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Summary: We tend to get what we expect out of life. According to our faith, it will be done to us. Pastor Rick and Pastor Holladay teach four ways that God tests our faith.

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HOW GOD TESTS OUR FAITH

Rick Warren

February 10-11, 2007

Pastor Tom and I want to talk to you about, How does God test our faith?

The Bible says in Matthew 9:29 "According to your faith it will be done unto you." That’s one of my favorite verses in the Bible. What are you expecting God to do in your life? This is the law that God has established. It’s called the Law of Expectation. The fact is, we tend to get what we expect out of life. We tend to see what we expect to see. We tend to hear what we expect to hear. We tend to feel the way we expect to feel. We inevitably accomplish what we expect what we’re going to accomplish. This is the law of faith. God says you get to choose. Because "According to your faith it will be done unto you."

Another important verse on faith in the Bible is Hebrews 11:6. "Without faith it is impossible to please God." How many of you are parents? How many of you are pleased when your children trust you? God is the same way. God is our heavenly Father and God is pleased when we trust Him. That’s why the Bible says without faith it’s impossible to please God.

You can obey God. You can do the right thing and still not be pleasing God because you’re not doing it in faith. So it’s important to learn how to live expectantly as you learn to live by faith.

"Whatever is not of faith," the Bible says in Romans 14, "is sin."

Because that’s true we need to talk tonight about how do we grow in our faith. In Luke 17:5 the apostle said to Jesus, "Lord increase our faith." How do you do that? I’d like to have more faith. I know you’d like to have more faith. If that’s what pleases God then I want to have more of it. The question is how? If faith is what makes my life rewarding and fulfilling and confident how does God build my faith?

Let me ask you this: do you take vitamins for it? No. Is there some kind of therapy you go through to have your faith built? No. Is there some seminar that’s going to build your faith? No, not really.

Here’s the secret. And it’s not really something you’re real excited about when you first hear it. But the truth is God builds your faith and my faith by testing it. He builds our faith by putting it to the test, by trying it. Faith is like a muscle and when it’s stretched and it’s pulled then it develops. When you test your muscles against weights then your muscles develop. And your faith develops as it is tested.

You don’t develop your faith just setting on your blessed assurance in church. James 1:3 says this "The testing of your faith [circle this] develops perseverance [circle "develops perseverance"] so that you may be mature and complete." He says the purpose of these tests is that our faith, our perseverance will grow and will be mature and complete.

Job says the same thing speaking from experience in Job 7:17-18 "What is man that You make so much of him and that You give him so much attention and that You examine him every morning and test him every moment." Circle "test him." Did you realize that God is testing you every moment of your life? In the Purpose Driven Life book I talk about how life is a test and it is temporary assignment and it’s a trust. These are the facts of life. Every moment of the day your faith is being tested. In fact all this past week it was tested and all this next week your faith is going to be tested.

Every day you have faith building opportunities. The problem is most of us don’t recognize them when they’re there. We flunk the test because we don’t even realize it is a test and that God is trying to help us grow.

So if God wants me to live by faith and if God builds my faith by testing it then the natural question is how does God do it?

I want to give you the four ways that God tests our faith so that you’ll be aware of them. Actually there are more than these but I just want to cover the most common. These are the four most common ways that God tests and builds our faith. You’ll probably get tested on every one of them this week. Count on it. In fact you’ll probably have them sometimes in a day.

1. God tests our faith through difficulties.

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Bruce Ball

commented on Sep 25, 2008

Very good message, Pastor Warren. It is a good message to re-read from time to time to keep ourselves on track. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Obed Edon Oliveira

commented on Aug 12, 2020

I would just like to say that I make your words mine.

Jeff Martin

commented on Sep 25, 2008

thanks for this work of love i am a bi voc. & reading this lets me know that test faith builds strength & hope for all that we reach in our labour for GOD Rev. jeff martin

Sheila Hamilton

commented on Oct 14, 2008

Pastor Rick, great message. I understand very well why my daughter and son-n-law, Tonya and Richard Barnes love your teaching so much. As a parent and a minister it is wonderful to know that they are covered spiritually by so great a ministry. Thanks

Sheila Hamilton

commented on Oct 14, 2008

Pastor Rick, great message. I understand very well why my daughter and son-n-law, Tonya and Richard Barnes love your teaching so much. As a parent and a minister it is wonderful to know that they are covered spiritually by so great a ministry. Thanks

William Hernandez

commented on Jan 6, 2010

Beautiful sermon Pastor Rick. thank you for sharing

William Hernandez

commented on Jan 6, 2010

Beautiful sermon Pastor Rick. thank you for sharing

Berno Nilsson

commented on May 17, 2011

Thank You Dear Rick, - for the teaching we have heard before, but not eaten with such appetite. Because Gods Sprit given you such wonderful gift of vivid explanation of what it is that happens to us, and why.

Maribel Loera

commented on Jul 16, 2011

Thank you Pastor Rick for your message,it blessed me,when I read that there is a smile in God when we trust him,it broke my heart,I started crying and I prayed the dangerous prayer,I said,Lord please increase my faith.Thank you.God bless you Pastor.

Joshua Powell

commented on Apr 8, 2012

Pastor, I liked what you wrote and a lot of it makes sense. But I really never understood the concepts of God "testing our faith". If God is Almighty, he is surely omniscient. Meaning he knows everything that was, is and will be. If that is correct, why would God ever have to test humans? Would he not already know who is faithful? Why would God have to test how we''d react to certain demands or hardships? If he''s God, certianly he already knows these things. So please explaine why an ALL KNOWING God would have to test anyone?

