot of TRUTH together and you have learned several methods
of eliminating the weeds in your garden. On this STEPPING
STONE there’s even more exciting TRUTH to discover!
Jesus taught us another TRUTH that we can
use for gardening tools in the Word, and now that you’ve
cleared a lot of weeds, it’s time to add some nutrients.
FAITH TEST THE TRYING OF YOUR FAITH
First, let’s
review and expand on a couple of facts that we talked about
earlier.
1. The problem is not YOU.
2. The enemy of your soul is the SOURCE of
the problem.
Take a look at some one word definitions
of the word “problem.”
{evil - harm - trouble - tribulation}
Nobody wants any of those things, but the
thoughts that are generated by them are what make problems
grow. Your problems aren’t all caused by a sin that
you committed, although some may be. Let me remind you, it’s
whether or not you choose to entertain the problem that
determines if it becomes sin. If you believe it is, that’s
why our Savior Jesus Christ died for us, because not a
single one of us is immune from sin.
Sometimes, it seems like trouble follows
us wherever we go. And friend, nothing could be closer to
the TRUTH. You DO have an enemy of your soul following you
around watching and waiting for you to be vulnerable as to
be able to try and overtake you.
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour
... |
This Psalm describes it well ...
Psalm 143:3-4
For the enemy hath
persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down
to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in
darkness, as those that have been long dead.
Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my
heart within me is desolate. |
This does not mean the enemy of our soul can
just do so at will ...
We would have to choose to turn over the leash
of our mind and spirit to him for him to be able to do so
whether it be willingly or not or even known that we are
doing so or not.
This is why you must defend your soul (mind) from taking in
any foul or unwanted thoughts and deal with any weeds (bad
thoughts) that do pop up from time to time.
You have just weeded out your garden, and
it looks just beautiful. As your friend, I’ll remind you
again, you must protect it. I can’t explain it better than
Jesus did:
Matthew 12:43-45
When the
unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he (the
unclean spirit) walks through dry places,
seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, I
will return into my house from where I came out;
and when he returns, he finds it empty, swept,
and garnished. Then he goes, and brings with
himself seven other spirits more wicked than
himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and
the last state of that man is worse than the
first. |
Yes, you read that right ...
Evil
Spirits have and will seek to destroy your garden.
Now would you believe there’s an upside to
this? If your life is void of being presented with trial and
tribulation, what do you think that means? It means that the
devil isn’t concerned about you anymore. He doesn’t think
you’re a threat to his cause. A Christian's trial and
tribulation is something to rejoice about. Peter explains:
1 Peter 1:6-9
For a while
you’ll be in heaviness through many temptations,
in which you should greatly rejoice, that the
trial of your faith, which is more precious than
gold, though it be tried with fire, will be
found unto praise and honor and glory at the
appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen,
you love; in whom, though now you see Him not,
yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable
and full of glory, receiving the end of your
faith, which is the salvation of your souls. |
The rejoicing that Peter is talking about
is that we get to prove our faith by conquering trial and
tribulation. The trying of your faith establishes PATIENCE within. I will share this Scripture again due to the importance of the message.
James 1:3
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith
worketh patience. |
And you will need this patience to receive
the PROMISE of God.
Hebrews 10:36
For ye have need of patience, that, after ye
have done the will of God, ye might receive the
promise. |
It’s not that we are to welcome the
problems, so much as it is that we welcome the opportunity
to show the Lord our faith, by overcoming them.
Now, don’t get me wrong my dear friend,
overcoming sin IS NOT easy.
REMEMBER ...
You inherited sin, just like you inherited your hair color
and the color of your eyes.
Remember ... You were born with it.
BUT ...
That doesn’t mean you have to like
it or tolerate it in your life.
FAITH TEST PURPOSE THE TRYING OF YOUR FAITH ESTABLISHES PATIENCE
We’re going on another field trip now, to visit the
Epistle (Of Paul the Apostle) to the Romans.
If there was ever anybody who can testify
of trial and tribulation, it would have to be the Apostle
Paul. In the letter that he wrote to the Romans, he explains
our “humanity,” that we sometimes refer to as “human
nature.”
Okay, this gets kinda deep,
so let’s look at this closely. How could satan make sin even
more sinful? By using something holy to deceivingly bring
evil to people.
Romans 7:14
For we know that
the law is spiritual: but I am carnal (human,
fleshly), sold under sin. |
This is an interesting
phrase that Paul uses “sold under sin.” It means that we as
humans, inherited sin, because Adam and Eve sold their
purity for it. We inherently do it. Now, I encourage
you to read the next part ever so slowly, because it can be hard
to understand if you don't digest it little by little. Paul
explains original sin so well, that you may just be
speechless when you’re through reading it, because you’ve
probably felt this way many times before, but were never
able to put it into words. Get ready for more
TRUTH.
