How serious is God about the testing process required for every believer? I offer as proof the most common divine examinations you and I will undergo—a list that’s by no means complete. See if any of these tests sound familiar.

Test of Trust:
Jesus repeatedly confronted people on their lack of faith—His disciples first and foremost. This is far and away Jesus’s most common rebuke. He practically never (if at all) cites a person’s pride, lust, anger, or woundedness—it’s almost always about faith. Is this because trust in God is the foundational source upon which all subsequent Christian maturity is built? You can tell everything about a person by who/what they turn to in need..

Test of Pain and Silence:
Don’t we just love this test! Paul calls this the “test of affliction.” Abuse, trauma, disease, failure, poverty, heartbreak, loneliness, loss of loved ones—the list is almost endless. There’s nothing like suffering to deepen our dependence on God. A drowning person clings with a desperation unequaled at any other point in their life. As if this test wasn’t tough enough already, God will often go silent just when we need Him most. Even His own Son felt forsaken in the hour of His greatest need…

Test of Temptation:
God never tempts nor does He ever cause evil, but He does allow us to be tempted. So temptation in effect is another test, and one that’s obviously at the heart of the Acting-Out Cycle. Most of us are very familiar with this test! Familiarity, however, is not remotely the same as actually passing this test!

Test of Routine/Boredom:
As an addict, expect to spend a lot of time in this test. Makes you wonder about Moses; I mean, 40 years herding goats is boredom and routine to the extreme. Maybe this is why he ended up as the most humble man who ever lived?! There is nothing like the pressure of no pressure to reveal the real you.

Test of Isolation:
Moses in Midian, Elijah in the desert, Jeremiah in the cistern, and Paul in Arabia. And your family thinks you’re crazy. Your followers flee the scene just when you need them most. Feeling lonely, abandoned, rejected, and betrayed? Are you friendless, single, separated, or divorced? It’s probably a test!

Test of Warfare:
We wrestle not against flesh and blood. Probably the most intensely exhausting thing I’ve ever done was wrestle with some friends back in my high school days. I was physically fried within a matter of minutes, yet this is the analogy Paul uses to describe spiritual warfare. To tell the truth, American Christians don’t even believe in demons! (A particular soapbox of mine; don’t get me started…)

Test of Identity:
Who are you? No, really? Is your identity based on your job? A role like husband/wife or mother/father? All these things are transitory! In my experience, it typically takes lots of pain and pressure to turn a person into a new creation in Christ!

Test of Failure (Humility):
Moses, Prince of Egypt to goatherder. David and Bathsheba. In a sense, even Jesus failed—for one, He couldn’t save Judas, a man He surely loved. After 3 years and thousands of miracles, exorcisms, and preaching/teaching sessions, Jesus Himself could produce only 120 followers. Even His closest disciples didn’t understand Him or His mission. Everyone, Jesus included, takes this test. Failure almost always precedes the critical character trait of humility.

Test of Success:
Success is another difficult test, especially since it doesn’t usually feel like a test. When you have eaten and are satisfied…then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 8:10-14). It’s so easy to stop depending on God when we don’t need Him. Success also makes you a target for demonic counterattack, and since many Christians haven’t passed the spiritual warfare test, they get sifted like so much wheat, and their destiny is destroyed.

Test of Intimacy:
Intimacy with God is the most important test of them all—the point of all the other tests combined. It’s probably the very test I’ve failed most often. The Holy Spirit really does speak in a still, small voice, so remaining in the Vine all day long feels impossible sometimes. I’ve tried learning how to pass this test by reading books, but honestly, I think this test, like purity, requires both ongoing mentoring and accountability.

Are you starting to appreciate the importance of God’s testing process yet? Are you willing to submit to God’s will for your life and start passing His tests? Annihilate your Acting-Out Cycle, my brothers and sisters, because your Purity—and therefore your Maturity, and therefore your Destiny and personal Promised Land—depend upon you kicking the cycle now and forevermore.

Your Brother in the Battle,

Timothy

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Excerpt taken from Pureheart Ministry’s Basic Training! Stage 1: Operation Purity

Copyright ©2023 Timothy Davis