Growth Through the Trial

My husband and I have been through a lot of difficult things in our lives, and we praise God for all of them! Had we not, we would have never come to know the Lord the way we do. With each trial our faith grew and we experienced the intricacies and beauty of Jesus in a deeper way.

It was marital problems early in our marriage that caused me to seek Jesus as my bridegroom and the lover of my soul. I learned to be fulfilled in Him and that my identity had to stem from my relationship with Christ alone. I wouldn't trade those years for anything!

It was the years that we made very little money and went through several layoffs and strikes that we came to know God as our provider. I feel very blessed for those years because I learned to depend fully on Him for all our needs to be met. As tithers, we experienced firsthand the blessings that come from the covenant relationship, even against all odds! We tested and proved Him as He told us to, and He ALWAYS came through! It never made sense on paper, but He always made ends meet.

The years that my son was away from God, angry, in fights and in and out of jail, taught me how to decree things over him that we were praying and believing to see manifested in and through him. I learned the power of fasting and praising God in the midst of the storm.

It was years of endometriosis, migraines and countless pains and illnesses that introduced me to Jesus as my Healer. I experienced the benefits of what He had already taken upon Himself when His flesh was torn for my healing.

Daily struggles, stress and anxiety have caused me to press in and draw closer to God so that I could experience the ups and downs of life with peace, no longer moved by my emotions or circumstances.

Whether we are in the valley are on the mountain top, there's always opportunities to grow in our faith if we continue to press forward and seek Jesus with passion and tenacity.

Desperation can be a blessing if we use it as a launching pad to deeper depths of His Glory!

I didn't grow in the Lord because life was so perfect, it was often do or die for me. There were times I felt I would lose my mind if I didn't study His Word and spend hours in His presence, praying and worshiping Him until my peace was restored.

The very thing you may be facing at this moment has the potential to destroy you or bring about the greatest growth and blessing you've ever experienced, but the choice is yours. Worry, fear, and doubt will bring about failure and depression. Time with Jesus and studying His Word will produce faith, peace, growth, and a testimony of His goodness!

Psalm 119:67, 68 &71 (NKJV) Before I was afflicted, I went astray, But now I keep Your word. You are good and do good; Teach me Your statutes. It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.

Romans 5:3-6 (TPT) But that’s not all! Even in times of trouble we have a joyful confidence, knowing that our pressures will develop in us patient endurance. And patient endurance will refine our character, and proven character leads us back to hope. And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!

Malachi 3:10 (NLT) Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!

1 Peter 5:10-11 (TPT) And then, after your brief suffering, the God of all loving grace, who has called you to share in His eternal glory in Christ, will personally and powerfully restore you and make you stronger than ever. Yes, He will set you firmly in place and build you up. And He has all the power needed to do this forever! Amen.

John 16:33 (TPT) And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world, you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!