“The Trying of Your Faith”

James 1:2-8

2) My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

3) Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

4) But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

5) If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6) But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7) For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

8) A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Introduction

M

any speak of “faith,” but not many know what it is. People speak of what they hope is faith and generally, that is a belief in what God can “do” for me as an individual. This is “hope” in the negative sense, rather than the biblical sense of hope as “confidence.”

True faith declares “I agree with God that what He says He has done, He has done,” and “I agree with what the Word of God says!” Accepting this will keep us from wasting time attempting to get God to do what He will not!

Often, our faith must be tried and our paths “redirected” through tests, trials, and “roadblocks,” or we would never learn to follow the direction of God.

All too often, we blame the “devil” for what is caused by the one who looks back at us from the mirror. After all, how could all of our difficulties be caused by him, when the only one to whom we listen and obey is us?

Main Thought

What is really the purpose of trying of our faith? Rarely, are we helped by this purpose, for we feel as if we are “fine” just the way that we are, no matter our problems or misunderstandings of Whom God really is and what He wants. This prevents us from recognizing and accepting the “correction” that is to come to us through our testing.

God’s eternal plan is that we be completely delivered from ourselves and that our faith and confidence be “in Him,” rather than in ourselves.

Because of “God’s purpose in creating man,” we find ourselves unable to be satisfied living according to our own understanding. Also, because of this, God will never allow us to get to the place where we can “do” and “understand” for ourselves. If this were not the case, God’s plan would be negated in us.

In no situation allowed to come to us, and in no test and trial is anything ever “about me.” Since “I” am not a prominent figure, my mental ability is never a factor in my victory in any situation.

Pat of our problem is that we are constantly trying to get God to “cooperate” with us in what we want and don’t want, and “how” and “when” we want it. If He would ever “conform” to us, He would have to have a different “plan” for every man—and He would not be God!

One thing is certain—God has one plan—and all men must line up with it! It is humanly impossible to do this, so those who would be a part of God will have to be dead to the influence of their flesh.

The “body” of Christ is called just that because it is incomplete without its “parts.” Therefore, it stands to reason that one cannot be part of God’s Kingdom and remain an “individual.”

We say that we believe in and trust God, but at the same time, are constantly “bothered” by our perception of what others are doing “to” us and what is being allowed to “happen” to us. By now, we should have had enough experience with the Lord that no matter what someone’s “plans” might be toward us, we accept that we are at the “mercy” of God, alone.

Frequently, we are deceived by the enemy into believing that our situation is already “too far gone.” If this is what we believe, then we are already defeated, for it is unlikely that we will be willing to expend much effort for a “lost cause.” Does this mean, however, that we are to “fix” our own situations? Absolutely not! You see, we are never told to work on our own behalf. What we are told to do in all situations is to trust God. We do this when we accept that He has already worked in and “corrected” our situation.

There is no “short cut” to spirituality. Either one will be fleshly, or he will be spiritual, and if he “achieves” spiritually, he will do so only by forsaking fleshly things. When others see that you are blessed not because of anything that you “do,” but simply because of Whom God is, they will cease to “imitate” you and begin to believe in the victory of God.

Rather than our focus being on how many people we can bring to Christ for our own benefit, we need to “re-focus” on what will benefit God. He will be benefited by a people who live to “entice” others to Himself; a people who have miracles of all sorts operating in their lives simply by virtue of the fact that they are willing to believe Him—unquestioningly.

Everyone wants something from the Lord, but few are willing to do what is necessary in order to get what they want. What one must “do” is to invest something of himself in God. One must understand the Law of God which teaches that if the “righteous” plant no seed but the “sinner” is willing to plant (and does), then that sinner will be blessed for his obedience.

We are a people that are much too concerned with “doing” for ourselves rather than “doing” for Him. How anyone like this could think that he is “called” is really a mystery. You see, the greatest ministry that Man can have is to minister that which he has overcome. Therefore, if you have overcome nothing, you have nothing to “minister.” This, then, explains why there are so few “true” ministers.

Contrary to how “Church people” have lived for so many years, “the trying of your faith” does not refer to our “trying” to muster enough faith to believe God, but rather, the “testing” that is necessary in our lives that each and every one of us who would “claim” God can also claim victory.