Trials and Tribulations

When I first got saved I had no idea the kind of mess I would find myself in. A unrelenting series of misfortunes that never seemed to end. I still to this day have a hard time believing that God loves me (he does). He never seems to let up or back off. I have had my dignity stolen away from me so many times that I don't even know what it is like to be happy anymore. If God gave me what I really deserved, I would be dead right now, but God is merciful. God has a way of breaking his people, to get what he wants out of them. In this article I will go over the trials and tribulations of being saved.

I said being saved instead of the Christian life, because a lot of us are not living a Christian life. The further we choose to live from God the harder our life will be. This is a classic example of sewing and reaping. If we draw near to God, in time, our life will become easier in the protective arms of the all mighty God. God controls everything around us and he can make a persons life a living hell if he has too. God does not just sit back and let his children live as they please. He expects them to live in a way that he sees fit. In this case, trials and tribulations serve the purpose of getting a person back in the will of God. I am going through this right now, and It is pain beyond anything I could ever imagine. We are to live in a way that brings God glory.

Psalms 119

65 Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O LORD, according unto thy word.

66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.

67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.

Malachi 2

2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

3 Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.

The next reason for trials and tribulations is getting a person to let go of pride and ego. We often get caught up in our own pride and ego. God has a way of breaking this part of us, through testing. This is part of the refinement process. God didn't just save us to keep us out of hell, but he saved us to be like Jesus Christ. We are to set a Christ like example in this world. This requires selflessness on our behalf and it does not come naturally to most. We like things the way we like things. God on the other hand likes things his way. Who do you think is going to win? No one said that the Christian life was going to be easy. In fact to bible says it will be hard.

Isaiah 48

10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

11 For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.

The the bible describes a believers life as the furnace of affliction. This does not sound very enjoyable, it actually sounds quite painful. I can assure you that it is. There is a purpose to this though, and that is to refine the believer. Silver has to be heated to extreme temperatures to refine the impurities out of it. Likewise the believer has to be put through extreme heat to refine the impurities out of their life. No one really wants to go through such a horrible thing. My advise is read the bible and live a life as close to what that book says as humanly possible. The more work a believer does, the less work God has to do. We will face hardships and tests throughout our lives, just trust in God and he will see you through.

I hope you enjoyed this article. If you are not a Christian, I invite you to get saved now. Tomorrow may be to late. To get saved all you have to do, is admit that you are a sinner and that Jesus Christ died for your sins. The only way to take away sins is with the pure shed blood of Jesus Christ. Good works can not take away sins. If they could, then Jesus Christ died in vain. Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead as payment for all sins. Once you believe that, you are saved forever. You did nothing to earn it and you can do nothing to lose it.

Galatians 2

16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Titus 3

5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

I Corinthians 15

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: