Introduction
In my years of ministry, I have come to learn that God does not and will note use people until He has tested them. God tests people before He uses them. Car manufacturers will never put a car into the consumer market until it has passed all necessary tests to make sure it is safe to use. These tests include the crush test where several models are crushed into a barrier and the process is repeated until they achieve satisfactory results. If man can take seriously the temporary things, how much more God with the eternal.
Job Says in Job 23:10 “For He knows the way that I go and after He has tested me, I will be fine as gold”. God knows where He is leading us and therefore allows us to go through tests that prepare us for what lies ahead. Gold is not gold without fire. For Job to become as gold, he knew he needed the fire, and accepted to go through it.
Examples of people who went through the fire are; Joseph who went from the pit to prison before he could enjoy his dream as Prime Minister of Egypt. Moses was born as the redeemer of Israel even though he grew up in the palace he did not lead until he spent 40 years in the wilderness. In the New Testament, Jesus was led to the desert after baptism, to be tested. After 40 days, He came out to begin His ministry.
Let us look at four possible tests that God will lead allow us to go through before we are launched into greater service.
The Wilderness Test [ISRAEL]
Deut. 8:2, 3 (NLT) Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would really obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people need more than bread for their life; real life comes by feeding on every word of the Lord.
The word “wilderness” is defined as a desert place; a place uncultivated or lived in; a state of disorder Wildernesses are places of:
- Difficulties
- Insufficient resources
- Oppositions
One of the questions most asked in Church is “Why”.
Why the Wilderness Test:
- To humble you
- To prove your Character
- To teach you that you need more than bread
- To discipline us for maturity or self-control
- To reveal to us that it was not our own strength that made us prosper
Our effectiveness and success depends on our response to the various trials or testing.
The Sacrifice Test [ABRAHAM]
Genesis 12:1 – 4 (NIV)
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
- So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.
- The Lord appeared to Abram in Canaan and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
- From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and PITCHED HIS TENT, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east.
- Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.
We love to focus upon the PROMISES…
I will make you a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, you will be a blessing, I will bless those that bless you, I will curse those that curse you, and all of the people of the earth will be blessed through you
- Abraham was 75 years old when the promise was given. Abraham was 86 when Ishmael was born. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.
- And Abraham STILL LIVED IN TENTS up until his death.
Before the fulfillment of the promises—comes the TESTING OF SACRIFICE.
Abraham had three tests
- To leave his parents, friends and his land
- To choose where to live between him and Lot his younger cousin
- To sacrifice his only son, Isaac
The Discouragement Test [ELIJAH]
1 Kings 19:1 – 4 (KJV)
And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, so let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, it is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
1 Kings 19:9-10 (KJV)
And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, what are you doing here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
Discouragement is defined as the act of disheartening or depriving of courage; that which abates or destroys courage—to deprive of confidence.
At some point in life, everyone will face discouragement.
- Elijah had just returned from the great battle ant Mount. Carmel.
- He had just proved to the people that Jehovah is God and the Bible says that everyone bowed down and said “The Lord, He is God.”
- He had just killed over 400 prophets of Baal.
- Now at Jezebels threat, he ran away and quit the ministry.
Every great success in ministry is always followed by a great attack of discouragement from the enemy.
Illustrations:
- When I was visited by auctioneers during a time of relative success in ministry.
- Rick Warren
- On 24th July Rick posted this on his facebook wall; – “This weekend will be my 1st sermon since my son died. In 43 years of ministry I’ve never gone 16 weeks without preaching. I need prayer.”
- Rick and Kay Warren went through one of the most devastating experience any pastor can go through when their son Matthew took away his own life.
Every ministry goes through seasons of discouragement.
The difference is where you place your attention in the time of discouragement.
Dealing with Discouragement
Encourage yourself in the Lord—taking personal responsibility
1 Sa 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
Listen for the Voice of God
1Ki 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 1Ki 19:13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
Make Church/ Fellowship attendance a priority.
Heb 10:25 Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord’s coming is getting closer.
Never forget the power of PRAYER.
Nehemiah learnt how to go to God in prayer through his difficult times.
Neh. 6:9 Our enemies were trying to frighten us and to keep us from our work. But I asked God to give me strength.
The Servant Test [ELISHA]
1 Kings 19:19 – 21 (NLT)
So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field with a team of oxen. There were eleven teams of oxen ahead of him, and he was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and walked away again. Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, “First let me go and kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you!” Elijah replied, “Go on back! But consider what I have done to you. “Elisha then returned to his oxen, killed them, and used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the other plowmen, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant.
2 Kings 3:11 (KJV)
But Jehoshaphat said, is there not here a prophet of the Lord that we may enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.
A Servant is defined as a person, male or female, that attends another for the purpose of performing menial offices for him and is subject to his command.
There are many who wish to serve God…but only in an ADVISORY position.
There are seven demands upon a servant:
A surrender of FREEDOM
Luke 17:10 In the same way, when you have done all the things which are given you to do, say, There is no profit in us, for we have only done what we were ordered to do.
A surrender of TIME
Luke 17:7 if your servant comes in from plowing or from taking care of the sheep, would you say, “Welcome! Come on in and have something to eat”?
Luke 17:8 No, you wouldn’t say that. You would say, “Fix me something to eat. Get ready to serve me, so I can have my meal. Then later on you can eat and drink.”
A surrender of AUTHORITY
Luke 7:8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
A surrender of RESOURCES
Mat 25:16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
Mat 25:17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
Mat 25:18 But he that had received one went and dug in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.
Ten Attitudes of a servant:
- A servant is TEACHABLE
- A servant is SUBMISSIVE
- A servant is PATIENT
- A servant is DILIGENT
- A servant is PRODUCTIVE
- A servant is LOYAL
- A servant has INTEGRITY
- A servant is SELFLESS
- A servant is PROFITABLE
- A servant is TRUSTWORTHY