Friday, January 13, 2012

Test Of Faith

And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” (Luke 22:31-32)

In the construction industry materials used for building are tested for quality. The testing of concrete is an amazing thing. The goal is to test the integrity of the design. The concrete is subjected to massive pressure until it reaches the breaking point. The only way to know the strength of concrete is to bring it to a point of failure. The concrete is often explosive in its failure. It not only collapses, it ruptures from the inside. You can not only see it, but you can hear it when it fails.
The testing of our faith is often like the testing of concrete. Faith is brought to the breaking point to discover the object of the faith. Faith in self will always fail. The stress is too great. When our faith fails, it is catastrophic in its result. Things collapse and even explode. The pieces of broken lives are painful to put back together.
God is in the business of testing and purifying. He tests the reality and purity of our faith by subjecting us to situations where we must choose who we will believe. When we choose to believe God, no matter what the test, we have passed the test. Some things Jesus told Peter can encourage us today.

I. IN TIMES OF TESTING, JESUS IS PRAYING. The good news is that the enemy of our souls must request permission to attack. This is a pretty one-sided war. Can you imagine a military commander on the battlefield asking his opponent’s blessing upon his next combat operation? We can be encouraged to know that Jesus has real authority over the enemy and reinforces our decision to remain faithful and believe in God. He does this when He prays for us.

II. IF FAITH IS REAL, IT WILL NOT FAIL. Jesus does not pray that Peter gets faith, he prays for the faith Peter has to sustain him. When we are born again by the Spirit of God, we are given the ability to believe. We, like Peter, are given faith as a gift. It is strengthened only when we are given the opportunity to believe God in times of testing.

III. ONLY AFTER WE RETURN TO GOD CAN WE REINFORCE OUR BRETHREN. More concrete does not always strengthen. It's the integration of steel that gives the most strength in tension. Steel will bend and flex and keep it together. After we have stumbled, we can return to God. After we have been stretched to believe God, we can testify as to His faithfulness and integrity. God tests us to purify us. He has a plan for us to encourage one another. It’s the body of Christ He is building.

No comments: