Everything is a Test
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I believe it was Rick Warren who said, “Everything is a test.” It’s true too! “The Lord tests the righteous.” (Ps. 11:5). Many times I will say something I am sorry I said, speed through traffic or get angry at someone holding up some line. A few minutes later, I’ll remind myself, “I failed that test.” If everything is a test, then if we fail a test that means we will just have to be tested again until we at last pass once and for all! So, the wisest thing we can do is each day have the attitude, “I am going to be tested today. Help me Lord to pass each test and learn to please you in all I do.” Let’s take a look together at some of the types of tests we must go through.
1) The Test of Pressure: Some people are required to be tested more severely than others. Difficulties, hardships, temptations and pressures all become a test. Remember, the only way to turn a worthless black, ugly piece of coal into a diamond is to apply great pressure. My dad used to train dogs. One time a lady brought her dog to him. She explained that the dog kept chasing cars and she was afraid he might get hit by one. She asked if my dad could help and he said yes. My dad put him in a pen for later training. But, he somehow got out, chased a car and got hit by the car! Fortunately, the dog was not seriously injured. When the woman came back for her dog, she asked, “Is my dog trained?” My dad smiled and said, “He’s trained!” (Ha, ha!). The “pressure” of that car hitting that dog taught it a lesson that would likely save its life!
The three most dangerous jobs in the world are:
1) Demotion (blowing up buildings!);
2) Falling Timber;
3) Crab Fishing. (I think we could add to that list:)
4) Failing tests God give us!
The Word is full of people who failed God’s tests: Adam and Eve are the most notable. Look at the price the world’s paid for their failure! Your family will pay for your failed test! Winnie Ruth Judd was a woman who felt the call of God to be a missionary. She disobeyed the call. She and two female roommates were all interested in the same man. One day, Winnie took a pistol and shot and killed both women. One was dismembered and both were stuffed into a trunk. Winnie then boarded a train with the trunks. Before they reached the destination of Los Angeles, employees on the train became suspicious of a foul odor emanating and fluids coming from the trunks. The police were notified and after picking the trunk locks discovered the two bodies. Winnie was found guilty of murder and sentenced to hang; a sentence which was later suspended and she was committed to a mental institution. As the police arrested Winnie and whisked her away to jail, she could be heard crying to the Lord, “Ill go now! I’ll go now!” But, it was eternally too late. A missionary with a call had failed her test: jealousy had become “cruel as the grave” to her.
There was a woman in a town where I pastored. She and her husband came to our church once in a awhile. I tried to minister healing to their lives, but was unsuccessful. She once shared that she had felt a call as a missionary and was heading in a plane to the foreign field, when fear gripped her heart. She quickly got off the plane. Many years later, she was an alcoholic and a prostitute. She died without ever going to the field. She had tragically failed her test of fear. Let’s renew our commitment to pass the test of every pressure!
Michael Solberg was a wonderful Christian man. He was always upbeat and positive. People would ask him, “How are you?” He’d answer, “If I were any better I’d be twins!” Each day he woke up, he made a decision: “I can be in a bad mood today or I can be in a good mood. I choose to see only good in this day!”
One tragic day, while working, Michael fell 60 feet from a communications tower. (We can only imagine the pain he was in). In that moment, he made a choice to live! At the emergency ward, the doctors looked worried. A nurse asked him if he was allergic to anything. He humorously said, “Gravity.” He told himself, “I choose to live.” The pressure of gravity causing him to hit that ground at high speed tested him more than any experience in his life but he passed the test! If we cannot handle the daily, relatively minor pressures of life, can we really expect to handle the pressures of great pain or even the great trials of the last days? Let’s renew our commitment to pass the test of every pressure! (Let’s take a break!)
Proverbs 17:22 Medicine: A pastor made a house call to one of his parishioners. He knocked on the door and could hear her inside but she never opened the door. To make a point, he wrote a note and stuck it under the door: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.”At the next service, the pastor found a note in the offering plate that she had written: “I heard your voice in the garden but I was afraid, for I was naked! (Ha, ha!)
