Video Transcript: Tests in a Walk with God

To get your home discipleship habits in good working order, is a simple concept to  understand. But it is that not necessarily easy to execute to actually accomplish. And if you've tried it in the past, you know how true this is. In a lot of ways, tests come into our life and tests are good. If we see the role that test plays, why God allows us to be tested. So today, we're  going to talk about tests in your home discipleship connection. Now, remember, a test make  you strong. You know, we have tests here at Christian leaders Institute, you study, you have  tests, the tests, exercise your knowledge, I find it interesting in Judges 3:1, these are the  nation's the Lord left to test all those Israelites, who had not experienced any of the wars in  Canaan. I am always reminded of King Henry the eighth son, who he was it kind of Henry the  Eighth, he was so worried that his son would die of disease and not take over that he created  this environment where everything was, you know, filled fill with no germs as much as they  could do and so forth. So this kid never hardly went out. And he had this almost laboratory like environment. And in late in his teens, he died of diseases like he had zero resistance. I think  tests are very important. Tests make us stronger. They inoculate us against dangers. When a  child falls down. They learned something. You know, I often believe that some of my greatest  strength were right on the heels of some of my greater failures. Because the test, the test  asked me who I am, they ultimately made me stronger. So tests are very important. We need  to have the Apostle Paul talk about a test. II Corinthians 12:7, to keep me from becoming  conceited because of these surpassing great revelations, there has given me a thorn in my  flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. A lot of times we think about messengers of  Satan, that it's just a bad thing, but God allows even the devil to test us. The devil thing will  not win in Christ. But these tests make us stronger. Make us depend on the Lord more. Help  us become more humble. We need to have so now we want to walk with God. We want to be  in ministry. We want to do ministry training. Do you know that when you signed up to do  ministry training, a test began, I caught the test of ministry training, walk preparation fell  through are all part of ministry training. And when you're at the training here itself, to even  accomplish the classes is a test. And this test strengthens your muscles, your ministry at  muscle, your ministry abilities I Thessalonians 2:4. On the contrary, we speak as men  approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men, but please God who tests our hearts. It it's fascinating to me. I have met now. The houses of Christian  leaders, Institute graduates traveled various places in the United States, the world and Brian  de Cook has met these leaders as he's traveled recently in Africa. Abby, now Dominiak My  daughter has traveled and met people. Brian Mintz, I mentioned Steve Elzinga. Board  members, and one of the things that we find is that a graduate of Christian leaders Institute  has been tested. When they started ministry training, there was spiritual warfare that tried to  stop you, you probably know what I'm talking about stuff you just can't make up. Get tested,  you're thinking many people had limited amount of English and they've had to be tested on  their knowledge of English, some of them had to take the English literacy classes, they were  tested as to who they really were, do they really want to grow, there were tests with their  priorities, all these tests came. But I'll tell ya the tests make for a more powerful through the  power of the Holy Spirit, a more connected ministry leader, without these tests. And I've also  seen the opposite. I've seen people who are in ministry leaders, or they're in ministry,  leadership positions, where they've had no education, where they've had few tests, they just  kind of do things, how they feel, and they call it the Holy Spirit. And I've seen the damage that  has come to so many lives. So we are tested. And the tests are very important. So let's talk  about some of these tests. Well, one test is the test of the flesh, Deuteronomy 8:16, he gave  you manna to eat in the desert, something your father's had never known to humble and test  you. So that in the end, it might go well with you. That's right. The test of the flesh were flesh  and blood. And that test alone asks questions about our leadership. Sometimes were tested 

