Daily Devotional – 3/9/20 “God’s test”

Some of this devotional was shared three years ago, and yet I feel the need to remind you that God is going to intentionally place some folk, who don’t like you, in your way. He’s going to set you up to be in places, surrounded by folk who don’t think you belong. He’s going to strategically place you at tables with folk who question why you’re there. People, you’re connected too are thinking, in their mind, “who does he/she think they are.” Yeah, God is going to methodically place you on jobs where you’ll fight more than work. He’s going to put you in covenant with some folk who’ll cause your hair to go gray. God will set your feet within a ministry that’ll make you second and third guess your calling. This is not so you have to prove who you are, but God is deliberately testing you, even though He already knows what He’s going to do, pertaining you. (Jeremiah 29:11).

In John 6:5, when the 5000 men (not including women and children) needed to be fed, Jesus asked Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” But then in verse 6 it states, “But He was asking this to test him, for He knew what He was about to do.” Understand, Jesus didn’t question Philip so that He could embarrass him, He did so to see if Philip believed in the power, he’d witness in Jesus numerous times before. In the natural, Philip knew there was no market place available that could give them enough to feed this multitude. However, spiritually, Jesus is the marketplace.

For us, sometimes, we’ll be tested just to see how we’ll respond. Yes, God knows that place of worship is questioning everything, from the color of your hair to your anointing; but will you trust God. Yes, your sermons can be preached to 500 but God is testing to see if you trust Him enough to preach to the 30. Yes, your business model is global but right now, God is testing to see if you’ll trust Him why it’s only local. Yes, your books should be in the hands of the masses but maybe He’s testing to see how you’ll handle being minor.

You must know your test because not every test is of the enemy. Sometimes, the test is God. Second Corinthians 13:5, says, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you– unless indeed you fail the test?” Please understand, failing the test doesn’t mean you fail the course, it simply means you have some work to do. In other words, do you trust God as much as you say? Imagine being Philip and you’re looking at a ‘thing’ that seems like it’s too hard to accomplish. Do you give up or will you pray, “Father, naturally, I don’t have the solution, but I’ve seen the miraculous works you’ve performed, and I trust you to guide me?”