2) The Test of not quitting: What do you do when you’re wrestling with a gorilla? You don’t quit when you’re tired: you quit when he’s tired! I used to be a quitter. I never could maintain a discipline very long: whether it was a Bible reading program, a book I was writing or a prayer discipline. I would be inspired, leap from the blocks full of confidence, only to eventually (and usually soon) become discouraged and give up the ghost. Then one day the Lord gave me a dream. In the dream, I was wrestling with a demon from hell. I understood that this was the “strong man;” a demon assigned from hell to stop me in my forward progress. I even knew his name: it was Magamba! When I woke up, I knew I had revelation knowledge.
Previously, I had kind of pictured demons floating around tempting him, tempting her. But, I now realized that the devil was better organized than that. Even as the Lord assigns angels to minster to Christians: to protect and serve (Heb. 1:14) from our childhood up (Matt. 18:10); I believe Satan appoints specific demons to “haunt” specific Christians. This is what a “familiar spirit” is all about. A demon followed a person much of their life, knew them well (were “familiar” with them) and after they died could be “conjured up” to imitate their voice and say things that would “prove” that it was indeed the spirit of the departed loved one. But, of course, it’s only a deception! Magamba was “familiar” with my long-term weakness to quit. He had been successful much of my life. But the day came when I learned to wrestle him down for the 3rd count. I am not a quitter any more! Are you wrestling with a gorilla named “Magamaba?” Don’t quit when you get tired. Quit when he gets tired!
Bethany Hamilton was only 13 when she was attacked by a shark while surfing. It almost took her life and left her with only one arm. Her hopes of being a professional surfer seemed dashed on the rocks of reality. But, less than a month later, she was back in the water, learning how to balance herself with only one arm. Now 21, she’s a professional surfer (even won a national championship!), has written 5 non-fiction books and a movie recently came out telling her inspirational story. As a Christian, she learned to pass the test of “not quitting.”
3) The test of failure: When many Christians experience a failure they interpret this as a sign that they shouldn’t “try that again” or surmise “I must not be called to do that.” Or, they blame others for their failure. A pastor told me that one of his men came to him and said, “Pastor, I read my Bible. I pray. But, I’m still not growing. What are YOU doing wrong?” Failure is not a sign that anybody is doing anything wrong!
During the second world war, the USA shared bombing responsibilities with the British. The Brits would do what was called “carpet bombing” at night. Because of the dark, it was hard to pin point targets, so they would just almost indiscriminately drop bombs over large areas of cities. The USA used “precision bombing” by day when they could see the exact targets they were going after. On “Black Thursday:” in one day 290 B-17’s flew a mission over Germany. 60 planes were downed. 600 men were dead or imprisoned. The USA didn’t quit! The “failure” at Pearl Harbor didn’t make us quit. The dead lying on the beaches of Normandy didn’t stop our soldiers from pressing forward. General Patton said, “Wars are fought with weapons, but they’re won by men.” Our weapons may seem to be not doing the job for us. But, it is not a man’s weapons that win wars: it is the man’s heart. “As the man is so is his strength.” (Judges 8:21). Is your heart committed to never quitting?
William Carey is considered “The Father of Modern Missions” inspiring and paving the way for others! He felt a call to do missions work in India. His wife didn’t want to go, but went anyway. She became mentally ill for years and died in India. He didn’t come back home draped over the saddle because he had “failed in his marriage.”
John Wesley was one of the mightiest evangelists in history. Yet, he said of his wife, “She is the devil himself. ” Failure to perfectly fulfill “the man is head of the woman” verse didn’t stop him. Benny Hinn is getting a divorce; his ministry continues. Some people interpret the requirements for leaders in the church in a very legalistic matter. For instance, the Bible says, “If a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God.” (1 Tim. 3:5). So, does that mean that every pastor who divorces or has unruly, backslidden, rebellious children should resign his pastorate? Could you imagine somebody saying, centuries ago “Wm Carey doesn’t have his marriage in order; he is disqualified as a missionary and must come home right away?”
