Topic: Trials Test Your Faith [RICK WARREN Devotional 13 July 2024]
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Trials Test Your Faith
BY RICK WARREN — JULY 13, 2024
FROM HOW GOD MEETS YOUR DEEPEST NEEDS
“These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold.”
1 Peter 1:7 (NLT)
God has promised to “meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NIV). But with every promise there is a condition. God wants you to learn to trust him more so that he can meet your needs and bless your life.
You learn to trust God more by having your faith stretched by trials. The more your faith is stretched, the more God is able to bless your life.
Yesterday, I mentioned two common trials that God uses to develop your faith so you can trust him more—the Pressure Test and People Test. Here are two more:
3. The Persistence Test
The Persistence Test answers the question: “Will you keep your commitments?” Life is about making commitments. The problem we have today is that most people are half committed to two dozen things instead of being totally committed to the one or two things in life that really matter for now and eternity. That’s a waste!
While weak people give excuses, wise people find the time and way to do what they say they will do. Do you want to be a weak person or a wise person? The Persistence Test shows what kind of character you’re developing.
4. The Priorities Test
This is the most important test, and it asks, “Who will be first in your life?”
How do you know if God is really the first priority in your life? Ask yourself three questions: What do you think about the most? Where does your money go first? How do you spend your time? Your answers will reveal the priorities in your life.
God has eternal rewards in store for you if you pass the Priorities Test. The Bible promises, “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12 NLT). A crown of life is a symbol of all that God wants to do in your life—all the blessings he wants to bestow on you, all the needs he wants to meet, and all the rewards he wants to give you in heaven. What a deal!
Talk It Over
- How would you rate yourself at following through on commitments? What do you need to simplify so that you can give 100 percent to your commitments?
- Review and answer the three questions that reveal your priorities. (What do you think about the most? Where does your money go first? How do you spend your time?)
- Based on your answers above, how do you need to change your priorities?
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