William Simms

commented on Aug 15, 2013

Hi Joshua, I read your post just today. I believe I understand your question. So I share this observation. There is a difference between a test and a temptation. Test are permitted by God but they are purposeful. It is like passing from one grade to the next. James 1 says, "Count it all joy when you go through divers kinds of test, knowing that the trying or testing of your faith worketh patience (Test are purposeful) but let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect, (mature, complete) lacking nothing." Peter also talks about the testing of your faith, again purposeful. However, Temptation comes from the enemy to bring you down and destroy you, but I rather say, testing is permit by God to push you up." So test are not bad, we just need to pass them so we can be mature and complete, lacking nothing. (It is a process.) Bless you brother.

Santosh James

commented on Oct 24, 2013

Hi Joshua, There is purpose behind the tests. At school it was only the tests that showed us how much we knew and how much we knew was right. God knows everything, but I don't. The tests are designed to promote me not fail me. The tests itself will show whether I will lean on God or myself. God is building character in his children and all the tests are designed by a loving Father to build the character of His Son in us.We are called to reign, but in His kingdom only those with his character can reign. Alternately it is called fruit of the Holy Spirit. Think of a Christmas tree and a an apple tree. How easy it is to run down and collect the colourfully wrapped gifts, so is it to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But for the apples to come, and to reach full maturity it takes a lot of effort.God the gardener comes looking for fruit( John 15). Even the way we uses our gifts are a test!!Read Deuteronomy 8:2 too, it will help you. God Bless

Billy Smith

commented on Feb 13, 2014

It is for us! and in part for him, it's like when you first came into a relationship with him HOW AWESOME was that! That day you realized you where a sinner and how you needed a saviour and you found him, rather he found you. Did god know your your salvation would happen on that day? Yes! He did, did you? No! What happened after your salvation? Maybe something like this, oh thank you father, thank you, thank you. For us to discover his love and power. and in part for him he gets ALL the glory. Like when you buy someone special a gift they have ALWAYS wanted you know how they are going to react! It's something they couldn't ever get themselves, did it ruin the surprise? Even when you knew how they would respond, no! In fact you knowing their response makes you the more excited

Mike Brenneman

commented on Jul 11, 2020

HI Joshua, I just found a question you wrote to Rick Warren 8 years ago, here's part of your question: "If God is Almighty, he is surely omniscient. Meaning he knows everything that was, is and will be. If that is correct, why would God ever have to test humans? Would he not already know who is faithful? Why would God have to test how we'd react to certain demands or hardships? If he''s God, certainly he already knows these things. So please explain why an ALL KNOWING God would have to test anyone? " Joshua, I've put some study time into this concept and believe it is misunderstood. God's omniscience and omnipotence are used to make arguments of logic, but those 2 words are never mentioned in the Bible. Yes, Mt 19:26 "...with God all things are possible." Is God powerful enough to create human beings, that have free will and can make decisions that God doesn't doesn't know for sure they will make? Please consider what God reveals about himself. He tells us that He didn't expect that people would choose to be as evil as they were in Gen 6:6-7 "6The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” It seems to me God tell us here, that man surprised God, by choosing to be more evil than God expected?" Please consider Gen 22:12 God says "for now I know that you fear God..." The word now is a time statement, meaning that God did not "know" for sure what choice Abraham would make before that moment. Here's a tricky one: Is 46:10 teaches that God can declare "...the end from the beginning," It doesn't say He can look at the future as though it has already happened, but He can make anything happen that He wants. Example: He wanted Jesus to die on the cross so all people could be saved. So God made it happen, with Jesus' cooperation. He made sure what he stated in PS 22 would happen. Thus he declared the end from the beginning. In short: Great question Josh. Hope this gives you some concepts to consider. I admire you for seeking the truth. Blessings, Mike Brenneman -- evangelist. mike.brenneman@outlook.com

Jerameel Fabella

commented on Nov 21, 2013

What a wonderful message!Can I share it to my fellow church members pastor Rick.Thanks

Jerameel Fabella

commented on Nov 21, 2013

What a wonderful message,Pastor Rick ,can I share it to my fellow church members? Thanks.

Richard Arndt

commented on Dec 16, 2013

As in the case with Job, the "tester" was satan. It is my understanding that God is not the author of sin, but God authorizes sin (free will choices). My understand of testing, trials, temptations is that satan is the creator and initiator and God is authorizes satan to carry on in this world. In other words, God does not create the test, trial or temptation... satan does... and God allows it. To say that "God is testing me" suggests God directly creates the test, trial, temptation... that God is authoring and implementing the test. This does not seem right. Is it appropriate to say "God is testing me"? Please clarify. Thanks.

Agboola Olanrewaju

commented on Jul 8, 2014

Good Day, Genesis chapter 22 from verse 1 to 12 is a classical example of God testing Abraham. In verse 12 God said now I know. This shows that Abraham passed the test. Major tests from God include test of Obedience and test of our love for Him. Thank you.

Paul Ugame

commented on Feb 21, 2017

I'm spiritually fed Pastor

Anteneh Tsegaye

commented on Oct 7, 2017

It is an quite a sermon that changes our prospective in a lot if dimensions. Thank you Pastors.

Ken Ochola

commented on Jan 2, 2018

Thanks for the massage.

Banonie Olad Mwale

commented on Oct 24, 2018

Wow! I like all the discussion of faith. Thanks pastors for the good mesaage. May God continue blessing you all.

Winter Kamusuma

commented on Nov 14, 2018

Very powerful and very inspiring message . Glory be to the Living God .

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