On this date in 2020, my faith was tested. My dog Leo was receiving a clinical chemo drug which had been promising for around 30 days and then suddenly failed. My hope had seemingly crashed into the abyss. What looked like a positive prognosis, turned once again deadly in an instant.

The temptation was to berate God, to burn Him an effigy. I had done all these things according to His will and it was a blow to my confidence. But I thank God that He made me a new creation, because rather than berating Him, I thanked Him instead. My trust and faith remained strong in Him. Leo was still alive and we were graced with another day. He went onto the next treatment protocol, and quickly rebounded for a time. Hope was restored, and my gratitude grew for God’s hand in this.

In my former life? I can’t honestly tell you where my faith would have been, most likely NON-EXISTENT. I would have blamed myself, blamed the doctors, blamed God, blamed anyone instead of realizing and trusting in God’s will.

Don’t think you are beyond testing! Some believe by doing certain religious things, certain prayers, that they can fly underneath God’s faith radar. You see, it is quite easy to say you have faith when wonderful things transpire in your life, but when bad things happen that is when the test comes. You may think “I am a good person, bad things can’t come”, which is naivety, so when that time comes you may just fail that test of faith.

Satan understood man’s nature, so with Job, he asked God to try this out. He presumed Job would only have faith in God because God graced him with all these worldly things, a wife and family, and numerous possessions. Job was a rich man. So Satan assumed that if all those things were taken away, Job would lose his faith. Satan gambled and lost. Job passed the test of faith! Do you believe Satan just gave up? Think again, he is constantly testing these things to try and show up God. So don’t think you are somehow beyond Job’s testing, or that was just a one-off event.

If you believe you DESERVE grace from God, you are in for a wake up call when the test of faith comes. It is then you may realize that we deserve absolutely nothing from God, but a wrathful death. And if saved, you further realize this truth of being totally undeserving in light of the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus Christ!

How to pass the test of faith? The answer is simple, HAVE FAITH in God! Ask yourself, do you really believe in Him or are you questioning His existence, His power, His provision, His sovereign will power? Because when that test comes, all these things are exposed. You are asked by that test of faith, will you put your in trust God or in yourself or others. And it isn’t “well, both”, there are NO in betweens. God doesn’t play the idolatry game. It is all Him or no one.

Lastly, be thankful if that test of faith comes! It is God growing your faith and exposing any flaw we may have so that we LEARN from it. The tests may come to humble us, they may come to redirect us, or just to wake us up! God always has a perfect purpose, He is not experimenting.

So with your whole heart, mind, and soul, place your faith in God each and every day. Grow your faith, so that you are always prepared for the test which will come!