Dear friends, I pray to find you in good health and joyous spirit. I want to talk to you about something that none of us ever want to face in life. In fact, it’s something that many of us request in prayer to be removed from our lives. I’m talking about TRIALS.
But there’s a passage in scripture I want to share with you. A passage that informs us that TRIALS just might be the secret ingredient to us becoming all that God created us to be for His purpose and for His glory. That is, “IF” we choose to have the right PERSPECTIVE.
(James 1:1-4) James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
So, what is the perspective we should have, not as the rest of the world who doesn’t know God, but as Christians? He says in verse 2 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.” According to James, there will never be a shortage of TRIALS in our lives. In fact, he promises that there will in fact be VARIOUS trials that accompany us in life. But there’s an exhortation that he gives us in our response concerning our trials. Whether the trials are small or big, James says that the right attitude is to receive them all with an attitude of JOY.
Now, I must be totally honest with you. The first time I ever read this passage, my thought was surely James must have been under some other influence besides the Holy Spirit when he wrote this! James must have been single when he wrote this, or he must have had plenty of money and he didn’t have any bills to worry about. James must have never had someone he loves pass away because there’s no joy in that.
Think about it, why in the world would someone say something like this? COUNT IT ALL JOY WHEN YOU RUN INTO VARIOUS TRIALS. I mean seriously, what kind of madman would make such a comment?
At first, this sounds foolish, until we come to understand exactly what James was getting at.
What James (IS NOT) saying is that we should dismiss or ignore the emotion of trials. He’s not telling us that when trials come that we just need to put on that fake pretend smile and act like everything is OK. No, that’s not what he’s telling us at all. He’s also not ignoring or dismissing the emotions from grief, pain, stress, sadness, worry, anger, or sorrow. We’ve all experienced these emotions, and we know they are VERY REAL. James IS NOT in denial about our trials or hardships in life. He understands that God gave us emotions and feelings for a reason, and we should allow our emotions to run their course.
What James (IS) saying to us, is that we should have a “different” PERSPECTIVE as God’s children than the rest of the unbelieving world when it comes to the trials we face in life. We need to consider what is happening to us through a completely different lens, through different eyes, through the eyes of JOY.
But What does that look like? James has a divine understanding of suffering, And it’s the same understanding that he wants you and me to have today my brothers and sisters. He’s saying, “There’s something good happening in this trial that you can’t see with your eyes.”
And it’s Because of this PERSPECTIVE that the Christian can find a JOY. Not necessarily “HAPPINESS” because we know that happiness comes and goes, but a JOY can transcend the circumstance because you know something to be true about what’s happening. James is saying- I know it sounds crazy, but it IS possible to have an attitude of JOY WHEN you understand that God is working something out in you through this trial even though you can’t see it right now.
To have patience or to be steadfast through something hard like a trial or storm doesn’t mean that we don’t care or that we ignore the situation. It means to have brave endurance through the storm because your trust and hope is in God!
•Friends, God wants to use your trial to produce in YOU durability and maturity.
•God wants to turn your stumbling BLOCK into a STEPPING STONE!
•God wants to turn your TEST into a TESTIMONY!
•God wants to use your Story for His GLORY!
•God wants to take what that devil meant for evil and turn it for Good
•God wants to use the fire that the enemy was trying to burn you in and instead cause it to REFINE YOU!
•God wants to take what was intended to break you and instead use it to MAKE YOU!
•God wants to take what the enemy was using to create tension in your life and instead use it to Stretch you and to catapult you from Glory to Glory!!!
God wants to change your perspective from believing that you just live in a Prison of Adversity, to believing that you are actually enrolled in a University of Adversity that is going to equip you even more, strengthen you even more, mature you even more, and empower you even more to do greater things!! Amen You see, the Storms, the Fire, & the Waves of life that the Enemy has been putting in your path to slow you down, trip you up, and take you out, has only been causing you to push through harder creating in you STRENGTH, DURABILITY and MATURITY. This then will cause you to reflect the very image and likeness of Jesus Christ our Lord.
I want to let you know today that if it had not been for the trials and sufferings, the heartache, and the Storms that you have had to endure in your own life, you wouldn’t be the strong woman or man of God that you are today. So let us make the best of every opportunity and count it all joy for the Glory of God. Amen And lastly dear friends, there is an ultimate result should we continue on with the right attitude and persevere through the trials in this life’s journey. The last part of this passage lets us know this in verse 12. It says- Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Now that’s something worth persevering for! Amen.
With Love, Your brother in Christ, Pastor Billy Montes