This past week I watched a documentary about children who became murderers. I was surprised to hear the story of a an Assembly of God pastor for whom I had preached for back in Ohio about a decade ago. His teenage son was in a skiing accident and was confined pretty much to his bedroom for months. During that time, he developed a taste for violent video games. His father took them away and refused to let his son bring them into the house. One evening, the boy sneaked out about 2 AM and brought home a violent video game. His mother caught him and his father took the game away. The next day, his son found the key to the lock box where his father had hidden the game. Inside the lock box was a pistol. He took the pistol and went into the living room where his mom and dad were sitting on the coach watching TV, saying, “I have a surprise for you” and shot his mother 4 times and his father in the head. His mother died and his father was seriously injured but recovered.
His son was given a life sentence. The boy became repentant over what he had done and even became a real soul winner in prison. His father forgave his son and actually stood up in court for his sentencing to plead his case. This pastor truly had passed the test for forgiveness. However, there are judgmental people who would say that he shouldn’t be pastoring because he wasn’t fulfilling the scriptural requirement to “rule his own house.” Had that pastor failed because he couldn’t keep his son “in line” enough to prevent a murder? He continued to serve God, pastor a church and love his son. That is success in my mind! And, I believe God looks at failure a lot differently than we do.
Speaking of failure, California’s ex-governor, Arnold Schwarzenneger became Mr. America at 20, a top notch movie star, a millionaire, married to a Kennedy and even governor. But he failed in being faithful to his wife and lost his marriage. His son dropped his father’s last name. And Arnold became a subject of late night comedians. Scripture defines failure like this: “What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul.” (Mark 8:36). Arnold gained the “whole world” but lost his wife and son and reputation. And, if he doesn’t come to Christ, he’ll lose his soul too. The loss of a soul is the ultimate failure: not never being rich or famous!
4) The Test of Love: Jimmy Butler ‘s father left him and his mother when he was just an infant. Later, his mother kicked him out of the house when he was 13 saying, “I don’t like your looks.” The young black boy wondered from home to home for years. In the summer before his senior year of high school, a white woman, Michelle Lambert, took him into her home to live with her husband and 6 other children. She gave him unconditional love. He went on to become a college basketball star at Marquette University and was recently drafted into the National Basketball Association during the first round! This beautiful story of love was made into a movie, “Blind Side.” If you haven’t seen it yet, rent the DVD today. It truly shows the power of passing the test of love. A mother failed the test and forever lost her son. But a stranger took the boy in and made him her son and passed the test of love. It made him a champion and her a hero and media star! Are you turning anyone into a champion because of love?
I was a young and very insecure preacher boy. I had resigned my position as a youth minister, and Kathy and I (who had been married less than a year) moved in with my parents. I began speaking with District Supervisors about pastoring a church but God did not give me favor at that time. No doors were open to me. I got a job doing janitorial work. I had been asked to speak at a junior high camp that summer and it was there that I met Dr. Roy Hicks, Sr. the District Supervisor. He saw God’s hand on my life and offered me a pastorate in Wyoming. That was the first of varied ministries that Dr. Hicks appointed me to through the years. God gave me great favor with him. He even bought a home with his own money and let Kathy and I live in it in Walla Walla where we were pastoring. We stayed in his home a number of times; he and I played chess or golf together; and he was like “a father in the faith” to me. I truly believe I would not have made it in the ministry had I not had his help during the earlier years of my life.
One of the women who worked in his office was talking with him about me one day and later reported that Dr. Hicks said, “If you loved Dea like I love Dea.” Love had conquered all my eccentricities and human weaknesses in Roy’s life. And, that love “hoped all things, believed all thing, endured all things” when I needed love the most! There are many unloved and unlovely people out there who need you to pass the test of love so that you will be there for them when they can’t make it on their own. Pass your test!
Keep in mind: “Everything is a test.” Be a serious student. Pass each test so you will never, ever have to take it again!
