Endurance, Part 2

I Peter 1:7; "These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." (NLT) I am sure that each one of us desire for our faith to be lived out in a genuine manner. We desire for our life to be able to endure the trials and struggles that confront us. But we must always remember that we do not have to only depend on our own strength to endure; we can put our sincere trust in God who is able to bring us through the tests that we will face. Each one of us will face and some of us are presently facing those moments in which our faith walk with God is going through the process of purification. These are not easy moments to deal with but they are important moments on our journey. These "moments" allow us to focus on the maturing of our faith. God desires for our faith and trust in Him to grow strong and vibrant. The Apostle Peter reminds us that the process of fire tests gold and removes the impurities. I was blessed by this translation of the scripture that reminds us that our faith is "far more precious than mere gold." The enemy seeks to make us feel less than "precious to God" when we are facing those fiery moments of trials and challenges. The enemy desires for us to feel that we are in a time of spiritual drought and that God has forgotten and forsaken us. The enemy seeks for us to believe that God is punishing us or that God is out to destroy us. At all cost we must remember that God desires to purify, strengthen, and increase our level of maturity as we face the trials of life. Reflect on this thought today: God offers to help you, giving you strength and His supernatural power to sustain. Philippians 1:6, "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns" (NLT). We can trust in the certainty of God and the promise that He will complete what He started in our lives at the time of our conversion. Rejoice in the strength and purposes of God!