by Evang. Victor Aina – 8 April 2018
TITUS 2:11-14
We all know now that trials do not necessarily means God has forsaken us.
They come as a part of daily life’s circumstances trials are part of God’s permissive will.
1 Pet 4:12-13 count it not strange.
1 Pet 1:7 trials of your faith much precious than gold that perisheth
Jams 1:2-4, 12, Blessed is the man that endures temptation. The problem we face we either defeat or develop us depending on how we react or respond to them 1 Cor. 11:23-33.
“If you love the Lord your problem was sent to you by him for a purpose – Rms 8:28
Some way God uses problem in our lives
1.To direct you: Sometimes God must get fire under you to get you moving Jonah 2:2-10. Jonah ran to Tarshish, was caught in a storm and swallowed by a big fish before he obeyed God.
2.God uses problem to inspect you: Job & Abraham
Job: The Lord giveth the lord taketh away blessed be the Lord Job 2:3-10,he thanked God in his problem.
Abraham was asked to offer Isaac , He did not complain Gen 22:1-12 LB
3.God uses problem to correct you
Some lesson we learn only through pain & failure. Sometimes we learn the value of some things by losing it.
In Ps 119:71-73 LB David said afflictions taught him to pay attention to God’s laws. With all the wives he had, he still ran after Bathsheba, killed Uriah and lost his joy of Salvation Ps 51:1
4.God uses problems to protect you: there’s a story of an accountant who refused to lie on the tax return should of His company and was fired. A year later, the organization was exposed and he was not part of people sent to prison. Joseph said to his brothers what you intended for evil God has used for good (Gen 50:20)
5.God uses problem to perfect you: When you respond correctly to your problems, they build your character. Your relationship with God and your character are the only 2 things you take to eternity.
Paul’s suffering built his character (Rom 5:5)
2 Cor 12:7-10, Thorn in the flesh- my grace sufficient
SOURCES OF TRIALS
a. Natural result of circumstances i.e sickness, flood, fire out break
b. Persecution from other people – Jn 15: 18-21, Mt 5:10-12,i.e The 72
c. Satan permitted by God Job 1:6, Job 2:3-7
d. Gods proving Ground – Zech 13:9 – God tries us so we may know him better
e. Self-made trails – are the hardest to bear (Seed & harvest – David)
The point is God is at work in your life even when you don’t recognize or understand it, unless we suffer with him, we cannot reign with him.
He puts strenght in us (Job 23:6), Jesus learned obedience by suffering (Heb 5:8-9), His character was perfected by suffering (James 1 2-4)whom the Lord loveth the chastised (Heb 12:6)
Sometimes it takes trials to break the bands of the world off us. Trials after trials, test after test.
To rebuke and reprove: To reprove is to expose with a view to correct, chasten does not mean to punish – Job 18 & 19. It means to discipline Heb 12:5-11
He permits, crosses, cross road and junctions, he always does that to perfect us for his service. God uses this to purge our character (Job 42:1-10)
Job throughout that book – boils, all his children died, even his friends said hath sinned and ran him down – did not offend God.
1 .What to draw from this is that when we are gong through trails His love for us has not changed a bit.
2. He is molding us into Christ-like character. Jer 18:1-6
If everything comes lazy what are we overcoming 1 Jn 4:3-5
Benefits of trials
• Loyalty and faithfulness – Brings us face to face with the decision whether we are loyal to God or not
• Test of our Humility – If He is the Lord indeed we will, wait on Him and Hope in him. It teaches us to be like Paul,” who said your grace is enough for me 2 Cor 12:9-10.
• Test of our Love for God – Can we love God just as much, after we have passed through trails just as we did before – Rm 8:35-39 who shall separated us
• Test of our courage – Satan sometimes threating us by making great show i.e by sickness, sometime he makes things look dark, face them boldly by the word of God.
• Test of our steadfastness – It teaches us patience, whether we really trust in him or we will jump out of the pot 1 Pet 4:12-16, 19 ,commit the keeping of your soul. There is no short cut – Titus 2:11-14
Some costly assumptions Lk 2:41-50 NKJV
vs 41 & 43, First parents then later Joseph and Mary this means, we are individually responsible for letting Jesus have His place in our lives.
