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Devotional

Are you being tested?

Proverbs 17:3 says, “The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts.”

Tests are a part of life. God will lead you into circumstances for the purpose of testing you.

You may be in a challenging situation right now. It may be a relationship gone sour. It may be a stupid situation at your job. Perhaps you are dealing with unmet expectations or some emotional “funk” that you can’t define and can’t shake. You’ve lost your joy and you can’t get it back.

Welcome to the test.

Do you see your same sour reaction surfacing time and time again? God is testing you.

Do you fail to get the recognition that you deserve, or think you deserve? God is testing you.

Are you working a job for which you are WAY over qualified? God is testing you.

Is there an “hard to love” person in your life that you just know God wants you to love? God is testing you.

Remember this. God doesn’t bring tests into our lives so that He can see what’s happening in your heart. He brings them into our lives so that we can see our own heart.

Trials don’t make you angry; they reveal the anger that is already there.

Trials don’t make you sour; they reveal the bitterness that is already there.

God reveals it to you so that you know it’s there and so that you can deal with it.

Lately, I’ve seen some ugliness surface in my own life. I was not pleased with how I was reacting in certain situations. After struggling with the Holy Spirit, I finally prayed. I like to pray with an open Bible. I know the Psalms can be very helpful for our emotions, so I opened to the Psalms and looked for a verse to apply to my life. I found it. Here it is: “My eyes are ever on the Lord, For only He can release my feet from the snare.” Psalm 25:15.

Our tests can be a snare to us. The way to get out is to look continually to the Lord. Keep your eyes EVER on the Lord! And you will pass the test.