The Trial of Our Lives

Job 1:13-22

13. And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

14. And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:

15. And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

16. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

17. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

18. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

19. And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

20. Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

21. And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

22. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

As I stated before, there is an erroneous mindset in the Body of Christ that God does not want His people to suffer but we have learned differently. God allows chastening in our lives for a number of purposes. In Job’s life, like in the lives of many saints, his trials came to prove him.

Trial - a proceeding designed to establish one's innocence or guilt; a method of proving.

When God allows trials in our lives, it is because He has looked into our hearts and determined that we are righteous and wants to prove it to His enemy and to the world. He looses the enemy in our lives so our love for God can be exemplified. When trials come, it should encourage us to be patient, content, and quiet. We should continue to rejoice in the hard times as we did in the good ones so that we can bring our enemy to shame. Just as Job remained upright before the Lord, God expects us to do the same. Job never lost his integrity towards God even after experiencing the worst years of his life. Ask yourself if you would do the same. Could you keep a pure and joyful heart if in the span of one day you lost everything you worked so hard for? Could you come out of the worse possible scenario with praise in your heart for the Father? Before salvation, many of us were not men and women of integrity. When bad situations or relationships came, we would walk away from the opposition but that is not the way of the Lord. Now that we have been made perfect, we can do what we were intended to do which is to establish a testimony that the power of Christ is greater in our lives than the captivity of the enemy.

Consider the following passage:

Hebrews 12:2-3

2. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Everything that takes place in the earth has been ordained by God so if the enemy is raging, it is because God allowed it, knowing that we could handle it. He will bless because of righteousness but He will also chasten to prove how strong our love is for Him. He also does it simply to mature us in Him. God wants to prove that we can and will maintain in the midst of trials. We all have a responsibility to God and one another in the midst of trials: If you are being tried:

• Take it patiently and rejoice in knowing that it will only last for a time.
• Prove that the joy of the Lord can get us through any situation victoriously.
• Do not complain; it will only prolong the trial or bring it around again until we have learned how to endure.

If your brother is being tried:

• Encourage and strengthen him.
• Love your brother or sister and do not judge anything before the time.

God has made Himself responsible for our making. He has taken upon Himself the obligation of teaching us through rebuke and chastisement when we are wrong and chastening when we are righteous that we may produce more fruits of righteousness. We must ask ourselves, “How will I respond to God when the chastening of the Lord comes in my life?” “How will I respond when the chastening of the Lord comes in my brother or sister’s lives?” I want to encourage you saints. The Father loves us very much and He wants us to be the best sons possible and it is necessary that we endure trials and tests that we may mature and He may be glorified. Remember, the race is not given to the strong or the swift, but it is given to those who endure to the end. Those are the ones who will see God in peace.

I love you dearly.

Michael A. Thomas,

Apostle of the Lord, Jesus Christ