Growing in Faith

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For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. --Hebrews 12:11 You know how it goes. Just about the time you think you’ve got it together in life, the wheels start coming off as another challenge comes along. That’s just the way life is! And the Christian life is no different. Just about the time we get comfortable in our Christian lives… just about the time we think we’ve arrived spiritually… God brings along another test to raise the bar a little bit higher. Now, believe me, I know… sometimes it feels like all of life is a series of tests. Today, you may even be wondering how much more character-building you can stand! But trust God’s heart on this. He tests you because He loves you. He tests you because He wants to stretch your faith and to build you up—not because He wants to beat you down or wear you out. Think about the process of weight-lifting. It’s a physiological reality that you have to tear your muscles down in order to build them back up to make them stronger. That’s why you’re always sore after a work-out. And it’s the same process in the Christian life! If you’re going through a test today, remember what today’s verse says. There are very few things as discouraging in the Christian life as thinking that God is out to get you… that He somehow isn’t on your side. Which is exactly what the devil wants you to think when you’re going through a test or trial! Today, I want to encourage you to recognize the lie of Satan that says that God is letting you be tested because He doesn’t care about you. Then believe the promise that God will use your trials to produce something good in you… if He hasn’t done so already.  And finally, claim a verse like James 1:12, which says, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” GOD’S TESTS WILL BUILD YOU UP.

Where the Battle Is Lost or Won

Monday, September 16, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Matthew 26:39–41

The Duke of Wellington commanded the British armies at one of the most famous battles in all of history, Waterloo. There Napoleon was defeated for a second time as his escape from exile and removed from power for good. The “Iron Duke” was revered throughout England following that victory, and was often asked to attend public ceremonies and dedications. Some ten years after the Battle of Waterloo, Wellington returned to Eton College, where he had once been a student. Watching a cricket match between students, Wellington remarked, “The battle of Waterloo was won here.” He recognized that the lessons young men learned while in school had carried over to the battlefield and made a crucial difference there.

The time to resist temptation is not when it appears, but long before. Jesus warned Peter that Satan was going to be making a special effort to tempt him, but Peter did not take the warning seriously. When it was time to pray, he was sleeping. It is of little surprise then when we read that he quickly denied even knowing Jesus let alone being one of His disciples. If we are on guard, alert, and praying, temptation becomes much less effective. Though none of us will ever be sinless in this life, we can and will sin less if we start resisting temptation before it even approaches us. God’s overcoming power is only released into our lives when we seek Him in prayer.

Today's Growth Principle: 

If we are not watching and praying ahead of time, we will not be ready when temptations come.