I believe it was Rick Warren who said, “Everything is a test.” It’s true too! “The Lord tests the righteous.” (Ps. 11:5). Many times I will say something I am sorry I said, speed through traffic or get angry at someone holding up some line. A few minutes later, I’ll remind myself, “I failed that test.” If everything is a test, then if we fail a test that means we will just have to be tested again until we at last pass once and for all! So, the wisest thing we can do is each day have the attitude, “I am going to be tested today. Help me Lord to pass each test and learn to please you in all I do.” Let’s take a look together at some of the types of tests we must go through.
1) The Test of Pressure: Some people are required to be tested more severely than others. Difficulties, hardships, temptations and pressures all become a test. Remember, the only way to turn a worthless black, ugly piece of coal into a diamond is to apply great pressure. My dad used to train dogs. One time a lady brought her dog to him. She explained that the dog kept chasing cars and she was afraid he might get hit by one. She asked if my dad could help and he said yes. My dad put him in a pen for later training. But, he somehow got out, chased a car and got hit by the car! Fortunately, the dog was not seriously injured. When the woman came back for her dog, she asked, “Is my dog trained?” My dad smiled and said, “He’s trained!” (Ha, ha!). The “pressure” of that car hitting that dog taught it a lesson that would likely save its life!
The three most dangerous jobs in the world are:
1) Demotion (blowing up buildings!);
2) Falling Timber;
3) Crab Fishing. (I think we could add to that list:)
4) Failing tests God give us!
The Word is full of people who failed God’s tests: Adam and Eve are the most notable. Look at the price the world’s paid for their failure! Your family will pay for your failed test! Winnie Ruth Judd was a woman who felt the call of God to be a missionary. She disobeyed the call. She and two female roommates were all interested in the same man. One day, Winnie took a pistol and shot and killed both women. One was dismembered and both were stuffed into a trunk. Winnie then boarded a train with the trunks. Before they reached the destination of Los Angeles, employees on the train became suspicious of a foul odor emanating and fluids coming from the trunks. The police were notified and after picking the trunk locks discovered the two bodies. Winnie was found guilty of murder and sentenced to hang; a sentence which was later suspended and she was committed to a mental institution. As the police arrested Winnie and whisked her away to jail, she could be heard crying to the Lord, “Ill go now! I’ll go now!” But, it was eternally too late. A missionary with a call had failed her test: jealousy had become “cruel as the grave” to her.
There was a woman in a town where I pastored. She and her husband came to our church once in a awhile. I tried to minister healing to their lives, but was unsuccessful. She once shared that she had felt a call as a missionary and was heading in a plane to the foreign field, when fear gripped her heart. She quickly got off the plane. Many years later, she was an alcoholic and a prostitute. She died without ever going to the field. She had tragically failed her test of fear. Let’s renew our commitment to pass the test of every pressure!
Michael Solberg was a wonderful Christian man. He was always upbeat and positive. People would ask him, “How are you?” He’d answer, “If I were any better I’d be twins!” Each day he woke up, he made a decision: “I can be in a bad mood today or I can be in a good mood. I choose to see only good in this day!”
One tragic day, while working, Michael fell 60 feet from a communications tower. (We can only imagine the pain he was in). In that moment, he made a choice to live! At the emergency ward, the doctors looked worried. A nurse asked him if he was allergic to anything. He humorously said, “Gravity.” He told himself, “I choose to live.” The pressure of gravity causing him to hit that ground at high speed tested him more than any experience in his life but he passed the test! If we cannot handle the daily, relatively minor pressures of life, can we really expect to handle the pressures of great pain or even the great trials of the last days? Let’s renew our commitment to pass the test of every pressure! (Let’s take a break!)
Proverbs 17:22 Medicine: A pastor made a house call to one of his parishioners. He knocked on the door and could hear her inside but she never opened the door. To make a point, he wrote a note and stuck it under the door: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.”At the next service, the pastor found a note in the offering plate that she had written: “I heard your voice in the garden but I was afraid, for I was naked! (Ha, ha!)
