When difficult things happened to me in the past, I quickly looked for someone to blame. Who was I to blame if I couldn’t blame someone else? And if I couldn’t find someone, there was always Satan to accuse. Honestly, many of my problems were the results of poor decisions, immaturity, or outright sin.
The Lord was often disciplining me.
I believe now, significant portions of my trials were also testings from God, and they continue. What?! Does God test us? Oh yes, He wants to use us in majestic ways. First, we must be proven faithful and true.
It is hard to get our minds around the fact that the Spirit immediately took Jesus into the wilderness after His baptism to be tempted by Satan. The same thing happened to the children of Israel after being freed from bondage in Egypt—unlike Jesus; they failed their tests.
He spoke:
I am the potter. I see flaws no one else can see. You must be able to withstand the allure of the world, the lusts of the flesh, and your propensity to be proud. You need to be broken and refashioned. Do you know your appetites, attachments, and addictions?
I test you for a purpose. You must be trusted and remain faithful. The testing may seem severe, but it is only momentary. My surest vessels are forged in the fire and under the hammer. I desire for you to be a polished arrow, one that will fly true to course.
There are high possibilities that lie dormant in your life. My testing will enlarge your capacity for sympathy. You will grow strong in the Spirit. The fragrance of your life will change.
“I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his deeds” (Jer. 17:10).
“Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he is tried, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12).
Tim Cameron Writings 