Profiting from Trials April 27

James 1: 2 - 8

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

James starts this letter out like a boxer throwing a punch, and he gets straight to the point. These Christians are going through intense persecution because of Roman rule.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

I’d be a liar if I told you that I didn’t struggle with this very issue myself. How do you get happy when your world is falling apart? Well, emotions are your personal choice in life; you can choose to walk around mad all the time, angry at others. You are depressed because of your situation. Years ago, I used to look at people that were always happy, always smiling; it just seems like God gave them the gift of happiness. Then I realized that happiness is the gift you give yourself. You’re the only one that can decide for yourself to be happy or whatever emotion you choose to follow.

Every trial is for one purpose, to test your faith. Do you think they get easier as you get older in the Lord? Well, they don’t; things that would have made me crumble years ago don’t even seem to matter that much anymore. You come to a place where you know God is just going to handle it.

But then the devil changes strategies on you, and guess what? You get more opportunities for joy. Now James tells us that to have joy; we need to understand this.

knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

Trials test your faith, and faith brings patience. Now, what’s so good about patience? Patience is the quality of enduring, working through to the end. When a person loses their patience, what happens? They usually blow up in anger or short cut a project at work and don’t do the job correctly.

What happens when you do a job incorrectly? More than likely, you will have to go back and do it over again. My old pastor used to say, just like the Israelites, you get to take another lap around in the wilderness.

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

How is the work made perfect? By our joy in the matter, you can only have joy if you believe God is on your side, and you know that He can save you. But we lose our patience when we get mad at God for not pulling us through. But here’s the kicker in what I just said, if you get angry at God for not pulling you through, ironically, that means you have faith in God! But the enemy has perverted your faith into anger. I, for one, am guilty of this. So, if you are going to get mad at God, that’s probably a good time to count it all joy and laugh at the enemy.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

I think this is another place where we tend to get off base with the Lord. This wisdom is for the trial that you are going through. You can ask God this question “Father God, what do I need to do, or what am I doing that is causing this? Lord, I know you want to show me something and teach me something; otherwise, you would not allow this in my life. What do you want to be for me during this season?”

One time I asked the Lord this, and I immediately saw a vision of Jesus holding me and caressing the back of my head, comforting me.

He never left me, nor will He leave you.

He is: Jehovah Tzidkenu

The Lord our Righteousness

Blessing’s