2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Once we grasp the truth that God has a plan for our lives, (and that hopefully happens early on) we begin to move forward in that plan. As we exercise our faith muscles, our faith increases in strength. The more mature our faith grows, the wiser we become. The expectation is that we would move forward consistently as our faith develops.
Our new nature, given to us at our spiritual birth, desires to please God. Yet, we will always struggle with our old nature always wanting its way. Trials come and trials go, but with every one our character is improved upon.
But what about those trials that refuse to ‘go away’? They perhaps contain the strongest of life lessons. You know, those every day trials that prevent us from living life victoriously.
Trials of this nature usually involve learning how to get along with others. Nothing we say or do brings improvement in them or the relationship. Instead of growing wiser and resolving the situation, despair sets in. Satan manipulates and deceives our flesh, our old nature. Lying to us about what is wrong and setting our focus on ourselves.
We are primed to become distracted by human reasoning and false assumptions. Without realizing it, we have become influenced by Satan to do his will. We get mired down in these kinds of trials with every lie cast upon us by the enemy. We take on the attitude that nothing is going to change and spiritual growth and/or pleasing God fades into the mist. Blindness rules on both sides of the equation.
Perhaps accepting things the way they are in these situations may be the best way to move forward through them. By moving on we leave it up to God to make changes in His timing and will. Forgiving and accepting permits us to throw off the shackles of judgement and condemnation. The liberty to breathe free is ours to claim by the power of God’s word. This sort of example, is a lifeline for those searching for comfort in their own stubborn trials .
So, when trials persist without bringing the desired solution, there is still a way to move forward. Moving forward is possible but it takes a mindset that requires a high level of trust in God. A trust that even though the desired solution has not been realized, our confidence that God is in control and is working out His plan remains steadfast.
Not long ago I read, “There is a higher purpose to be discovered in times of great disappointments.”
But trust me, when great disappointments first arrive, the last thing we want to consider is what the higher purpose might be! More than likely our thoughts are consumed by the pain such disappointments precipitates. While the pain must be processed, we must
Consider the following:
During times of great disappointment, we are particularly vulnerable to fiery dart attacks. Such attacks give rise to an ‘all about me’ mentality. We will be set on a course chartered by self-centered thinking.
Thoughts of false reasoning are attracted by such thinking. Therefore, the pain we encounter, as it is filtered through false reasoning, will only be intensified.
Fiery Darts: Satan's Weapon of Choice 