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Testing Faith

Person sitting on the floor, holding up a rectangular piece of paper or cardstock with an angry face painted on it. Mask.
Image by PDPics from Pixabay

Of course, following “a good day” (see yesterday’s post), there is a “not-so-good-day.” It was fine, but I just had to laugh at the circumstances that made it more trying than the previous day. I wondered, “Is this because I boasted about having a good day?” “Is it just impossible for me to have two good days in a row?”

All of the little things that get to me just seemed to seek me out yesterday. They were each so minuscule that they aren’t even worth noting but what is important was how I dealt with it all–badly, very badly.

I let myself get aggravated and irritated. I let it affect my mood. By late morning, I felt rather emotional and engaged in gossip, fits of self-righteousness, and judgment toward others. It didn’t have to be that way. It would have been a completely different outcome if I had just stopped for a minute or two and prayed and meditated on some scripture. Instead, I let the minor irritants of everyday life ruin the bulk of my day.

It wasn’t until I got in the car to drive home that I began talking with God, and He cleared away the clouds. He opened my eyes and showed me how I handled myself that day and how I could have done things differently. I asked Him what I should do for the rest of the day, which led to some housework to expend some of my pent-up energy, and then an entire evening in the Bible and prayer. Those things turned it into a good day. I regret losing the morning and afternoon, though. Hopefully, next time I see myself getting irritated and angry over the little things, I’ll remember this day and turn immediately to my Father.

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 5:3-5 ESV
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 ESV

Please join me this week in praying for perseverance. Let’s pray that we, and our loved ones, are faithful to what God calls us to do. Pray that we listen to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit and not let Satan cast doubt on our spiritual walk with the Lord. Pray for strength. Pray for victory in spiritual warfare. Pray that we persevere to the end.