- Mar 5, 2024
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Enduring The Refining Process, Through Supernatural Empowerment
Scripture teaches that Satan sometimes desires to sift believers like wheat, by subjecting us to all sorts of tests and trials. As was the case with Job, we can suffer financial set backs, physical illness, rejection, betrayal, and if allowed to by God, even the loss of loved ones. The New Testament church had to endure persecution, and it wasn't happening by accident. Evil spirits were inciting men to silence the testimony of the church, through violence when necessary. But such attacks prove the extent of our faith when we stand our ground and refuse to deny the Lord Jesus Christ, even in the face of potential martyrdom. Jesus once told Peter that Satan desired to sift him like wheat as well, and this was the subject matter Peter now began to address in his letter:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has given us birth again unto a living hope... In which you rejoice, if for a little while it is necessary at present, having been put to grief amid various trials, that the proving of your faith, much more precious than the gold which perishes and being proven out by fire, might be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom not having seen you love, upon whom not now beholding you believe, yet rejoice with inexpressible joy .... receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:6-9)
The hardships believers have to endure are part of the refining process, a work the Lord allows for a purpose; to reveal just how deep our faith in Christ truly is, and then purify it even more, bringing us to the place where we trust Him with more of ourselves, and be worthy of even greater reward in eternity.
In the Parable of the Sower, however, Jesus talked about those who failed to endure this process but instead fell away during the times of persecution, not being able to withstand what He called "the heat of the day."
And He said to them… "The sower sows the word. And these are the seeds where the word is being sown by the pathway, and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word having been sown into them. And these in like manner are the seeds being sown upon the rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy, yet have no root in themselves but are temporary. Then, with affliction and persecution having arisen because of the word, immediately they are scandalized." (Mark 4:14-17)
Believers were scandalized (σκανδαλίζονται in the Greek) when they rejected Christ under "criminal" interrogation rather than face potentially being beaten or scourged, and some unfortunately were weakening and succumbing to the pressure and threats of the enemy. But what enables some believers to endure this refining process when others cannot? A close look at scripture reveals that those who survived great tests and trials bore one thing in common: Their faith in Christ was immense, despite what they were experiencing. The apostle Paul was clearly no exception, as he reminded the Corinthians in both his letters to them:
24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. (2 Corinthians 11:24-28)
11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 ... Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now. (1 Corinthians 4:11-13)
So the question becomes, what strengthens our faith to be able to endure tests, trials and sufferings? Certainly Satan has not stopped attacking the faithful, and still has every intention of destroying our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ if he can.
The Empowerment Of The Word
Paul taught that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word, and as Jesus likewise taught in the Parable of the Sower, it is the extent to which the word becomes deeply rooted within us that determines whether we can endure "the heat of the day" or not. Those within whom the word dwells richly can face opposition, whereas those in whom it does not cannot.
Jesus also taught that His words were "Spirit and Life," and Paul described the scriptures as being "God-breathed," which means that the word is supernatural, for it breathes the very Life of God into us to empower us unto all things, including enduring Satan's attacks. What some need to understand, however, is that this promise of the word breathing Life into us applies both to the written word and the prophetic word, as the following passage suggests:
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it unto you." (John 16:12-14)
As Jesus said here, the Spirit would tell them of things to come, which is a reference to prophetic insight that would be coming through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Some say this is no longer available to us today, but that is a false teaching. He is constantly revealing what is coming in the lives of His people when they are open to receiving it, whether it be through dreams, visions, prophecy or any other means of divine utterance. Even the prophecy given by Agabus to the apostle Paul brought life, for it supernaturally warned him of things to come so he would know prophetically what is coming in advance, and his faith in the power of God would be strengthened:
8 On the next day we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied. 10 And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” (Acts 21:8-11)
Scripture teaches that Satan sometimes desires to sift believers like wheat, by subjecting us to all sorts of tests and trials. As was the case with Job, we can suffer financial set backs, physical illness, rejection, betrayal, and if allowed to by God, even the loss of loved ones. The New Testament church had to endure persecution, and it wasn't happening by accident. Evil spirits were inciting men to silence the testimony of the church, through violence when necessary. But such attacks prove the extent of our faith when we stand our ground and refuse to deny the Lord Jesus Christ, even in the face of potential martyrdom. Jesus once told Peter that Satan desired to sift him like wheat as well, and this was the subject matter Peter now began to address in his letter:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has given us birth again unto a living hope... In which you rejoice, if for a little while it is necessary at present, having been put to grief amid various trials, that the proving of your faith, much more precious than the gold which perishes and being proven out by fire, might be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom not having seen you love, upon whom not now beholding you believe, yet rejoice with inexpressible joy .... receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:6-9)
The hardships believers have to endure are part of the refining process, a work the Lord allows for a purpose; to reveal just how deep our faith in Christ truly is, and then purify it even more, bringing us to the place where we trust Him with more of ourselves, and be worthy of even greater reward in eternity.
In the Parable of the Sower, however, Jesus talked about those who failed to endure this process but instead fell away during the times of persecution, not being able to withstand what He called "the heat of the day."
And He said to them… "The sower sows the word. And these are the seeds where the word is being sown by the pathway, and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word having been sown into them. And these in like manner are the seeds being sown upon the rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy, yet have no root in themselves but are temporary. Then, with affliction and persecution having arisen because of the word, immediately they are scandalized." (Mark 4:14-17)
Believers were scandalized (σκανδαλίζονται in the Greek) when they rejected Christ under "criminal" interrogation rather than face potentially being beaten or scourged, and some unfortunately were weakening and succumbing to the pressure and threats of the enemy. But what enables some believers to endure this refining process when others cannot? A close look at scripture reveals that those who survived great tests and trials bore one thing in common: Their faith in Christ was immense, despite what they were experiencing. The apostle Paul was clearly no exception, as he reminded the Corinthians in both his letters to them:
24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. (2 Corinthians 11:24-28)
11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 ... Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now. (1 Corinthians 4:11-13)
So the question becomes, what strengthens our faith to be able to endure tests, trials and sufferings? Certainly Satan has not stopped attacking the faithful, and still has every intention of destroying our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ if he can.
The Empowerment Of The Word
Paul taught that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word, and as Jesus likewise taught in the Parable of the Sower, it is the extent to which the word becomes deeply rooted within us that determines whether we can endure "the heat of the day" or not. Those within whom the word dwells richly can face opposition, whereas those in whom it does not cannot.
Jesus also taught that His words were "Spirit and Life," and Paul described the scriptures as being "God-breathed," which means that the word is supernatural, for it breathes the very Life of God into us to empower us unto all things, including enduring Satan's attacks. What some need to understand, however, is that this promise of the word breathing Life into us applies both to the written word and the prophetic word, as the following passage suggests:
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it unto you." (John 16:12-14)
As Jesus said here, the Spirit would tell them of things to come, which is a reference to prophetic insight that would be coming through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Some say this is no longer available to us today, but that is a false teaching. He is constantly revealing what is coming in the lives of His people when they are open to receiving it, whether it be through dreams, visions, prophecy or any other means of divine utterance. Even the prophecy given by Agabus to the apostle Paul brought life, for it supernaturally warned him of things to come so he would know prophetically what is coming in advance, and his faith in the power of God would be strengthened:
8 On the next day we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied. 10 And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” (Acts 21:8-11)
