THIS IS A TEST

I've been analyzing my life over the past few months. I've been putting a lot of energy back into a firm foundation I had as a kid with my God. And I've been pretty confident that this is where God wants me to be. I know that my life has been pretty much a roller coaster of life's ups and downs. And at the lowest points, I have always relied on God to pull me out of the circumstances I was facing at any one of those "low" moments. But I am now, at an all time high! I mean, right now, I am facing some financial difficulties, and you would think I was at one of those "low" points, looking at my circumstances. But instead, I see it as a moment - once again, to trust in God for His providence. I see it as a moment to sharpen the steel, or remove the dross in my life. I see it as a defining moment, where out of the depths of this moment that should be devastating, I should be giving up, but instead, I am rejoicing.

I have been in places in my life where being alone, I had nobody to turn to. I had one choice. I have always been the one who had only himself to count on. And in my weakest moments, I turned to God and He brought me through out of what I consider, "pity." Yeah, my God had PITY for me. My God had pity for my circumstances and helped me because I asked. And I was grateful! Don't get me wrong. But now, I have others that I can rely on to help me. My mom has REALLY supported me through this whole trial and business start-up. But more so, I know what God has in store for me. It is more than anything I could face alone. It is more than pity that He is giving me here. It is a test, of sorts, to see if I can really rely on Him instead of others or myself. And on the other side, I know that I will be victorious in my faith, in my reliance on Him for my needs. Even when I am failing, He will never fail. Even when I don't listen to that still, small voice, I am confident that He is there, drawing nearer to me for me to hear Him better! His grace is sufficient for me! His love is never ending! And He wants the best for His children (of which I am one)!

I don't fear the outcome of my life circumstances right now. It is a time for me to meditate, to pray, to be drawn closer to His side, to make sure that I am not doing something that is displeasing to Him, and having been made righteous in His sight, because of what Christ did on the cross, I am able to come to the THRONE ROOM of heaven, right in front of the GOD of eternity, and know that He hears my prayers. I am able to be comforted by His Spirit and I am able to know what I need to do to get through each and every circumstance that is LESS than favorable. Even those most trying times, even those huge failures, even those moments when I am sad, or frustrated, or disgusted with what "life" is throwing at me, I can rest assured that my victory is secure! It's His gold, and it's His silver. He can bring business to me at His pleasure. There are 30 churches in this town! More than half of the people in this town profess a saving faith in Christ as their savior and lord. So if God wants to bless me, HE WILL! And when it does happen, I WILL KNOW - IT IS GOD! And at the moment that I rise, He can knock me down again, to show me that IT IS GOD! :-)

Until the day I die, I want these tests to bring me closer to Him. I want these tests to sharpen me. I want these tests to make me know that I have nothing to do with what is going on in my life! It's all HIM! Grace - undeserved kindness, is all GOD GIVEN! And I trust in God's grace to continue to follow me, all the days of my life!