VERSE: James 1:2-4 NIV "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Warriors…today’s blog post is about – people like Michelle and me who have faced and will continue to face trials in our lives. The scripture today teaches us that trials are not obstacles to our faith, but rather opportunities for growth and maturity. Michelle and I have a passionate and transformative style that reminds us that even in our darkest moments, God is refining and shaping us into the people we are destined to become.
James 1:2 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds."
Now, this may seem counterintuitive to some. How can we find joy in the midst of our suffering? But the scripture is not asking us to deny our pain or to pretend it doesn't exist. Instead, it's teaching us to recognize the purpose and potential in the trials we face.
You see, fellow warriors, God is not the author of our pain, but He is the Redeemer of it. He takes our brokenness and turns it into a testimony of His grace and power. So, when you encounter trials, remember that your faith is being tested. And when your faith is tested, it produces perseverance – that's the miracle, the gift, the triumph in the midst of trials.
Now, let's dive deeper into the concept of perseverance. The original Greek word for perseverance is "hypomonē," (Strong’s concordance) which means to remain steadfast under a heavy load. Think about that for a moment. When you're faced with trials, God isn't asking you to simply endure them passively. No, He's calling you to stand firm, rooted in your faith, as you carry the weight of your circumstances.
"The presence of the problem is not the absence of God's purpose."
The trial itself is not the end goal. Michelle and I went through some SERIOUS TESTING! That testing of our faith is the very thing that produces perseverance, and it's this perseverance that leads to maturity and completion in Christ.
James 1:4 encourages us to "Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
God doesn't want to leave you incomplete or lacking in any area of your life. It's His desire to see you grow and become the person He created you to be. When we allow perseverance to have its perfect work in us, we're transformed from the inside out, stepping into our divine purpose.
So, warriors, instead of resisting the trials we face, let's embrace them with a perspective of purpose. When we view our trials through the lens of faith, we see that each challenge is an opportunity for growth, each storm a chance for our roots to grow deeper.
In closing, let me leave you with food for thought. The trials you face are not meant to break you, but to build you. They are not meant to defeat you, but to develop you. When we surrender our pain and our struggles to God, He uses them as tools to refine us, making us more like Jesus.
Let's pray together, asking God to help us find joy and purpose in our trials, to give us the strength to persevere, and to bring us to a place of maturity and completeness in Him.
Father, thank You for Your presence in our lives. Help us to see the purpose in our pain and the triumph in our trials. Teach us to persevere, stand firm in the faith, and grow into the people that You created us to be.
God Bless and Make It A Great Day!
Matthew and Michelle Adams