Romans 7:15-25 (Good News Bible)
I do not
understand what I do; for I don't do what I
would like to do, but instead I do what I hate.
Since what I do is what I don't want to do, this
shows that I agree that the Law is right. So I
am not really the one who does this thing;
rather it is the sin that lives in me. I know
that good does not live in me---that is, in my
human nature. For even though the desire to do
good is in me, I am not able to do it. I don't
do the good I want to do; instead, I do the evil
that I do not want to do. If I do what I don't
want to do, this means that I am no longer the
one who does it; instead, it is the sin that
lives in me. So I find that this law is at work:
when I want to do what is good, what is evil is
the only choice I have. My inner being delights
in the law of God. But I see a different law at
work in my body---a law that fights against the
law which my mind approves of. It makes me a
prisoner to the law of sin which is at work in
my body. What an unhappy man I am! Who will
rescue me from this body that is taking me to
death? Thanks be to God, who does this through
our Lord Jesus Christ! This, then, is my
condition: on my own I can serve God's law only
with my mind, while my human nature serves the
law of sin.
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Are you at a loss for
words? That’s because Paul took them right out of your
mouth! My dear friend, this is something that we all feel,
often, and yet we think that nobody understands us because
we think that we are the ONLY ONES that feel that way. When
really, everyone is that way, they just don’t know how to
explain it either.
In other words, often ties when you try to
do good, when you have only good intentions at heart, evil
comes a calling. If this is still a little difficult to
understand, think of it this way, let's say you are in good
health and you take precautionary measures to stay in good
health, but you still catch a cold. You didn't ask for the
cold but it was introduced into you by one means or another.
Once you have the cold, you don't take each and every
measure you can to heal from it, maybe because you don't
have medication at hand or you have responsibilities that
keep you from bed rest and chicken soup and a vaporizer etc,
so you suffer from it longer than necessary. Now, you can
substitute sin for the cold and see how it is not your fault
that sin is introduced into your life, but if you allow it
to stay by entertaining it or by not dismissing it, it will
hang around longer and very likely grow in proportion.
Sooooooo, the next time
you’re beating yourself up and saying in your mind, Why did
I do that!? You can recall what Paul said, O wretched man
that I am! Who can rescue me from this misery? And then,
remember the answer that he gave.
I thank God, through Jesus Christ our
Lord.
He’s the only one that can save us.
LET GO AND LET GOD!
LET GO (of your problem), AND
LET GOD (remove it)!
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Your problem is unique. But friend, you’re
not the lone ranger when it comes to being a Christian being
tempted by evil.
Knowing this TRUTH prepares you for the
inevitable trials that you will face as you begin to walk
the Path of TRUTH. Whenever you know that potential danger
awaits, prepare yourself.
You must protect your mind ...
THOUGHTS ARE
THINGS.
CONTROL YOUR THOUGHTS
BY RENEWING
YOUR MIND DAILY
Thoughts are seeds. You may think they’re
harmless, because nobody can see or hear them except you and
the Lord.
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE ...
Matthew 5:28
But I say
unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to
lust after her hath committed adultery with her
already in his heart. |
Have you ever been doing something, and a
thought pops into your head about something that happened
some time ago? Then you think about it for a little while
and your spirit changes? And you think about it some more,
and you find other reasons why it makes you mad. And the
more you think about it, the madder you get! Pretty soon,
you’re thinking about things that happened years ago that
are done and over with that you’re still mad about, and
getting madder!
See how a seed can grow with THOUGHT?
WHAT IF YOU WATERED GOOD SEEDS WITH
THOUGHT?
THINK GOOD THOUGHTS
REMEMBER WHAT WE ARE TOLD TO DO ...
Philippians 4:8
Finally,
brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever
things are honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things
are lovely, whatsoever things are of good
report; if there be any virtue, and if there be
any praise,
THINK on these
things. |
FAITH TEST CHART REVISITED THE TRYING OF YOUR FAITH NEEDS TO BE DEFENDED
The chart I shared with you in the last
step is an excellent way to do so, and could and should be
done every day until it becomes a habit. It takes up your
time. When you are doing God business, the chances of the
enemy tempting you lessen. Perhaps you've heard the saying,
idle hands are the devil's workshop.
You can’t stop the devil from tempting you
with thoughts, but you CAN choose whether or not to accept
the thoughts and whether you will ponder on them by using
that chart until it becomes your natural reaction.
You have to train yourself to recognize
bad thoughts and arrest them immediately. As you’ve learned,
your first line of defense is to tell the TRUTH. If the
thought doesn’t leave, there are many things you can do to
change your thoughts.
Here are a few examples:
Sing a spiritual song in your mind, or out
loud, that reinforces righteousness.
Incidentally, the fact that you recognize
untoward thoughts more readily is a HUGE accomplishment in
itself. You are admitting to the presence of a problem and
that is half the battle (or maybe the percentage is even
higher)! When the enemy sees that you have chosen
righteousness ...