in a desert, things go really poor in our life for a while. Deuteronomy 8:2, remember how the  Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these 40 years to humble you and to test you,  in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments. I know that desert experiences are often no fun. But they test you. They test us. It's often in  those desert experiences that the Lord showed up in his saves, you know, many of you have  talked about that in your testimonies. And as you write your testimonies, when you share your desert experiences, you encourage others, hey, I had desert experiences the Lord showed  up. Yes. Don't despair. What's truly in your heart? Those are the issues. tests do come. What  is in your heart? Well, what about the test of personal responsibility? Galatians 6:4, each one  should test his own actions, then take pride in himself without comparing himself to someone  else. Can you actually accomplished something? You know, I've talked about ministry training, can you actually stick with it get this first class actually done? After you do the first class? Can you find a way to get the next class done? Can you take responsibility of this? Despite the  fact that I know that there are challenges? I don't know what you're going through right now. I  don't know your situation. I don't know how it is that you can even get any of these classes  done. But will you take responsibility and actually get things done? And I know the tests are  all over the place. And that's not just the only test. Maybe you have the identity tests that are  read before you. II Corinthians 13:5, Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith,  test yourself. Do not realize that Christ Jesus is in you unless of course you fail the test. And I  trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. Who are you? Who are you at the  core of your existence? If at your core, you are not in the Lord, definitely quit this ministry  training. There's a test. And I know you struggle with sin and I struggle with sin. I know we  struggle with spiritual warfare. But at our essence, despite all of our struggles with the flesh  and with sin and with warfare Jesus says, if you're not for me, you are against me. Are you for Christ? Are you one, who in the end of the day persecution came to you? Would you say I  follow Jesus? You know, there are so many stories that are coming out of the world right now,  of people I heard a story of, of people who are being who a bus was overtaken by some  extremist of another religion. And the extremists would ask people whether or not they  believed in Christ, if they believed in Christ, they would be executed. Many were executed.  Some were not. In the early church, that was an issue with martyrdom, people would then,  you know, fail this test. And then after they failed the test, they felt so bad. And there was a  whole discussion about how to come back. Now, fortunately, God is gracious. And we can fail  the test of identity, and ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen us. And God's unconditional love  comes back to us. But the test is very important that we ask ourselves, who are we? Are we in the faith? Now, having said all that, there are common tests that we get challenged with, that  will affect ministry training, they'll affect whether we need a devotional life, whether we can  lead others in ministry, let's just talk about some of them. Here's what let's call them, common  walls that test us the wall of procrastination, you know, putting things off the wall of our  feelings, we just can't do anything because our feelings just keep us away. And I don't feel like doing this. I don't do it. The test of a critical attitude. This test is whatever you do you just  have such a critical attitude, that it's stymies you, nothing's perfect. You know, you do ministry  training, and you find that you find a typo, or you find something not perfect. And you know, at  Harvard, they would have that done that way or at the community college, you would be this  way. And then it stymies you. And you're like, I don't think I'm gonna do this. Well, you know  what, you probably treat the rest of your life that way. In fact, everyone who knows you know  that you have a critical attitude, and it constantly tests you. And maybe you were raised by  critical parents. It's this critical wall is critically there. And it always critically holds you back.  Now, brother, sister, I'm not being condescending to you at all, I just want you to thrive. And if  that critical attitude has held you back, and that wall is testing you, it's time by the grace of 

God, to start seeing the sunny side of life in the Holy Spirit, to see where things operate and  can work and be better. Maybe for you, it's just, you're unfocused, and you're open to  distraction. Hey, many of us understand that, you know, I, you know, there's all these new  labels of things. And I will add ADHD, and dyslexia, I understand. I am a third dyslexic. And I  am very distractible. And I understand that is very difficult at times to stay focused. And it's  almost like, you know, the test of focus. And for many years of my life, I just struggle to be  focusing on and maybe that's your struggle. And, you know, back in those back when I grew  up, we didn't have Ritalin and stuff like that. And I would never recommend Ritalin because I  had to learn how to focus without any drugs, I had to focus on my will to get it done. Now,  when I say this, I feel almost like Oh, I'm not better than anybody. I'm not better than you and  all these things. I just know it can be done. By God's grace through the power of the Holy  Spirit. We can face our walls, you can face your walls, I can face my walls, and we and  through the power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God and help from other people. We can face them and move beyond whatever holds us back. I believe that I believe that for you.  