Are You Passing Your Tests

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By Rachael Mushala 

Often as humans,we approach academic work with much seriousness and discipline because we know that if we fail there are consequences, and if we pass we get promoted to the next level and even graduate.But we don’t approach God with the same seriousness.We take advantage of His loving kindness and we fail so many tests He puts in our way and yet we expect Him to promote us to the next level.

I used to think the same way,that when it comes to spiritual matters its more relaxed than academic work.That was until a few days ago when God taught me that the same discipline is required even in our spiritual lives.If we don’t apply discipline, we will remain at the same level.Our relationship with God has many levels and only when you pass the test can God promote you to the next level. He can never ever promote you if you fail the test.If you fail the test,you remain at that same level and after a while God will bring that test back to you again, and if you pass, He promotes you,but if you fail, you ll have to go through the test again, even if it takes years of going through the test, but God ll not promote you till you pass it.

Dont think you can fail a test and that’s the end,you ve overgone it. No!When you fail a test,you repeat it. In short,when you fail a test, you are just delaying your own progress.Often times,one of the ways we may fail God’s tests is by murmuring and complaining. Even in our hearts. Do you know that the thoughts of your heart are pronounced loudly in heaven. In the spiritual realm you don’t have to open your mouth to speak. You communicate just by thoughts.

God hears our every thought.And when we go through trials,those stages in our lives when things are very difficult and it seems as though things will be this way forever,instead of trusting God through it all,we often complain.When we do this we fail the test,which means we just earn ourselves another round of going through that same test till we pass it.

Before God taught me this, I didn’t realize I kept going through the same things over and over just because I kept failing the test!I didn’t realize it was the same test coming back till I pass it.God kept bringing it back because I kept failing it. He couldn’t take me up till I passed.God’s tests are not something you can forgo.If you fail,it ll keep coming back till you pass it. There’s a particular test I ve been going through in ministry since 2012. When I experienced it in 2012, I instead of just trusting God, and just giving thanks,and trusting that He knows what He’s doing.

I began to try to make God to get me out of it by complaining. I complained in order to make God feel bad so that He gets me out of this situation. By reacting this way,I failed the test.It came back again later on somewhere in 2013 and I reacted in the same way and therefore I failed the test again.I kept failing this test till some days ago when God gave me this lesson.He told me,”you are just delaying your own progress “And immediately I understood and changed my whole attitude about it all.And thats when God began teaching me about tests and how we fail them,thereby delaying ourselves.God is our Father.He understands our pain, He understands all those things that cause us pain,but He says through it all,give thanks. “Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

1 Thessalonians:5:17-18. God doesn’t want us to complain and murmur about anything.Murmuring doesn’t move God,it just makes things worse for us coz we extend the test.Instead,God wants us to pray about everything and give thanks in everything. This is maturity.God wants us to trust Him.He knows what He’s doing.No matter what happens, whether good or bad,God wants us to trust Him and give thanks.We are to have confidence in Him.

His plans for our lives are good not evil.(Jeremiah 29:11).So no matter how bad something may seem,know God is just using it to bring good things to you. ” And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Romans:8:28. So dont complain.Pray then trust Him.God actually hates murmuring and complaining. It’s the opposite of faith.And only faith can move God to action, complaining can’t. You ll just be earning yourself another round of the same test till you pass it.God actually hates complaining. If you read numbers 14,you ll find that in verse 26 all the way down,God punished the Israelites for complaining and murmuring.

We too fail the test when we react in this way and God can’t promote us till we learn.He’s a loving Father who wants to hear all our sorrows and pain but He wants us to pray and trust Him. Even Jesus warned against worrying.Another way we fail tests is by exalting ourselves. Lack of humility. God can’t trust you with greater power until you have passed this test.God can bring this test in different ways.For example, He can let you go through humbling circumstances to see how you ll react. Are you going to accept where God has put you and be faithful there?Or are you going to exalt yourself and complain.”God how can I still be here?This person just got born again and look at where you ve already taken them!”

