And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
1 TIMOTHY 3:10 KJV
All who will partake of the Lord’s righteousness and rule as Kings and Priests with Christ will also be tested, just like Christ was tested. Previously, we mentioned that testing is part of the process by which God matures His sons. Isaiah 48:10 says (AMP) “Indeed, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested and chosen you in the furnace of affliction”. It is during this testing that impurities in the heart are exposed, that they be dealt with. Today, we will explore some of the tests God allows His children to face and how to overcome them.
The Character Test: Daniel 1:8.
Reputation is what you are in public, but character and integrity are who you are when no man is looking. The character test is a test that happens when people or circumstances cause you to want to compromise your character. This test is used to show you your own vulnerability and how much dependence on His grace you need. You need to decide what you are going to do now before you enter such situations.
How to pass this test: Passing this test requires that you submit yourself to God, continuously resist evil, and take a stand against personal sin, James 4:7. Learn to say an unapologetic NO! The blood of Jesus and the Word of God has the ability to deal with faults in character. We can deal with suggestions of the devil in the thought realm before they materialize.
The Motive Test: Ananias and Sapphira – Acts 5:3-10
This happens when the inner motivations that influence your decision-making process are brought to question. Why did you do what you did? God knows that the higher He promotes you, the bigger decisions you will make on His behalf, putting His reputation on the line and God doesn’t like to mess with His reputation. What is your motivation?
*Note that this is the motivation prior to doing an action, not the accusation/ condemnation the enemy may bring after an action with initially good intent was done. God is not an author of confusion. He convicts and does not condemn, Romans 8:33, Revelations 3:19.
How do you pass this test: Passing this test – means exposing motivations so as to purify them. It means crying out as David did in Ps 139:23,24: Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Only by keeping this humble posture can the tested have the hope of passing God’s motive test. So, expose your motives to God, Psalm 139: 23-24, Psalm 51:6.
May the Lord help us that when we are tested, we will stand and give glory to God who keeps our feet from slipping.
Prayer for today: O LORD, you have examined me, and you know me. You alone know when I sit down and when I get up. You read my thoughts from far away. Examine me, O God, and know my mind. Test me, and know my thoughts. See whether I am on an evil path. Then lead me on the everlasting path. Psalm 139:1-2,23-24 GW
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