Testing Is For Daughters

“It is for discipline you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” Hebrews 12:7

Are you going through a difficult season and feel like God is mad at you? I’ve been there for years at a time.

Even the most behaved child needs guidance. I think we usually think of harsh pictures when we think of discipline and chastisement. It need not always be that way.

According to Hebrews 12, God chastens and disciplines His children to help them grow. Sometime it happens in what seems like a natural process. My boys complain to me on a regular basis that they are having growing pains. Their little bodies are getting taller by the day and all of that stretching can hurt. I remember those pains in my legs from when I was a kid. After a while, I would realize that I was taller and growing towards maturity. And as we mature, we can handle things we couldn’t before. We can reach shelves we couldn’t before. We can run faster.

It is not all that different spiritually. In order for us to grow, we have to endure some discomfort. Sometimes we have to endure pain. It doesn’t mean that we did something terrible. But if we are going to be shaped into the image of our Savior, we need a bit of pruning. This comes in the shape of trials and tribulations in differing degrees. Some may be mild and some will be gut wrenching. Either way, God will use them to bring about growth.

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I’ve been rolling around in the mire of unfairness unwilling to see what You are doing in me. I submit to the work of Your Spirit and will not resist any longer. In Jesus Most Precious and Holy Name, Amen

Journal:
Do you ever get caught up in a spiritual trial without realizing what it is?
Explain.
Think about the biggest changes that God has made in Your heart.
What situations came before the change?