As long as you are still thinking this way know that you have not yet passed this test and you are hindering your own progress. I remember the time I was praying for the Holy Spirit baptism.I gave God a timeframe. I had my own expectations. When ever I prayed,I gave God a time frame to “do it now”.But the very day I said ,”God, let your will be done.Am ready to wait for your time.You know what you are doing. I ll wait for you.”When I did that that’s when I even got the answer.God can let other people succeed faster than you or get their answers faster than you. But that’s just according to your view of course. Everything God does is perfect, He’s never late. So when God puts you in that humbling situation are you going to let His will be done?Even when His will may seem ‘slow’ according to your expectations? When you think you should be at this high place by now,or this and this should be happening to me by now. And you think God is slow and you know better,you still haven’t passed this test and until you pass it you can’t be promoted to the next level.

Be patient and wait on God.Be willing for God to do His will in your life.And am telling you,God greatly loves you and He’s never slow.He’s very eager to give you what you want.But He wants you to humble yourself and He will exalt you.He resists the proud and if you exalt yourself in your mind and think you deserve to be at this high place by now instead of where you are, you still haven’t passed the test and are hindering your own progress. Of course we all have dreams and aspirations and that’s not wrong. But when we can’t be faithful where we are and think we deserve better, that’s pride and we are yet to pass the test of humility. We can’t be promoted till we pass it.God resists the proud,and He brings them down. But He exalts the humble. Total surrender to God means you give yourself and let God do whatever He wants, however long it takes.And am telling you,God is perfect and never delays.His timing is perfect in everything.So instead of being jealous when someone gets blessed before you do.Instead of thinking its you who deserves the blessing not that person, humble yourself and be faithful where God has placed you.Humble yourself and God ll exalt you.Humility starts from the thoughts of your heart.When you pass this test,theres a reward.He promotes you.But if you fail,you remain at the same level and the test ll keep coming till you pass it.

Another test we may face is when God fulfills your needs.Its very easy to seek God when you are in desperate need of something from Him. But when your need is satisfied, are you still going to seek Him as desperately? Or are you going to forget God?And so how will God test you to see how you ll react when He blesses you?He gives you an iceberg of your blessing. This is a test.God has so much for you but He doesn’t give it all but just gives you an iceberg of it.In our human eyes we may think that’s all there is and relax and even forget God because of that small blessing which ll seem really big to our human eyes.

But if despite the blessing you still remain faithful to God,you pass the test and God rewards you and offloads the bigger blessings!He has proved you can be trusted with bigger things.But if you forget God just because you are no longer in need.You close your own door to the bigger blessings God had for you.It means you failed the test and can’t graduate to the next level where those bigger blessings are.And God also sometimes takes away our blessings to see if we ll still trust Him and be faithful. that’s another test.

God gave Abraham the desire of His heart by blessing Him with the birth of His son Isaac.But when God told Abraham to kill Isaac (in short God was taking away that blessing)Abraham remained faithful to God.He didn’t begin complaining and murmuring to make God reverse His command.He humbled Himself and knew God knew what He was doing. He passed the test and qualified for the bigger blessings God had in store for him.Job’s wealth and children were also taken away but he didn’t complain and say,”God am serving you faithfully but how come you are letting this happen?how come unbelievers are succeeding and am left with nothing?”He knew God is wise and he trusted God and still served Him faithfully. He passed the test and God promoted him to the next level.

There are so many different tests we may face but the key is unwavering faith in God,and being transformed to be like Jesus.We can’t pass any of these tests unless God does it in us.We can do nothing of our own will and power.God has so much for us,but if we don’t realize we are being tested and we keep failing the tests,we hinder our own progress Trust God.He’s working everything for your own good, to make you grow and to perfect you.Keep a close fellowship with Jesus and have total dependence on Him.Ask Him to help you pass all the tests He puts in your way that you may grow.shalom