Consider It Pure Joy

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

When you act on your beliefs you are going to have trials especially when you step out in faith. It is all about whom you trust as God says trust me and my words and Satan is shouting it is all a hoax God’s word is his opinion. Satan is out to make you hesitate and to make you ask will God actually do what he promised. This indecision attacks what you believe and what you trust in.

Perseverance is the length of time it takes to have works of faith. We may see the trial as the time Satan hammers you with tons of misinformation. If Satan has not influenced you yet he will intimidate you with harm you can feel but not see or understand.

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Ephesians 6:11

The first time you visit the sick Satan will supply you with more reasons why you should stay home and mind your own business. On the contrary, the person who is sick and in the hospital would love to see you. The hospital has all the ingredients to insure you of a recovery with an abundance of boredom. In addition you can look forward to the nurse waking you to give you a sleeping pill. Even in the hospital it takes perseverance of a different kind to put up with all the stuff that goes on in the hospital.

Perseverance is continuing to believe in Christ when everything tells you it can’t be done. Your patience is going to be put to the test. When we look at faith closer we find faith is the plan God has given us to ensure success. Faith is the plan that includes relying on and working with God to achieve the needs of our walk with God.

I have never seen a plan reach its goal without a hitch. There is a person who throws monkey wrenches by the name of Satan who has become an expert at messing up any plan you can come up with. He is the person who will make you question whether God will give you success. Life is full of trials and your faith will be tested to know whether it is genuine and will take a solid stand under stress.

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

Most people want their plans to achieve its purpose and they are motivated to want a successful conclusion. Satan knows where to place the banana peels so you will veer off your plan of faith. However Satan is not the only reason we stray from the plan of faith.

God has a eternal sense of time which doesn’t correspond with ours, The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He will keep his promises, the worse enemy you have is straying from your reliance in Christ. Stay with your plan of faith and keep the promise of God in the forefront of your mind.

Perseverance is the persistent handling of the faith we have in Christ. Keep the promises of God on our mind is a way of reminding us of what God is doing for us in the spirit world. The word of God coming from our lips places the shield of faith in front of us. We will face trials in this world but Satan’s fiery darts will be flung at us from every direction. However the word of God is a shield that protects us from the fiery darts that come our way.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

Submitting to God is not telling God who you are in Christ but more trusting God for help in our time of need. The unworthy servant asking for mercy receives grace from God.

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that wemay receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. You will receive negative and unwanted thoughts from your spiritual enemy, thoughts that will cause you to look at the problem rather to Christ. If you don’t know what to do, ask God for wisdom so you may stand firm through the duration of your trial of faith. God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear and will provide the strength to stand when severely tempted.

Know what Christ has promised and commit to believe what Christ has promised to do for you. The joy is not in the trial leading to the victory Christ gives. It will take several trials before a Christian matures and you will be tested in each trial but perseverance is method to a victorious life in Christ.

As Paul said, fight the good fight of faith. We do not fight with the weapons of anger, malice or revenge but fight evil with good works prepared in advance for us to do. We fight with divine weapon of prayer and with God’s help handing the problem over to Christ to overcome.

It is important to learn that you cannot fight spiritual warfare alone. We will never see the battle take place because it takes place in the spirit realm where Satan flees from Christ. However we will see an outcome exceeding the desire of our heart and praise God for overcoming our problem. 7/72016

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