Difficulties Give Us A Testimony

Difficulties give us a Testimony

1 Peter 1:3-7

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, ⁵who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Your struggles and problems are for a reason. Sometimes they are the result of making decisions in the flesh instead of in the Spirit. In Romans 8:5 we are told that those who live in the flesh have their minds fixed on things of the flesh, but those who live in the Spirit have their minds set on the things of God. When we slip into making decisions without seeking the Lord, we often make mistakes that lead to difficulties.

However, not all of our problems are the result of not seeking and hearing from God. When we go through difficulties, keeping a steadfast faith in God with a heart of praise and thankfulness, we grow spiritually. Problems of the past prepared you to deal with the struggles of today. And victoriously going through today’s issues will prepare you for the problems of tomorrow.

Many people mistakenly think that when you turn your life over to Jesus Christ and invite Him to be the Lord of your life, that you will breeze through life without difficult challenges. However this is far from true. Throughout Scripture we read that those who walk with God have had and will have difficult times. In 1 Peter 1:5-7 we are told that we are kept by the power of God through faith, and that we can greatly rejoice even when we have trials. The genuineness of our faith gets tested by “fire” to show that it’s real.

As you trust God, stay close to Him, pray, praise Him, and read His Word. Then the testings will result in spiritual growth. You’ll see God’s hand putting together the details and bringing victory through the trials. Then you’ll have a testimony to share with others about the faithfulness of God.

One key to finding victory in the midst of struggles is being able to enter into true worship. Tell God how wonderful He is and how much you love Him. Concentrate on His attributes. Call on the name of Jesus and repeat His name. The sound of His name and your worship change the atmosphere. Miracles have to be birthed. They come through the spiritual atmosphere before they are manifested here on the earth.

Just as birthing in the natural realm is not easy, birthing in the heavenly realm can be difficult. Many of God’s people have travailed in prayer and ascended in worship for weeks, months, or years before they see the miracle they’ve been expecting. Remember, the battle is the Lord’s, and the victory will come from Him. So develop your intimate relationship with Him and watch for what He is doing. Build yourself up with the promises in Scripture and thank and praise Him for what He is doing. Read devotionals that will inspire faith and broaden your understanding of Scripture. Let Him renew your mind so that you don’t concentrate on your circumstances, but instead concentrate on Him.

Others will see how you go through tough times with an attitude of faith, joy, and expectancy. Your testimony of how God is taking you through may be the very thing that leads others into a relationship with Jesus Christ

"He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog,

and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure."
Psalm 40:2 ESV