2) The Test of not quitting: What do you do when you’re wrestling with a gorilla? You don’t quit when you’re tired: you quit when he’s tired! I used to be a quitter. I never could maintain a discipline very long: whether it was a Bible reading program, a book I was writing or a prayer discipline. I would be inspired, leap from the blocks full of confidence, only to eventually (and usually soon) become discouraged and give up the ghost. Then one day the Lord gave me a dream. In the dream, I was wrestling with a demon from hell. I understood that this was the “strong man;” a demon assigned from hell to stop me in my forward progress. I even knew his name: it was Magamba! When I woke up, I knew I had revelation knowledge.
Previously, I had kind of pictured demons floating around tempting him, tempting her. But, I now realized that the devil was better organized than that. Even as the Lord assigns angels to minster to Christians: to protect and serve (Heb. 1:14) from our childhood up (Matt. 18:10); I believe Satan appoints specific demons to “haunt” specific Christians. This is what a “familiar spirit” is all about. A demon followed a person much of their life, knew them well (were “familiar” with them) and after they died could be “conjured up” to imitate their voice and say things that would “prove” that it was indeed the spirit of the departed loved one. But, of course, it’s only a deception! Magamba was “familiar” with my long-term weakness to quit. He had been successful much of my life. But the day came when I learned to wrestle him down for the 3rd count. I am not a quitter any more! Are you wrestling with a gorilla named “Magamaba?” Don’t quit when you get tired. Quit when he gets tired!
Bethany Hamilton was only 13 when she was attacked by a shark while surfing. It almost took her life and left her with only one arm. Her hopes of being a professional surfer seemed dashed on the rocks of reality. But, less than a month later, she was back in the water, learning how to balance herself with only one arm. Now 21, she’s a professional surfer (even won a national championship!), has written 5 non-fiction books and a movie recently came out telling her inspirational story. As a Christian, she learned to pass the test of “not quitting.”
3) The test of failure: When many Christians experience a failure they interpret this as a sign that they shouldn’t “try that again” or surmise “I must not be called to do that.” Or, they blame others for their failure. A pastor told me that one of his men came to him and said, “Pastor, I read my Bible. I pray. But, I’m still not growing. What are YOU doing wrong?” Failure is not a sign that anybody is doing anything wrong!
During the second world war, the USA shared bombing responsibilities with the British. The Brits would do what was called “carpet bombing” at night. Because of the dark, it was hard to pin point targets, so they would just almost indiscriminately drop bombs over large areas of cities. The USA used “precision bombing” by day when they could see the exact targets they were going after. On “Black Thursday:” in one day 290 B-17’s flew a mission over Germany. 60 planes were downed. 600 men were dead or imprisoned. The USA didn’t quit! The “failure” at Pearl Harbor didn’t make us quit. The dead lying on the beaches of Normandy didn’t stop our soldiers from pressing forward. General Patton said, “Wars are fought with weapons, but they’re won by men.” Our weapons may seem to be not doing the job for us. But, it is not a man’s weapons that win wars: it is the man’s heart. “As the man is so is his strength.” (Judges 8:21). Is your heart committed to never quitting?
William Carey is considered “The Father of Modern Missions” inspiring and paving the way for others! He felt a call to do missions work in India. His wife didn’t want to go, but went anyway. She became mentally ill for years and died in India. He didn’t come back home draped over the saddle because he had “failed in his marriage.”
John Wesley was one of the mightiest evangelists in history. Yet, he said of his wife, “She is the devil himself. ” Failure to perfectly fulfill “the man is head of the woman” verse didn’t stop him. Benny Hinn is getting a divorce; his ministry continues. Some people interpret the requirements for leaders in the church in a very legalistic matter. For instance, the Bible says, “If a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God.” (1 Tim. 3:5). So, does that mean that every pastor who divorces or has unruly, backslidden, rebellious children should resign his pastorate? Could you imagine somebody saying, centuries ago “Wm Carey doesn’t have his marriage in order; he is disqualified as a missionary and must come home right away?”
