In each of our lives we can experience many challenges and trials. For those of us who claim to follow the Lord Jesus we should know that He is the one that is there to help us overcome all things.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ 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, ⁸ whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹ receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰ Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, ¹¹ searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. ¹² To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into. (I Peter 1:3-12)

So then, as Peter has declared our faith in Him is being tested by various trials. But why? Because as we overcome each challenge our faith becomes stronger and stronger. God loves us. He loves us so much that He wants us to be challenged in our faith. He wants us to overcome all things. For He is our Father and He is proud of those who overcome. Paul declared God’s glory in this way:

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If this is true, and I know it is by His stripes on my life, then we have no need to doubt what God has said. He stands with the faithful of His truth. If He has pronounced something, it will come to pass. It can only fail through the individual who becomes too afraid to overcome or doubt of His word. Or through dis-obedience. Then that individual is cast aside for someone else of God’s choosing. His will be done! But how do we know this to be true? Consider what happened to King Saul. I will refer you to chapters 15 & 16 of I Samuel. Here God has rejected Saul for his disobedience and anointed David in his place.

¹⁰ Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, ¹¹ “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night.
(I Sam. 15:10-11)

 This demonstrates clearly that our God seeks obedient children right? I suppose your thinking, “yeah but this is Old Testament stuff”. Your right, but Jesus the Son of God also had plenty to say about obedience.

¹⁵ “If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:15-18)

Is that clear enough? For if we have faith, then comes love, then comes obedience to His commandments. His truth. That is what I am demonstrating through Scripture. For if we have fear or doubt about what He said and do not walk in these truths then will any of us be found to be His? Of course not. We would then be counted unworthy and cast out. Fear and doubt is of cowards and unbelief.

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Mat. 6:25-34)

Yes we can be temporarily scared of what lay before us. But we can overcome all things. Be encouraged! He is there, He is real. So then my friends, let us repent and follow the Lord in His Glory! Let us lay down our lives so that we can all be found in goodness and peace of His Glory! Amen and Glory to the King of kings, Lord of Lords!