When it looks like everything’s gone wrong, God’s giving you a trial. He’s got confidence in you. He don’t have to baby you around. You’re not a hotbed plant, a hybrid. You’re a real Christian. God’s giving you a test, see what you’ll do about it. Amen. No wonder Peter said, “These fiery trials, why, count it a joy. It’s—it’s more precious to you than gold.” And many times we hum and haw, “Oh, well. If I just…” Well, that—well, that’s something God give you to overcome. He—He—He knows you’ll do it. He’s—He’s—He’s put his trust in you “
63-0421 Victory Day
You mustn’t question anything to God. “For the footsteps of the righteous is ordered of the Lord.” And every trial is put upon you to prove you. And the Bible said they’re more precious to you than gold. So if God let a few light afflictions happen to you, remember, it’s for the correction of you. “Every son that cometh to God must first be chastened of God and tried,” child-trained. There’s no exceptions, “Every son that cometh…” And these afflictions are done or brought—brought about to see what attitude you’ll take. See, it’s God on this proving ground. That’s all earth is, is a proving ground, and where He’s trying to prove you “
57-0901E Hebrews Chapter Four
He that cometh to God must first be tested. Tested what? With the Word. That’s God’s test. Do you believe it? He that cometh to God must be tested. That only shows a true child (See, see?): be tested. And when the test comes on, you can’t overcome ‘less there’s a test give to you. And when a test is given, it’s to see whether you can overcome or not. And Jesus said, “To him that overcometh,” the test. The test is the greatest thing that ever happened to you. And I believe it’s written in the Scripture, Peter said that our trials are worth more to us than precious gold. It’s a testing time; it’s… And one good evidence to us that God is with us, when we’re tested, for all children of God are tested and tried “
63-0825(M) How Can I Overcome
God brings tensions into the church, “For every son that cometh to God must be tried, and proven, and tested. He lets sickness strikes you. He lets diseases come on you to test you and to prove you, to show the world that you’re truly the seed of Abraham. He permits it by His own will. He permits disasters; He permits the friends to turn against you. He permits all these things, and turns the Devil loose to tempt you, and he’ll do all but take your life. He could throw you on a bed of affliction; he could turn your neighbors against you; he could turn the church against you; he can do most anything, and it’s God’s will for him to do it. We are taught that it is more precious than gold to us “
59-1108 Possessing The Enemy’s Gates
Unless we suffer with Him we cannot reign with Him. You have to suffer to reign. The reason for this is that character simply is never made without suffering. Character is a VICTORY, not a gift. A man without character can’t reign because power apart from character is Satanic. But power with character is fit to rule. And since He wants us to share even His throne on the same basis that He overcame and is set down in His Father’s throne, then we have to overcome to sit with Him. And the little temporary suffering we go through now is not worthy to be compared to the tremendous glory that will be revealed in us when He comes. Oh, what treasures are laid up for those who are willing to enter into His kingdom through much tribulation”
117-2 Smyraean Church Age Church Age Book Cpt.4
IAnd sometime it takes hard trials to break the bands of the world off of us. Sometimes God lets us have a little trial, you know, to see what we’ll do, to take you out of the world. Or other words, let you have a little trial and knock you out of that organization, and that idea that “the Methodist is the only one, the Baptist, or the Pentecostal, or that’s—that’s the only group they got. If you don’t believe it like my church believe it, you don’t believe at all.” Sometimes He lets a little trial happen. Maybe you got a sick baby. Maybe something takes place right at the hour of death, maybe someone taken from you, or something. What’s it to do? To break you away, to show you something, open your eyes “
664-0112 Shalom
That’s the way God does His church. He gives you trial after trial, test after test, trial after trial, test after test, until the life of Christ is reflected in your life, until you become peaceful, sober, meek, gentle, humble, ready, submissive, willing, turn your head from the things of the world and looking straight to Calvary to the One Who’s doing the beating. Many times you think it’s strange because fiery trials, and sickness, and persecutions; it’s only done to test you, to get the dirt out of you, to get the sludge out of you, to get the slowness out of you, to wake you up to the place where you can look and see the reflection–or men can see the reflection of Christ in you: Christ in you, the hope of glory “
57-0818 Time Tested Memorials Of God
My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him; For whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby “
355-1 Laodicean Church Age Church Age Book Cpt 9
And when somebody begins to make fun of you, say, “She’s old fashion. Look at him, he’s… Oh, I’ll tell you; he used to be…” All right, just remember, it’s growing pains. That’s that persecution’s good for you. It’s growing pains. Oh, yes, He permits crosses and crossroads and junctions. He always does that in order to perfect us for His service. He permits those things to happen. Can’t you understand that? He does that so He can perfect you for the calling He’s called you for. That’s your growing pains. He did Daniel that way, you know. He did the Hebrew children in the fiery furnace. What did the fiery furnace do? The fiery furnace only broke the bands that had them bound. That’s all the furnace did, just burnt loose the bands. Sometimes it takes trials to break the bands of the world off of us, take you out of the world. Might be have to take you out of your creed first. Like the man drowning in the river, you have to take him out of the river ‘fore you get the river out of the man. That’s about the way God has to do sometime. Let them throw you out, one time, then they get the world out of you. Got to—got to get you out of the world first. Sometime these growing pains is what does that. Oh, yes”
