1 Peter 1:7 says,
'‘that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.’
In order for gold to be proven pure it has to be tested. It has to go through the fire. And even though it passes the fire test, it can still perish. What Paul is saying in 1 Peter 1:7 is that like gold, your faith has to be tested. It can best be explained by looking at the life of Job. Job 1:8-12 says,
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
Ordinarily when you hear that, you tend to focus on the fact that God gave Satan permission to attack Job; which immediately diverts your attention to Satan and the attack. But what if you redirected your attention to Job? What exactly was God doing to Job? He was proving the genuineness of Job’s faith. And not just proving it to Satan, but to Job! And if you're under fire right now then He's proving the same to you. God wants you to see if you really believe like you say you do. He wants you to prove that you're the person you 'post' to be. Because by doing so, you, your enemies, and Satan get to see if you're really 'about that life.' Am I saying that God put you in the fire? Absolutely not! But while you're in it, you and everybody else will get to see if your faith is fireproof. Because then and only then will you get to see if your faith was in God or in something or someone else. Pray this with me: Heavenly Father, please forgive me. I've been so busy posting about what I believe that I forgot to spend time with Whom I believe. I was so focused on my mess and this test that I started to question and blame You and for that I ask You to forgive me. Lord, show me ME and not who I pretend to be. Prove to me who I am really am so that I can know who You really are. In Jesus' name.
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