Why Trials and Tests?

 Most people think that when trials and tests come, God is either angry at them for something they have done and they think God is not near to them and has withdrawn from them. Nothing could be further from the truth. James 1:2-5 (NKJV) ² My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 
³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  These scriptures tell us that God is perfecting us so we will lack nothing. When we go through trials or tests, it doesn't mean God is angry with or that He is not with us. He promised in               Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV) ⁵ Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." God was with Joseph before his brothers sold him into slavery. God was with him when his brothers sold him as a slave in Egypt.  Genesis 39:2-3 (NKJV) ² The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. ³ And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.  God was with him when Pharaohs' wife tried to seduce him and then when he wouldn't yield to her seduction she lied about him and falsely accused him of rape. God was with Joseph when Pharaoh had him thrown in prison because of his wife's false accusations against him.  Genesis 39:21-23 (NKJV)  ²¹ But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. ²² And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 

²³ The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.   The bible says in spite of all the things that had come against Joseph, he grew in God's blessings and favor. It also says that whatever Joseph did, God made him to prosper.                                                                                                                                                   

All Joseph's trials and tests were to prepare him for what God had in store for him. While Joseph was in prison, Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret. Pharaoh was told that Joseph would be able to interpret his dream, so Pharaoh sent for Joseph and Joseph told Pharaoh what his dream meant. There would be seven years of plenty and seven years of leanness. Joseph told Pharaoh how to make it through the seven years of leanness by storing up all they could during the seven good years. When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dream and then gave him the solution to his problem, Pharaoh exalted him to the position next to Pharaoh himself. Genesis 41:41-44 (NKJV) ⁴¹ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." ⁴² Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
⁴³ And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, "Bow the knee!" So he set him over all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁴ Pharaoh also said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt." 

Then when the seven years of leanness hit the land of Egypt, the land of Israel was also in much leanness. Joseph's father Jacob heard of the grain that was in Egypt, he sent his son's to buy some grain. Genesis 42:1-3 (NKJV) ¹ When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?" ² And he said, "Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die." ³ So Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. Joseph became instrumental in preserving the nation of Israel that would in time produce the Messiah Jesus Christ. All Joseph went through was not an absence of God's presence,but it was God working in and through all the bad that happened to Joseph to accomplish His will. Genesis 45:4-8 (NKJV)
 ⁴ And Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come near to me." So they came near. Then he said: "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵ But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. ⁶ For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. ⁷ And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. ⁸ So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 

Are you willing to allow God to work in your bad situation to turn it to good? Instead of blaming God  for your problems, see them as a tool God is using to get you to the place He wants you to be. Will you be faithful to God as Joseph was when you can't understand what God is doing? God has promised us a hope and a future of His blessings and peace. Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) ¹¹ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 

Know that there will be times of difficulties, but God is working to make you and I more like His Son Jesus. Romans 8:29 (NKJV) ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
True success and victory requires forsaking our expectations of what God should do and be so we can live with adoration and trust in God through all we are allowed to face. Remember what King David said about God said in Psalms 23:4 (NKJV) ⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalms 23:5-6 (NKJV) ⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever. You are promised the victory over our enemies in verse 5. In verse 6 God promises that goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of our life and you will dwell (live) in God's house forever. We are more than conquers through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 8:37-39 (NKJV)
³⁷ Yet in all these things, (that we go through on this earth), we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Hallelujah! Thank You God!

If you have never asked Jesus to forgive your sins against God and if you have never invited Him into your life, now is the perfect time to do that. 2 Corinthians 6:2 (NKJV) ² For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Then all God promised in His word will be yours. As that scripture says, you will never be separated from God's love for you which you have in Jesus Christ. You will be the victor in this life and the life to come. God will keep you till you go to be with Him in heaven. I pray God's blessings on all who have taken the time to read this article. May He bless you and keep you and cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and bring you peace in Jesus' name. Amen! So be it!

The Presence of God Revealed

Jesus Christ by His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins accomplished more than just our salvation when we believed, He also opened the way to God's Holy Presence. Each child that is born again through the forgiveness offered by Jesus Christ's death on the cross and then His bodily resurrection has not only salvation from Hell, but also has access to the very presence of God the Father through prayer. This was made possible by the death of Jesus on the cross. The bible says in Luke 23:44-46 (NLT) ⁴⁴ By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. ⁴⁵ The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. 
⁴⁶ Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.

Mankind lived in darkness going about in his sin not knowing God and without any way to communicate with the very God that created him. Man stood all alone. He could not see in the dark, not well. He was, so to speak, standing in the world all alone, responsible for his own behavior; and he must face God someday all alone to give an account for his behavior. You can see in the picture below a curtain at the entrance to the Holy Place and then another curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. 