Maybe it's lack of boundaries with people, you know, maybe your life is so filled with pleasing  others, that you can't get anything done and you're so drained and you're so an empty, that  you just feel like I can't do anything. And maybe for you is that test of, you know, what  relationships need to be in my life. There are certain relationships Have that bring me down.  And that's my test. Or I have so many wonderful religions, relationships, I just need to find a  way to be alone. So I announced to everyone from this time to this time, I'm working on my  ministry training from this time to this time, this is what I have a walk with God. You know,  some people I have a life that's so difficult to single mom, if you're single mom out there, you  just running this race? How is it that you can find some time? It's about boundaries. And I  know you can do it and you can get help. You know, it is, it is difficult. It is difficult to do  anything that is building and growing. Maybe it's the test of sin. And, yes, you understand it,  and sin is ever so close, you know, really sin is ever so close to all of us. But if you're  struggling with a sin right now, this is the time to bring that before the Lord asked for his  power in his healing. Or maybe to confess it to someone else and to work on this. Now,  understand, like Paul have a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan. Let even the fact that  you have sinned in your life and you have some struggle, let it not take you down and push  you out. Maybe that struggle with that one thing will be there your whole life. But you've  learned how to minimize its impact. You've learned how to, by God's grace, keep it in a place  that does not harm your ministry, publicly or does not harm your ministry in your relationships  and does not harm your marriage does not harm your home. We're not talking like perfect  people, we know we are saved by grace, and we are as sanct on a sanctifying journey. But  there's a wall that holds you back faith that wall and bring it before the Lord. And I understand  when you bring for the Lord, what will happen next is major spiritual warfare. And maybe  that's a wall that you have. And in a lot of ways, all these tests have this in common. They ask us who we really are, are we a called minister? Are we called Christian leader? Are we called  revival leader? Are we those who, as it says in the book of Hebrews 11, and we are not of  those who shrink back and are destroyed, but are those who believe and are safe? Those  who believe in our saved? Who are we? Are we people of faith, you know, our surround my  life with people who are saying yeah, and there, you can do it, go for it, I want to encourage  you to do the same. There are tests, the tests make us strong, you know, we will all have  various tests. You know, just recently, a few months ago, this is now October of 2019. In June  of 2019, my father had the test of death, the work of death. And it was incredible. I was with  him at the end, the last few days and even when he went unconscious, and but even the  weeks before, I mean, it was becoming clearer and clearer that he had little time on the earth.  And it was amazing how he held on to the Lord in that test in all of his life. As a Christian, he 

was prepared. And even at the very end, there was a worker, a person, early 20s, who had  contemplated suicide and and who even attempted it with his Subaru car, but the Subaru  wouldn't let him die. And he was watching my dad. And then he came in to watch the  interaction with my dad. And then he came in, he said, I have a question for you. Can you tell  me about a relationship with God? Because I watch people die here all the time. And your dad has joy. When you tell me about his joy. We tell me what it is. I shared the gospel with that  young man. And he said the sinners prayer. And he began a relationship with God because  he saw how my dad was addressing the test of the text of death. was bringing home my dad  hope for my dad going through this. He showed that it was not just end of life care for my dad. It was end of death. Reality death was gone because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here we are beginning our ministry training. And there are the tests to make you better. They can  make you blame others. You can get stymied and quick for these tests, whether the test of  devotion tests in your marriage, or in your personal life. These tests can be used by God, to  strengthen your walk, to strengthen your leadership. Throw it all through. Have you learned to trust in Jesus? Have you learned to trust in God? I ask that God will make himself so real to  you. And I want to conclude this session with a prayer needs prayer. Each of us have been  tested and then continue. And as my father in the last echoed the words of the Apostle Paul, I  have fought the good fight I finished the race I have kept the faith. Now in store for me as the  crown of righteousness was bad the righteous judge will award to me but not only to me, but  to all those who long for his appearance, made that be our attitude, as we are prepared for  ministry, and in the moments that we have on this earth till our last breath. And these tests  come and these tests go May Your grace be ever real. May your power be made perfect in  weakness. May your life be our life. May your hope be our we pray this now in Jesus name.