Testing to Improve – Part 1

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Genesis 22:1

The Bible says: ‘God tested Abraham, and said…“Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham…went to the place of which God had told him’ (vv. 1-3). You say, ‘Why would God test me?’ First, to prove Himself faithful to you. Second, to give you an opportunity to prove yourself faithful to Him. Your tests are God’s proving grounds. That day Abraham proved there was nothing he loved more than God. And that was the day when God introduced Himself to Abraham as ‘Jehovah Jireh’, the Lord who provides. It’s when you exercise your faith that you discover God’s faithfulness. That’s why God will test your faith. The tests get progressively harder as the stakes get higher. And the tests will undoubtedly revolve around what’s most important to you. What do you find your identity in? What do you find your security in? That’s your ‘Isaac’. God will test you to make sure your identity and your security are found in Him alone. Indeed, He will go after anything you trust in more than you trust Him until you put it on the altar. Don’t worry; you don’t have to live in fear that God is going to take away what is most important to you. But if the gift ever becomes more important to you than the Giver, then the very thing God gave you to serve His purposes is undermining His plan for your life. And that’s why God, because of His love for you will deal with you.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, Your testing of my faith helps my faith grow and be stronger. Thank You for Your love for me, to help me grow and mature in my relationship with You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen