Q

1st peter 1



1. Our faith is so much more valuable then Gold that perishes!(vs7) Gold is a worldly item that will pass away and corrode. (James 5:3) But our faith is the salvation of our Souls! We are saved and we are sanctified by Faith and not of our selves. (1 peter 1:18-19)
Even though it is tested by Fire, even though the worst of circumstances happen to us, it happens so it may be found pleasing and glorified at the end and at the coming of Jesus! (Vs 8)
We all need to be spiritually refined; I need to be spiritually refined. (Job 23:10) This is the result of it!
Made pure! A pure faith, a faith that won’t doubt! A faith that won’t fail, a faith that has been tested and proven true! The lord loves to chasten us because it refines us(Prov 3:11-12)
I get stuck on this passage in 1st peter speaking of spiritual refining,
I get so stuck on it! I can’t even move on to the rest of the chapter. It hurts, it’s never easy.
But just as the clay needs to be tried we need to be tried!
We are told to count it all joy when we fall into testing of our faith!(James 1:2)
Joy! That means rejoicing in the fact we are being tested knowing that our testing produces PURE faith.

For those of you who don’t know, the past few weeks, the past days expressly I have been dealing with Discouragement like never before. I have felt Emotional pain, and spiritual attacks and trials like never before. I have felt Loneliness, I have felt rejection, I have felt total loss. I feel like and have felt like that life
Is too hard for me, I am battling something like never before; I see the attacks for what they are.
I have felt like quitting ministry, thoughts of just quitting and sitting on the sidelines have been active.
In every area of my life, something seems to be under attack. But I know my God is greater then these.
I feel as though no matter how hard I try to overcome these I can’t except by the blood of the lamb! But how much easier it is to say that then believe it.

I know none of the lies Satan tells me are true! I know I have victory in Christ, I know he has overcome the world. But this passage in 1st peter could not have come at a better time. My faith has been tried and tested like never before. I need prayer like never before. But even as I am battling this state of discouragement I know that my God, my Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33) but the trials are still there.
I have to hold unto Salvation.
But if there is one thing I’ve seen in this is the fact that this trial, this testing of my faith is revealing to me how Real God is, that even in my desert of despair he is there.
That even though I don’t see him I can still rejoice, I can still love him!(vs 8)
I want to finish with my plea for prayer, please pray for me.

I don't mean to even sound like a pity party, but this is what is going on!

I know my redeemer lives!(Job 19:25) He lives! he alone is my hope, he is my victory! he conquered death, he also has felt everything and more then what I'm feeling! he was rejected to the point of death!
He alone is faithful. He alone will see us through.
The body of Christ is under fire, I see it around the body. God is moving! The youth group here is growing, the lord is doing a work but the attacks are coming.


A saying as we close is “Faith not tested can’t be trusted” if I truly had not been tested or am being tested my faith would not be pure!