Vs 44 They suppose he was in the company ,don’t base your relationship with God on assumption or peoples experience make it personal that is why some fall.
Lk 9:23 – If any man not a group individual
Spiritual experience has become company experience to some people, this means that something is wrong. Some has made themselves also the custodians of the Holy Spirit.
When you have nothing to say about your life and personal walls with Jesus, it means something is wrong.
• How many things have you enter into with assumption thinking the master is there no wonder you have lost your peace, no wonder you can’t cope with the challenges of this world 1 John 4:9 is the greater one in you
• Samson’s case Judges 14:1-3
Vs 1 – He decline, sink, taken, down to Timnath passion for women, starts innocently, beautiful woman, nice shapes…. In Jdgs. 16:1 Harlots
• I believe there are other beautiful sites in the land, than going into an harlot . He has now moved from Timinath to Gaza the headquarters of the city.
• We can see lust of eyes Judge 16:14 meet Delilah, it was not Delilah that killed Samson, it was what he liked that he refuse to ask for Help about .Rom 2:15-16 LB, 1 Tim 4 :16 LB Samson seems to see only women
• Hasty decision, Judges 14:2 – Marry her for me, Prov.. 14:29, Ish 52:12 Isah42:2. Don’t be too hasty in your decision. Law of Nazerite – Numb 6- Consecrated separated to God Samson = Shim-Shone, shimshon = the sun, sunlight Mtt 5:14.
• A desire for self pleasure Judge 14:3 self can never please God 2 Tim 2:3-4 please the one that sent you 1 Tim 5:6 she that liveth in pleasure, is dead alive.
• Despiser of Godly counsel Judges 14:6,8,9, when a man is about to be cut off, devil deceive him, to hide in the secret, Satan threw in dankness, A nazerite is not supposed to touch dead things, not to talk of eat from it sometimes we break personal consecration and hide from people that can help us.
This is a trick of the enemy to destroy you Mary thinks and assume spiritual gift is a sign of spiritual authentication very wrong. Rom 11:29 gifts and calling.
a.Samson was still removing gates of city after sleeping with harlots God’s gift and calling are without repentance (backslider can still manifest the power of GOD,Matt 7:21-22)
b.Ate honey from a dead carcass, sin is infectious, He gave people around him honey 2 Tim 2 :19-21
– Do you build anointing to make yourself a name, he is only carrying out a random raid in His own interest, not rooting out the philistines
– Anointing many flow for a time, but once it cease to promotes Gods interest, it begin to fade away judges 16:19-20.
c.But he rose again Jdgs 16:28-30, He killed more in one day then all he killed in 20 years.
Some of us may have jumped out of pot because of the heat, instead of patently waiting for him. To bring out his image in us.
Or we might have been using his grace for self interest. He wants us to grow to his stature and fullness that is why he is working in us. Eph 2:8-10 grace NASB/NLT Eph 4:11-15 growth through (5 fold).
Are you sure he is with you or you a living on assumption some steps in Luke 2:44-50 NKJV
1.Insist on making your relationship with Jesus a personal experience Lk 2:44, they assume he was with the crowd. What some do is follow the crowd and teleguided by them no natural fire in your heart. Call him back today.
2.Do not Act in Haste, Be truthful to yourself don’t pretend to be who you are not (Hypocrisy) 1 Cor 4:1-6 NASB NKJ 1, Tim 4:1-2, 1 Kgs 17
3.Repent seek, and follow Jesus only on his terms Mtt 11:27-30 NASB
4.Turn back to where you have erred, go back to that point where you missed it, in your spiritual journey, we are in a race.
Go back to your personal quiet time, reverence for the word constant fasting and prayer, separation and personal vigil, evangelism, hospital visitation pick it up don’t wait a day longer, the grace is available today. Lk 2:45-46. Mary and Joseph turn back again the went back to Jerusalem no other Agenda, but just to seek for Jesus.
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