THIS IS ONLY A TEST

:

"Faith that cannot stand the trial cannot be trusted with the prize!" THIS IS ONLY A TEST By Pastor Dorsey E. Marshall Jr. "Every detail works to your advantage and to God's Glory." 2 Corinthians 4:15 MSG       Do you remember how irritated you got, when your favorite television show was interrupted for thirty seconds by a test of the Emergency Broadcast System? Those interruptions remind me now of the trials and "tests" that come in our lives today. They are unexpected, unscheduled, and usually unwelcomed, because they always come at the worst possible time. However, life's trials don't just last for thirty seconds and disappear. No, they can last for days, weeks, or even years. They, often, leave us clueless as to why they actually come. Trials can make us feel helpless, but the good news is there is something we can do when these trials come. We may not have control over the trials that come, but we certainly have control over our response to them. The trials that we face are critical to our spiritual growth. As the natural body develops and grows because of negative things it goes through, the spiritual body also develops and grows by our response to those trials. When a child is learning to walk, that child is hit with some unexpected falls. This is something he has never done before, and is quite clumsy in the learning process. Typically, that child refuses to quit his attempts at this new, untested, venture. He will get up again and again, until he masters this part of his life. Nothing can or will stop a child from moving forward. As much as we would love to avoid these trials, we are stretched, developed, and proven through these painful falls we make. Tests lead to testimonies. It takes a lot more heat to produce gold than it does tin. So, which do we want to be? Pressure or tests are part of life, and how we handle our tests determine whether we are promoted to the next level or not. The overcoming triumphant Christian life is not in problem-free living, but in promised-filled living. One of the greatest evidences that you are near your promised land ... is giants. The greater the test, the greater the testimony, the deeper the grief, the fuller and more complete is the comfort. The more serious the sickness, the greater is the healing. The higher the walls of adversity, and opposition, the greater are the supply of strength to overcome them. When the devil sends something big your way, just say, "God must be up to something big!" LET US PRAY: "Father, I know this is only a test; help me to stay strong, In Jesus' Name, Amen!"

__._,_.___