James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you. |
HERE IS A SIMPLE EXAMPLE:
Amazing grace,
how sweet the sound,
That saved a
wretch like me.
I once was
lost, but now I’m found,
Was blind, but
now I see. |
Concentrate, on the words that you’re
singing, because you can sing and be thinking of something
else at the same time. It happens while you read and do
other things all the time.
FOCUS
How many times have you had to start a
paragraph over again because you read it while your mind was
on something else, and when your thoughts returned to what
you were reading, you couldn’t remember one single word you
read but you are halfway down the page.
I DO hope you are not experiencing this
now ... 😬
TUNE IN
These are some other ideas of how to chase
undesirable thoughts away:
Recite the
23rd Psalm.
Psalms
23
The LORD
is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me
to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me
beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for
His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no
evil: for Thou art with me; thy rod and thy
staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table
before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou
anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all
the days of my life: and I will dwell in the
House of the LORD for ever. |
Listen to some awesome Christian music.
Recite the books of the Bible in order.
Write in your Journal.
Do a MIRACLE GROW activity.
Have some Christian Fellowship.
Do anything that replaces the bad with
good.
BUT ... DO ADDRESS THE LIE.
To do nothing is still having made a
choice.
FAITH TEST BY TEMPTATIONS THE TRYING OF YOUR FAITH IS COMMON FOR ALL CHRISTIANS
My friend, let us be real ... You are
trying to live a Godly life in an ungodly world. Temptation
is inevitable and everywhere. You can't turn on a television
without the enemy trying to lure you with the trends of
worldly ways. You’ll have to work hard at it. It won’t be
easy at first, but you’ll soon get the hang of it.
Anything that’s worthwhile, takes time.
Focus on positive things. Think good thoughts.
Here’s an excuse that might pop into your
mind, that we’re going to attack with
TRUTH.
I’M ONLY HUMAN
Is that so? I mean, is that really true?
ONLY human?
What about the spiritual part of
you?
Romans 8:5-7
For they that are after the flesh do mind the
things of the flesh; but they that are after the
Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be
carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually
minded is life and peace. Because the carnal
mind is enmity against God: for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can
be. |
Remember, the Spirit
of God lives in you.
After reading what Paul wrote just now, it
should make you cringe to believe that you’re only
human. Don’t believe the lies that the devil plants that say
it’s human nature to feel this way or that.
Don’t let him CON-vince you into using
excuses that allow certain behavior or thoughts that are not
righteous. As a Christian, you don’t follow human nature,
but a Spiritual nature. Paul said, the carnal
mind is enmity against God.
I encourage you to look those two words up
in the dictionary. Let me do it for you:
carnal = temporal - worldly - fleshly
enmity = rejection - hostility - hatred
Romans 8:6
To be
Spiritually minded is life and peace.
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PRAY IT AWAY
Prayer is another fantastic way to control
your thoughts. Evil cannot contend with God.
Put your thought toward Him.
Him to help you.
Matthew 7:7-8
Ask,
and it shall be given you;
Seek,
and ye shall find;
Knock,
and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one
that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh
findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be
opened.
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We all make mistakes. We
fall. Sin gets in our way. Temptation surrounds us and we
don't always resist. But that is exactly why God
sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins,
and to give us the FREE gift of GRACE! He wants you to ask
forgiveness and keep fighting the good fight of faith. When
you find yourself struggling with feelings of failure,
unworthiness, fear, weakness or shame, just remember that
God loves
you so very much and He
wants you to get back up when you stumble. PERSEVERE! NEVER
GIVE UP! If you have a bad day, this study will help you
understand more about the liberating GRACE that our Father
wants each and every one of us to enjoy.
GRACE
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STEPPING STONE EIGHT - FAITH TEST PURPOSE THE TRYING OF YOUR FAITH ESTABLISHES PATIENCE |
Our time together passes so quickly,
does it not?
Yesterday, you
removed a lot of bad, and today, you
put in a lot of good, and we have to
give the nutrients time to soak in
and do their work. We’re going to
wind down now for today but you’re
sure to love tomorrow’s STEPPING
STONE, and I look forward to sharing
TRUTH with you then, my friend. Do
not forget to keep removing those
weeds and continue to keep up with
all eight steps to date.
FEELING A LIL BETTER YET?
YOU
AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET !!!
Continuing in EACH step daily is so
very important.
If
you like ...
You
may go back over each completed step
as often as you like as to be sure
you have not missed anything.
MAKE SURE YOU
JOT DOWN A LIL
SOMETHING IN
YOUR
PERSONAL
JOURNAL
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YOU HAVE COMPLETED STEP EIGHT
FAITH TEST PURPOSE THE TRYING OF YOUR FAITH ESTABLISHES PATIENCE
Tomorrow, return to
the Forum page of this program:
And we will proceed to
...
STEPPING STONE #9
And I will meet you
there!
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