So there is nothing that's going to happen that's not gonna have a good purpose.
Remember God promised that if you're born again. Everything is working out for good.
Everything. So it says these things will come. So they're actually good even
though we hate them and they, they certainly don't seem good. It's actually good and
we've got to remember, the enemy means it for bad. I mean there's a bad part of it.
The enemy tries, wants you to, wants you to be totally messed up. Give up.
Be discouraged. Fall. But they're actually good. God allows them for a good purpose.
So ... like when Joseph said to his brothers, listen you guys meant
this for evil. You did. But God meant it for good. So two things at once. The enemy
means it for evil. But the same time God means it for good and God's purpose
is the ultimate one. So therefore when you're ... the most
important thing is the good because God's the good, God's the important one.
And so the ultimate story is going to be good if you hold out. So the trial comes
so you, that you might be blessed in the end. And so what you have to do is when
you're going through a trial, don't just focus on the problem. Remember it's not just
a trouble or a problem or a temptation. It's a test. That changes it. Wait, it's a test?
Then there's a way to pass this thing. There's a way to actually do good
in this thing. There's a reason for it. There's a purpose for it. It's not just
a problem. You see a problem, it has no purpose. It's just a problem. But if it
has a purpose it's not a problem in the end. It's, you've got to think, okay, what is
going to come out of this? What does God want from me out of this? What does God
want me to do? Because this is going to pass but I want to pass it before it passes.
We think you know, the obstacle has no purpose. It does. Everything. Even
the traffic jam on Route 80 has a purpose. If it's to get you more patient. Lord, you
have a purpose here. Is it for me to be more patient? It's for me to praise you.
You know and even if I don't know the purpose I'm going to, I'm going to believe for it.
So my faith will increase in this as well. There's no stopping God's purposes.
That means there's a purpose. You know. It's like those who've seen the,
the story, the Charles Dickens story "Christmas Carol," the last ... the last
one he's the guy, Scrooge is like, okay. He says like I know
this is is going to be painful, but I know it's for my own good. So see these things, I know
this is for my good. There's a purpose. And it's often, the thing is it's often
those very things the, the worst times, the things we hate that actually
produces the most change in our life, if we respond. The most change. Often it is
the, the, the things that happen and most of you got saved because there were things
happening. And the thing is, so it's mostly those things that actually produce
the great change. Produces repentance. Produces, you hit bottom so you go up
to the top. Most of those, those are the things that really change life. Because
when everything's going well we tend to not change. Because if things are going easy,
why should we change? Because that's the way we tend to be. But when something
happens, that has the potential to produce the greatest growth if you
respond. You know it says Paul said ... the psalmist could say it was good that
I was afflicted. Paul could say light and momentary affliction is producing
an eternal weight of glory. You know the word for crisis? You know, the crisis
in English comes from a Greek word in the, in the Bible,
krisis. And you know what it means? It means decision. So what's it telling you?
The crisis is there to produce a decision. Produce change. Thank God, if you
can get to the point where you can even thank God, Lord thank you. This is to make me more
like you. Thank you. This is to make me pure. It's to make me stronger.
Thank you. It's, it's to inoculate me against this sin. It's to inoculate me
against pride. It's for me to die to myself. It, there's a reason, Lord
I want to know, I want to be part of this redemption here now. Thank you Lord that
you consider me worthy of going through the test. I want to pass it. Help me pass it.
Thank you for providing me the situation that I can show you my love.
That I can show you my faith. That I can show you my patience. That I can show you
my purity. That I can show you that I love you more than this sin. And that
I can even show you joy when it's hard to rejoice. It says now Paul, Peter goes
... he says, so that
these things have come so that your, what? Your faith. If you didn't have faith
you wouldn't be tested. It's because of your faith you need to be tested.
The greater the test means the greater your faith. It is because of a good thing,
for a good thing. Faith is the key in tests. Because all, everything else comes with
with faith. You won't have the love of God if you don't have faith. You won't have
the joy of God if you don't have faith. Persevere in faith. Keep to the faith.
Hold to the faith. You're in a test. You've got to hold to the faith ... keep
going. And in your faith Peter says that is greater than gold. More precious than
having gold is your faith. You can have a billion dollars. It's worth nothing
compared to your faith. Whatever, whatever Bill Gates or other
people have, if they don't have the Lord, they, you have more than they and you're
richer than they are. Your faith is more ... precious. How is
faith tested? It's tested by stress, by being opposed. So, so whatever is, looks
like it's going against faith, that's what's testing your faith. When it's
something, you're in a hopeless situation, it's impossible. That's testing your faith.
It's harder to believe? Your faith is being tested. When it doesn't look
like God is near you or he loves you that's testing your faith that God does
love you and he is near you. Or that he's not hearing your prayers. That's testing
your faith that he does hear your prayers. You're not feeling anything at all.
That's a test because I don't feel it but I'm still gonna stand that I know it
and I will feel it again. The testing of your faith happens by resistance.
All the more know that that it says that your, your faith being precious as gold
more precious may be proved genuine. Genuine. To be proved real. What a test
does is it proves, it proves what is real in your life. When all comes against your
faith and you stand, that's when you see when your, your real faith or not.
When everything's going against you that's when you see somebody. When things are
going you know easy, that's easy. But when things are going tough that's when you see it
from God. When you have people hating you and you can still love that's when it's
real. That's when it's genuine. When you've got everything going bad but you rejoice
that's when your joy is genuine from God. When you can have peace
though there's no peace, it passes understanding around you that's real
peace. That's genuine. See when metal is tested it is put under stress.
When you're under stress how do you do, when you're under stress? Do you lose it?
When you're under stress how's your temper? ... how's your patience when you're under stress? How's your love, how's your, how are you, how are you in that traffic jam
when you're under stress? You got to, you've got to get somewhere. You're late. How are you?
How are all the fruits of the spirit coming out? Or not?
Can you stay it? Well that's a test! Because if you can stay calm you're
growing. You're gonna grow from it. You can stay loving, you see God wants to see
the real thing. To find out how you can receive more of Jonathan's teachings,
to receive special free gifts, or get in touch, go to Hopeoftheworld.org,
or call toll-free 1 (800) YESHUA-1. That's Hopeoftheworld.org, or call
1 (800) YESHUA-1. That's 1 (800) 937-4821.
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at Hope of the World, Box 1111, Lodi, New Jersey 07644-USA.
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God's Word and salvation to every land and people. We do this by spreading the Word
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a part in God's work, just write to Hope of the World, Box 1111,
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