Living for God in an Ungodly Culture
The Testing of Your Faith
1. In every test, obeying the Word of God seems irrational.
“Unless there is the element of extreme risk in your exploits for God there is no need for faith.”
- Hudson Taylor
2. Every test of faith is a stepping stone to something greater.
Luke 16:10 (NIV)
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.”
Romans 5:3-4 (NIV)
“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
3. Every test determines which part of your faith is real and which part is counterfeit.
“A Christian faith that is not anchored and submitted to the full counsel of the Word of God, is not Christian faith at all. It is a counterfeit humanistic faith striving to appease one’s conscience in the Name of God while being void of Him.”
Romans 2:29 (NIV)
“A person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.”
1 Peter 1:7 (NLT)
“These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
2 Timothy 3:1-5 (ESV)
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.”
James 1:2-4 (NIV)
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Daniel 1:15-19 (NIV)
“At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.”