64-0119 Shalom
The cloudy skies and storms of life are no signs of God’s disapproval. Neither are bright skies and still waters signs of His love and approval. His approval of any of us is only IN THE BELOVED. His love is elective which He had for us before the foundation of the world. Does He love us? Ah yes. But how shall we know? We shall know because He SAID SO, and manifested that He did love us for He brought us to Himself and gave us of His Spirit, placing us as sons. And how shall I prove my love to Him? By believing what He said, and by conducting myself with joy amidst the trials that He in His wisdom allows to come to pass”
118-2 Smyraean Church Age – Church Age Book Cpt.4
Didn’t mean much more to Job then. He didn’t need no more encouraging. He was a prophet. The Spirit of God come on the prophet. He rose from his ash heap, shook himself. The lightnings begin to flash; the thunders roar. The prophet got in the Spirit. He said, “I know my Redeemer liveth. And at the last day, He will stand upon the earth. Though the skin worms destroys this body, yet in my flesh I’ll see God, whom I shall see for myself. Mine eyes shall behold and not another. For we brought nothing into this world and it’s certain we take nothing out. The Lord gave, the Lord taken away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.” What are we discouraged about? “I’ll see Him at the last day,” yet just as full of boils as he could be. “Yet in my flesh I’ll see Him.” Amen. Oh, my”
54-0301 The Angel Of The Covenant
And Satan come to me. He said, “Now, will you serve Him? Now, what do you think about Him? Your daddy died about a–two weeks ago in your arms. A doctor killed him with a dose of medicine.” Said, “Your brother, less than a month ago, was killed up there on a–on the road, and you picked him up and his blood running out of his body, where a drunk run over him.” Said, “There lays your wife down here in the morgue. And now, He’s taking your baby out of your arms.” Said, “You still love Him?” I said, “Though He slay me, yet I love Him. If He sends me to hell at the judgment day, He’s just. I love Him anyhow”
57-0519A Hear Ye Him
And sometimes we think that our burdens… I might inject this right here, that we think our burdens are so heavy sometimes, that there’s nothing like it in the world. Do you know all those things are good for you? They are all to mold you, make you. Prophets and sages was molded on the backside of the desert in the hot blazing sun, through tribulations, and trials, and persecutions. And these things that we have today, there’s nothing happened to us that hasn’t happened to other Christians before. Other Christians has had to stand in the hour of darkness like this, and even be fed to lions for their testimony”
63-1216 We Have Seen His Star And Have Come To Worship Him
You’ve got to have a battle. If everything comes lazy, why, you’re… What are you overcoming? They overcome by the Word of God and their testimony, the Blood of Christ. You’ve got to overcome something, and you’ve got to have some obstacles. And people that different, and fuss with you, and tell you you’re holy-rollers, and things, you—that’s put before you, it’s a trial. If you haven’t got that, then you’re not even in the battle. What did you join the church… What did you join the Army and get training for? To lay around, strut up and down the streets and show off? That’s the way some Christians act, that we want to be looked up to. You ain’t going to be looked up to. You’re going to be looked down on. “For all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecutions.” Pick up the Sword, cut everything free from you, and keep going on”
62-0408 Presuming
Don’t be scared. God’s driving the winds. God’s driving the ark. He has all things provided. Why, Noah wouldn’t have had any victories, wouldn’t have been storms and trials. If we’re just put through a little safe tunnel to run through, there’s no joy. The storms of life, what makes us have the joy. We’d never know what daylight was ‘less we had some dark. We’d never know what a hilltop was ‘less we had a mountain. We’d never know what good health was ‘less you had some sickness. You’d never know how to enjoy salvation ‘less you was once a sinner. God’s made all things, the law of contrast. He loves you”
55-0522 The Ark
Great fearful waves are out here before us, but we know just beyond that wave yonder we’re nearing the shore. See? We’re nearing the shore. Just stay stable. Just stay in the Word; stay with God. No matter how you feel, what anything else, stay right with the Word. Let–let–let it stay stable. When you see all these great big old clouds around us, and storms a-coming, and atomic bombs, and everything else they’re talking about; but our stabilizer is right straight in the Word. God said it would be here; we’ll crest every one of them. Yeah. We’ll go right over the top of them. Yes, indeed. They–they can’t sink us; they can’t drown us. You put us in the grave; we’ll come out again. That’s just all there is to it. There ain’t no way in the world to keep it down there. We’ll caress every one of them, ’cause our great Chief Captain is calling at the other side. (We’re anchored in Jesus, The storms of life I’ll brave; I’ve anchored in Jesus, I’ll fear no wind or wave)”