“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 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. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
James 1:2-8 NKJV
Count it all joy
A life of ease does not bring growth. For when we are at ease, we live lives with no reference to our Creator, for we begin to think that we are the supplier of our needs, when I reality the Lord is the giver of every breath and every heart beat.
I have found that the Lord uses the trials to get our attention, for in our state of ease, we are unaware. In the season of great difficulty, we seek after Him, desiring deliverance. All too often we find ourselves groaning and calling out “why me?”, but a better question is, “what are you trying to teach me.”
It is in the trial and in the depth of pain that we are more open to the wisdom of the Lord. Thinking back to some of my own trials, I sought the Lord with great persistence, for I knew that only He had the answers.
“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”
Psalms 34:4-8 NKJV
The trial is God’s means of bringing about growth in the life of the Christian, for it causes one to reevaluate what is truly important, and what needs to be jettisoned in favor of those things that are holy. Like the systematic pruning of a rose bush brings about more flora, the pruning of the Christian, brings about more abundance.
Pruning is painful, but it is necessary, for one can become overgrown with fruitless growth, and overcome by weeds. When I consider all that the Lord has brought into my life, every trial, every pain, every struggle, I know that He has done so for HIs glory, for God has chosen to make me an example of His grace.
In the midst of suffering, He also provides wisdom, for God has given us Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again, and upon His ascension, left us His Helper, the Holy Spirit to guide us. Through Him who helps, we have understanding of the word of God, and access to manifold wisdom of the Creator of the Universe.
We simply need to seek after it with all our heart.
“My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;”
Proverbs 2:1-6 NKJV
The Lord offers us His vast storehouse of wisdom, open to all who truly desire it. For those who do not treasure it, it is locked up, hidden away, for they seek to use it for the satisfaction of their bellies. These are those who ask not for greater understanding and intimacy with the Lord, but that they use the word for twisting, thus creating instability with which to gain dominance.
Such are filled with doubt, and offer nothing to those who follow them.
“These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.”
Jude 1:12-13 NKJV
Brothers and sisters, the coming days, weeks and months, will provide many opportunities for the gaining of wisdom, for our world is due for a shaking. We are witnessing the leading up to the time before the darkness, as great rumblings signal the changes that are coming.
“And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
Matthew 24:4-8 NKJV
We are seeing the beginning of all these things, my people, and we can be assured that the time of testing is near. But my people, we have the assurance that our God will be with us, guiding us, leadings us through the storms, for His testing is for our good. We have been called to be those who bring there good news of the Gospel.
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:28 NKJV
Lest we forget:
“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,”
I Corinthians 15:1-4 NKJV
Yes indeed, my bothers and sisters, all that we will experience will ordained by our loving God, brought about that we be a more sure reflection of who He is. Fear not, my holy siblings, for we serve a glorious God who has purchased us by His blood. He is our Savior and our God, Jesus Christ.
Not only do we count it all joy when we experience troubles, but we also rejoice that nothing can separate us from One who saved us, for He is above and beyond Andy enemy we may encounter.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Romans 8:31 NKJV
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 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.”
Romans 8:35-39 NKJV
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Musings from an idle mind 
What a Savior! Hallelujah!!!
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