God Of Extremes

Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Genesis 22:2

Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. Genesis 22:15-17

In these two verses, we see that God tests Abraham extremely ( or severely), and after Abraham passing the test, God wanted to bless him immensely (very exceedingly). God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his only son, and after he was obedient, God wanted to bless him abundantly. Here we see two extreme aspects of God. God will test you extremely and then bless you exceedingly. God will put you through a lot before blessing you beyond your expectations. His testing is as deep as the deepest point in the Pacific Ocean, and his blessing is as high as Mount Everest's summit. His way of dealing with us is extreme or severe, and there is no place for lukewarmness and complacency.

That is why the author of Hebrews wrote: "It is a fearful and terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God." His hands will discipline and test us severely before placing us in a position of abundant blessings.

God is the God of extremes. He will give you extreme difficulties or tests, and once you overcome them, he will shower you with overflowing blessings. God put Abraham through a tremendous trial of sacrificing his only son to let him enter the season of overflowing blessing. By Myself I have sworn - This means that God has sworn to himself (God has sworn to the highest and ultimate authority, which is He Himself) that he will undoubtedly or surely bless Abraham. Blessing I will bless you and multiply - This means that God will bestow such abundant blessings that they will benefit not just him but also millions of his descendants.

Extreme testing is not intended to depress or hurt you, but to prepare you for the coming overwhelming or overflowing blessing. The Christian life is marked by a series of both tremendous trials and overflowing blessings. He will shower you with blessings (can be possessions and position )when you have passed through the most difficult tests. He doesn't want you to be lukewarm, and his way of dealing with you is not lukewarm. He is always on the extreme side, and he expects you to prepare for it. He is caring and compassionate, but his way of preparing you will be with extreme discipline. His ways and thoughts for you are higher, so he uses his extreme way of dealing to bring you out of your lukewarm state and prepare you for the higher purpose.

Daniel experienced 2-3 instances of extreme testing or challenges (unto death), and each time he came out of it, he saw an overwhelming blessing and increase and was elevated in the Babylonian kingdom. Today, if God has allowed you to go through severe tests or hardships, remain faithful and obedient to God's word; once you have passed through the testing phase, you will enter the place of overflowing blessings that God has prepared for you. The more he tests you, the more he prepares you. Severe testing or challenges are hidden blessings that will elevate and lift you up to become part of his plan. If the King had not received the dream, Daniel would not have faced the test, and he would not have been elevated in the kingdom of Babylon. God uses difficult trails and tests to elevate you.