This past week I watched a documentary about children who became murderers. I was surprised to hear the story of a an Assembly of God pastor for whom I had preached for back in Ohio about a decade ago. His teenage son was in a skiing accident and was confined pretty much to his bedroom for months. During that time, he developed a taste for violent video games. His father took them away and refused to let his son bring them into the house. One evening, the boy sneaked out about 2 AM and brought home a violent video game. His mother caught him and his father took the game away. The next day, his son found the key to the lock box where his father had hidden the game. Inside the lock box was a pistol. He took the pistol and went into the living room where his mom and dad were sitting on the coach watching TV, saying, “I have a surprise for you” and shot his mother 4 times and his father in the head. His mother died and his father was seriously injured but recovered.
His son was given a life sentence. The boy became repentant over what he had done and even became a real soul winner in prison. His father forgave his son and actually stood up in court for his sentencing to plead his case. This pastor truly had passed the test for forgiveness. However, there are judgmental people who would say that he shouldn’t be pastoring because he wasn’t fulfilling the scriptural requirement to “rule his own house.” Had that pastor failed because he couldn’t keep his son “in line” enough to prevent a murder? He continued to serve God, pastor a church and love his son. That is success in my mind! And, I believe God looks at failure a lot differently than we do.
Speaking of failure, California’s ex-governor, Arnold Schwarzenneger became Mr. America at 20, a top notch movie star, a millionaire, married to a Kennedy and even governor. But he failed in being faithful to his wife and lost his marriage. His son dropped his father’s last name. And Arnold became a subject of late night comedians. Scripture defines failure like this: “What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul.” (Mark 8:36). Arnold gained the “whole world” but lost his wife and son and reputation. And, if he doesn’t come to Christ, he’ll lose his soul too. The loss of a soul is the ultimate failure: not never being rich or famous!
4) The Test of Love: Jimmy Butler ‘s father left him and his mother when he was just an infant. Later, his mother kicked him out of the house when he was 13 saying, “I don’t like your looks.” The young black boy wondered from home to home for years. In the summer before his senior year of high school, a white woman, Michelle Lambert, took him into her home to live with her husband and 6 other children. She gave him unconditional love. He went on to become a college basketball star at Marquette University and was recently drafted into the National Basketball Association during the first round! This beautiful story of love was made into a movie, “Blind Side.” If you haven’t seen it yet, rent the DVD today. It truly shows the power of passing the test of love. A mother failed the test and forever lost her son. But a stranger took the boy in and made him her son and passed the test of love. It made him a champion and her a hero and media star! Are you turning anyone into a champion because of love?
I was a young and very insecure preacher boy. I had resigned my position as a youth minister, and Kathy and I (who had been married less than a year) moved in with my parents. I began speaking with District Supervisors about pastoring a church but God did not give me favor at that time. No doors were open to me. I got a job doing janitorial work. I had been asked to speak at a junior high camp that summer and it was there that I met Dr. Roy Hicks, Sr. the District Supervisor. He saw God’s hand on my life and offered me a pastorate in Wyoming. That was the first of varied ministries that Dr. Hicks appointed me to through the years. God gave me great favor with him. He even bought a home with his own money and let Kathy and I live in it in Walla Walla where we were pastoring. We stayed in his home a number of times; he and I played chess or golf together; and he was like “a father in the faith” to me. I truly believe I would not have made it in the ministry had I not had his help during the earlier years of my life.
One of the women who worked in his office was talking with him about me one day and later reported that Dr. Hicks said, “If you loved Dea like I love Dea.” Love had conquered all my eccentricities and human weaknesses in Roy’s life. And, that love “hoped all things, believed all thing, endured all things” when I needed love the most! There are many unloved and unlovely people out there who need you to pass the test of love so that you will be there for them when they can’t make it on their own. Pass your test!
Keep in mind: “Everything is a test.” Be a serious student. Pass each test so you will never, ever have to take it again!