  Luke 23:46 (NLT) 
⁴⁶ Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.  When Jesus breathed His last breath, both of these curtains or veils were torn from top to bottom at the point of Jesus death on the cross. The Most Holy Place was the most sacred part of the temple. It was the place where the very presence of God was symbolized as dwelling in a very, very special way. It was closed forever to everyone except the High Priest. Even he could enter the Most  Holy Place only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. Exodus 26:33. Their being torn from top to bottom signifies that God Himself tore those curtains to expose Himself to mankind and to let us know that we now have access to Him when we approach Him through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Hebrews 10:19-23 (NLT) 
¹⁹ And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. ²⁰ By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.
²¹ And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, ²² let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
²³ Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. What a Savior we have in Jesus Christ. He made it possible for those who believe in Him as their Savior to approach  the very throne of God any time from any place 24 hours a day or night, 7 days a week. The door to God through prayer is never closed at all. No matter what the problem, situation, or circumstance, we can take it to God and ask for Him to address our concern and take care of it. Jesus said in John 14:13-15 (NLT) ¹³ You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.
¹⁴ Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! ¹⁵ “If you love me, obey my commandments.
If we are living for Jesus Christ, the door to the provisions of God are open to us. We are admonished to constantly seek God's face through prayer. 

Matthew 7:7 (NLT)
⁷ “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. We are assured by God Himself that when we do, we will receive, we will find, and the door will be opened to God's abundant blessings.

INVITATION: If you have never asked Jesus Christ to forgive you, then you can not approach God's throne at all. Only through Jesus Christ do we have access to God the Father. Admit your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and then invite Him into your heart. If you are sincere, Jesus will save you and come into your life to lead, guide, and direct you from that day forth. Then you to can enter the presence of God in prayer and ask Him to help you with whatever you are facing and know that you will receive the answer you need. Go to church and be baptized to show you are not ashamed of Jesus and you are sincere in asking Jesus to save you from Hell. Walk down that isle and tell that preacher you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and you want to be baptized. You will be glad you did. Those of you who have already done that, remember that the door to God's Presence is open at all times. He waits for you to call on Him. Don't suffer with that problem you have any longer. Take it to God in prayer. You will be amazed and you will find the help you need. Amen!

God's Grace and Righteousness

How do you go through life? Are you worried, doubtful, afraid, a failure in life? Always barely making it in life! That is not what God intends for you. No matter who you are, God has made provisions for you in this life and the life to come through Jesus Christ His Son. The bible says in:
Romans 5:12-17 (NKJV)
¹² Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned--
¹³ (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.
¹⁶ And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.
¹⁷ For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
Sin and death entered the world through Adam when he sinned by disobeying God. Adam was born in a perfect environment with all the freedoms a person would want, yet he was not satisfied with all that. He and Eve disobeyed God and thereby brought all the bad things we see today into existence. We are all like our father Adam. His nature is in us so we are all sinners by nature. You may say that is not fair, but the same way, by one Jesus Christs' obedience righteousness came to all who would believe in Him. When Jesus came to earth and lived a perfect life, died on the cross and was resurrected, He brought the gift of the grace of God to us all who believe in Him. Just as Adam's one offence brought condemnation, Jesus one act brought righteousness which resulted in our justification. We have been given a home in Heaven.  Every since Adam's sin, we all die because we are all sinners as he was. But by His perfect life and the offering of His body for us on the cross, we all who believe He died as payment for our sins receive abundance of grace. We no longer are condemned in God's eyes but instead we receive an overflowing abundance of His grace. Grace means the unmerited favor of God. We have also received the gift of righteousness. By Jesus' one act on the cross, we have been made righteous in God's eyes. As you look at that verse 17, righteousness was a gift purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. Do you know what that means? Righteousness or being in right standing with God is a gift that God Himself gives us when we believe in His Son Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. We will have that right standing through all eternity. Praise be to God the Father and our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ! There are millions of people who are still trying to please God by their own works by keeping certain laws and doing certain things that they think will please God. But the bible plainly says in Romans 3:19-20 (NKJV) 
¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
²⁰ Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
The righteousness of God is a gift given to those who believe in God's Son. Romans 5:17 also says that we  are to reign in this life by His gift of righteousness. Reign means royal rule or authority; sovereignty, dominating power or influence. This is the standing that all Christians have in this life. This is God's will for us His children. We are not to go around beat down, worried, fearful, and the like. God has given us through Christ the authority over satan and his demons. We are to exercise that authority Christ has given us. Let's begin with God's help to live like His children. Stop being beat down  when that is not God's will for Christians. We must read God's word each day to learn what we have been given. We must pray asking for God to fill us with His Spirit each day. Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,  The choice is ours. We can go on being defeated on every hand or we can begin to reign as God intends for us to do. I choose to live like God's child with all the authority He has  given me. I pray you too will decide to do the same.

INVITATION: You will always be defeated by the devil if you don't know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. To make Jesus your  Savior, you must repent and turn from your sinful way of life and ask Jesus to forgive you. Then invite Jesus into your life to take charge of you. If you do, you will be saved from Hell and your life will begin to change. He will give you the gift of God's grace and righteousness. Don't go another day without Jesus in your life. Because with Him you will be able to rule and reign in life through Him.