How God Prepares His Chosen

Psalm 66:10-12 NIV - For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.

Have you ever been surprised by the fiery ordeal God has allowed in your life? I have.

There have been times when I've cried out to God asking "PaPa, how could you allow this to happen?" Make no mistake, if you are a child of God — His chosen, every test and trial in your life God will have allowed. Nothing can happen to you without God allowing it. The trouble comes from the enemy, but God has to allow it. And never forget He is in control the whole time.

1 Peter 4:12 NIV - Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

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.

Tests and trials are how God prepares us for His plan and purpose for our lives. It's actually His path to the abundant life. But you must be willing to walk through the fire. And when you come out, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego, you'll come out of the fiery furnace unscathed, without even the smell of smoke on your clothes.

What God did for them, He will do for you. In fact, Jesus will walk before you in everything you go through. Just keep walking friend, get to the other side. Go through the trouble to get through it.

Faith, obedience, love, forgiveness, humility, gratefulness, confidence, patience, perseverance, diligence, wisdom … these are just some of the necessary characteristics required of you to fulfill God’s plan and purpose for your life. We don’t get all these things by sitting in a chair, reading books; going to church; or praying.

We gain access to these character traits through experiences, failures, test, trials, and desert seasons. People who are strong in these areas have gone through some stuff. They’ve been through some valleys and have gotten dirty.

- You don’t get faith unless you’ve been through some doubt.

- You’re not obedient unless you’ve allowed God to crucify some sin in your life.

- You don’t learn to forgive unless someone has done you dirty.

- You don’t find humility until you’ve been broken and put your pride to bed.

- You develop gratefulness by learning to go without.

- You develop confidence by trusting God through your failure.

- God has developed patience in you by allowing you to suffer through some desert seasons.

- You’ve gained perseverance by not giving in to the part of you that wants to give up when no hope is in sight.

And you'll gain diligence and wisdom by making it through all the above. God develops all these character traits by testing and perfecting your faith. If you want to attend God’s finishing school, you’ll have to get in the fire.

Do you trust God enough to take you through whatever is necessary to prepare you for His plan and purpose for your life? To prepare and teach you how to succeed God’s way? This is the requirement. Period.

But here's the thing, when you've walked through the fire with Jesus, everything will become possible for you. Never forget how Psalm 66:10-12 ends ... "we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance."

If you'll walk through the fire, eventually you'll walk on the water.

-Gerald