Trials

Trial:
a test of the performance, qualities, or suitability of someone or something.

A trial can be just about anything, but either those things can cause you to run, or you can stand through them, you can trust in God to bring you out the other side. Or you can get lost in the trial, you can stumble and you can become overwhelmed by the very thing that God can use to teach you. We can be like trees, they don't grow the most when the days are easy, they grow the most when the winds blow, the rain pelts them. They say that when the winds come, the tree sinks its roots down even further. We need to learn from the trees. When the trials/storms of life come, it isn't about turning tail and running, but about sinking our roots into Gods word, into God. He is our firm foundation and in Him we must trust, we must allow Him to teach us in each of the trials.

Are the trials of life getting you down? Stop focusing on the trials, focus on God. See that He will deliver you from them and when on the other side you will can either learn from them, or you can redo them. I say let us learn from the trials. Let us see God is using those things to teach us, to make us stronger in Him. It is easy to become lax in our ways, sometimes God brings changes in our lives so that we turn our focus from horizontal, to vertical.

If you are experiencing trials, where is your focus? Change your focus from the trial, from yourself to focusing on God. He will guide you through them, it may not be today, but see He is there to help you. Sink your roots into His word, don't just read, spend time praying and seeing where God wants you. 

Problem's

Have you ever lost your keys? You search every single place that they can be and no matter what you do you can't find those darn keys. You are so focused on finding them, that it is all that you think about, it starts to consume you with anger, frustration and more. All of the sudden you find them in the same place that you have looked before, at least you believe you already looked there. Be honest has that ever happened to you? I know it is either my wallet or my keys and when I find them I am so frustrated. The other alternative is much more difficult to do, retrace your steps, but when you do this, more then likely you will find them much quicker, so why do we do what causes us more frustration?

Problems are much like losing our keys, when we focus on them those darn things only seem to grow, the problem becomes bigger and bigger and soon it is all we can focus on. We lose sight of the truth of the real issue. What was once a little pebble that could be skipped across the water has now become a boulder that is to difficult to lift. We can't seem to see past it, because that boulder keeps on growing, it consumes us. Have you ever had this happen? Or am I just talking to myself here?

It seems that the solution is so simple, but yet so hard to do. Just like the keys, retracing my steps is much easier to do, a lot less frustrating (that is if I can remember my steps), but no longer is my focus on the keys, but the steps I took to lose them. Instead of seeing the problem for the boulder, look at how the problem started. I know for me, it is much easier to stair at the boulder then to look at what simple thing started the problem.

God talks to us about this in many different ways. He says when loving who are we to love more then others, or even more then ourselves? We are to love God with all we are, by doing this we take the focus off of us or others and we lay it on God. When we look at all the things in the bible, the stories, the lives of the people when they took there eyes off of God look at what happened. Keep your eyes on God always and see that He is in control, not just half way in control, but allow Him to take the wheel. He will guide you through the darkness and even when the problems seem to be mounting don't focus on them, but focus on God.

More of Him and less of me.

Silence

We can experience silence in our spiritual walk where we feel alone and separated from God. We may have heard Him with us and then silence. In the silence we can become afraid and that can cause us to think that He has left us, but He has given us a promise: Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." We need to rest in Him, that when we are having trouble seeing where He wants us to go, be still, trust in the God and allow Him to work in us.

Jesus told a parable Matthew 13:31-32 "He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches." When we have faith as small as a mustard seed, what happens? Matthew 17:20 "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you"

When you are in the silence, remember all it takes is the smallest amount of faith in God to work in you. Trust in Him in the stillness that He has you there for a reason. This I write not just for you, but as a reminder for myself that in the silence, I must just have the faith to allow God to work. One of the speakers I listen to most mornings is David Jeremiah, he has been doing a series called "A Bend in the Road". In this series he says one key point that really stuck. "Progress without pain is not possible."

If you want to move forward in your walk with God, you must endure the hardships that you will face, the silence, because it will only teach you and allow you to grow in God. It isn't about you, but about the one who has made us and is making us. 

Rest in God.