How Do I Know When God Is Testing Me?

Before we get to today’s article, I just want to mention that am writing from the perspective of a man that has experienced many of the challenges of which I write…. and those spiritual battles continue daily. The articles are implications of what it means to obey the commandment to raise your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. They require some reflection and are particularly for Christians who, as Peter would say, are diligently seeking to confirm their calling and are making every effort to supplement their faith. Said more succinctly, serious Christians. If you know other believers who desire to walk more faithfully with the Lord, please forward an article to them and tell them to sign up for future articles. Thanks so much!

How Do I Know When God Is Testing Me?

I suspect that no matter how long you have been out of school, you still remember an assortment of negative thoughts that came into your mind when you heard the word, test. Even now, should you have to take a test as part of a job application, or even renew your driver license, you don’t want to have the experience. Whether we are considering our time in high school, college or since, our goal has always been to find a way to exempt ourselves from the test.

However, there are no exemptions in the Christian life. In fact, we will find in a cursory reading of God’s word that being tested is a crucial part of our walk with the Lord. But even though we know that is true, I believe we often miss noticing the tests when they are taking place. Therefore, I thought it might be helpful for us to do a brief study on what the Bible says about testing.

For the Christian, a test is not a written exam that proves knowledge or lack thereof, but it is a series of exercises or processes that measure a reaction, knowledge, beliefs, and character of the person. The Bible is full of examples for us but before we look at the how and why of the testing of God’s people, I was a little surprised to see how many times the Bible mentions God being tested. Here are a few examples:

“Why do you test the LORD?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” Exodus 17:2-3

“You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah. You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and His testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you.” Deuteronomy 6:16-17

In each of the examples above, it is God who is put into a position where He must react to the actions of His people and in doing so, shows His character. However, God does not have to prove His character or vindicate Himself of any choices He has made, but that is not the case for His people. Listen to the following:

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” Exodus 16:4-5

So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He said, “Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the LORD as their fathers did, or not.” Judges 2:20-22

Note that in those two examples, God makes it clear that His purpose in testing them is to reveal their disobedience and ultimately drive them to repentance and obedience. He says in Jerimiah “Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do, because of my people (Jer. 9:4-15)? The big test question is, will they walk in my law or not?

When we look at the New Testament, we find even greater application for the Christian life. It is important for us to note that being tested by God is not always His response to our disobedience. Look at 2 Corinthians 8:1-5. There is no mention of sin here, but God brought something into their church that was a severe test, and it produced changed hearts.

“We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.”

Then, in the book of James, God makes clear the end goal of our testing:

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)

In James 1:12-15, he says, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.”

Peter speaks to the magnitude of some testing and confirms that testing and even the greatest tests, are not abnormal for the Christian when he writes in 1 Peter 4:12, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”

These are all wonderful passages that help us understand the purpose of testing in the life of all Christians. No exemptions. Even the Lord Jesus was tested in the wilderness for our sake, and He passed the test with perfection. But with all of these examples, I think that we often miss the tests that the Lord is sending into our lives. Why? Because we are looking for the big one. We have read the story of Job, and we have read through the heroes of faith in Hebrews Chapter 11. There was Abraham whose faith was tested when he was told he must sacrifice his son. There is Rehab, the prostitute, who had to decide whether or not she would risk her life to save God’s people. And there we read of Moses who had wealth and prestige in his hand and decided to walk away from it to pursue a life of obedience to God. These are all gigantic tests for the people of the Bible, but where does it leave us, the ordinary Christian? When will each of us be tested?

Well, if you’re asking that question, you have revealed that you are missing at least some of the tests that God is putting before you in your life. What I mean to say is the testing God brings into our lives to reveal our character and point us to the cross of Christ is not the kind of test that Abraham was given, or Job suffered through. It certainly can be a test of that magnitude but what is typical for every Christian is a multitude of small, everyday tests. God’s plan to conform us to the image of Christ does not happen in one traumatic test. This is why it is called a “walk” with the Lord. It is not a jump or a leap or sprint, but a slow and steady walk with the Lord through a life that constantly confronts us with decisions to think and behave in accordance with the Bible or think and behave like the world.

There were thousands of tests that could be used as examples, but I will just mention a few here. Please note that many of these tests take place after the Lord has blessed you.

God has provided a wonderful home for you and instead of thankfulness to Him, your home becomes a source of sinful pride.
God blesses you with a job promotion and instead of giving thanks to Him, you spend most of your time thinking about how smart you are.
God has blessed you with a wonderful mind and the ability to absorb large amounts of information but instead of thankfulness and giving all glory to Him, you become prideful and showy about what you know to others.
God blesses you with wealth through your investments but instead of telling the story of his graciousness to you, you boast of your smart decisions.
God blesses you with wealth through increases in salary or investments but instead of seeking to bless others through charity or give to godly of causes, you cling to every dollar.
God blesses you with wealth but instead of becoming content and stewarding what He has entrusted to you, you increase your risk taking because you can’t control your desire for more.
God blesses you by sending people to you who share information in confidence but instead of keeping that to yourself, you find ways to share with others because you enjoy the gossip.
God blesses you by creating a situation in your retirement that you have a great deal of free time but instead of using that time to further his Kingdom, you spend it on worthless things.

Those are just some examples, but you can count just about every decision that you make after getting out of the bed in the morning a test. Some people say that they don’t think they have changed much since they professed Christ. Some people make little effort to grow in their walk with the Lord, leaving it all up to Him. Sadly, they have been missing the tests and worse, failing them.

There is a great deal to work out daily in our Christian lives and that is done through the testing. Paul writes in Philippians 2:12-13, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

THIS WEEK’S SPOTLIGHT IS A CHARLES SPURGEON SERMON Read By Michael Lee- Wake Up! Wake Up! Based on Romans 13:11. CLICK HERE: https://youtu.be/u9Vup4HEA3g