"FAITH UNDER FIRE"

Does it seem as if all hell is breaking out around you? Does everything seem to go wrong even when you're doing right? Does it feel like the more you believe, the worst things get? Well, no need to fret, you are not alone. This is the normal part of the process of our faith being tested: your FAITH UNDER FIRE. God has to approve our faith before He just goes "all out" for us.

Humans are fickle creatures, and God knows this all too well. So He has designed this system called "the trial of your faith" that enables Him to test the genuiness of our faith in Him. 1Peter 1:6-7 reads "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:"

We see in the scriptures that our genuine faith is much more precious than gold that's tried in the fire. This is why we can rejoice through the trials of our faith, because we understand that the fire is only perfecting us. Praise God!

Psalms 66:10-12 reads "For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place." You can begin to praise God in the midst of your fire, because the bottom line is...God is going to bring you out into a wealthy place once it's all said and done.

Endure the trials, endure the pressure, endure the fire. Fight the good fight of faith. Don't quit! Something awesome is happening to your faith as the fire purges, refines, and purifies it. Continue to stand firm in the faith. Your laboring is not in vain!

When it's all said and done, God will be able to look upon you and say, "Well done My good and FAITH FULL servant!"

Pastor Renee Roberts