If This Finds You... God is Testing You

If you found this video today, it may not be an accident. Maybe you're carrying something heavy. Maybe you've been praying and the heavens feel like they're shut, and a part of you is starting to wonder if God even sees what you're walking through right now. So before you scroll, give me a few minutes, because I believe the Lord may want to say something to you through his word today. What if the thing that feels like it's breaking you is not God punishing you, and it's not God abandoning you? What if you're in a test? Not a test to see if you'll fail or succeed. God already knows that. But a test that he can use to build something in you that comfort never could. Let's open the word and talk about it. Okay, so maybe you're in a place where you're saying, I didn't ask for this. Or perhaps you're being faced with a decision. You're being forced to make a decision that you never thought you'd have to make. Maybe life took a turn and all of a sudden everything feels chaotic. What was familiar is no more. What was certain is now confusing. And you find yourself in this place where you're frustrated and stuck between 2 extremes. Your spirit wants to run to God, feel his presence, and experience his goodness. Your flesh wants to run away from God because of entitlement, resentment, anger, and frustration at the situation that you find yourself in. And that really is the challenge. Because when you face these trials, you're filled with questions. God, why did you allow this? God, why am I going through this? God, why did you choose me specifically? Or things were already hard enough, and now I have to deal with this. Or maybe it's the opposite. Things were going so well. There was so much momentum. I was growing. I was developing. I was finally seeing the fruition of everything I had worked for. Now, all of a sudden, there's this thing that's just blocking the way. You're frustrated with the fact that it's taking so long to see what you would call. Breakthrough or freedom. Let me tell you, this is a season of struggle. This is a trial, and we as believers all face this. James chapter one verse three says, "For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow. For when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." You see, when you enter a season like this. It's not that the test reveals whether or not God will be faithful. Of course, God is going to be faithful. And the test isn't even necessarily about whether you'll succeed or whether you'll fail. But the test, rather, is to bring out something in you that only the fire of trials can produce. It's less about whether or not God is with you. It's even less about the circumstance itself, though at times it feels like that is the primary focus. Really, what this is about is how you Will respond in the midst of the trial. What's more important is not what's going on around you, but the response that comes from within you. Look, I've been there. I know what it feels like to imagine that God is a million miles away. I know what it feels like to wait on an answer and not even be sure if it's coming in the form that you want. And during times like these, I've been tempted, and I know maybe you've been tempted, to demand certainties. We demand answers. We want solutions to the problems that we want fixed right away. We want to know that all of the finances are going to be tied together perfectly by the end of the month. We want to know that that relationship is going to work out perfectly fine. We want to know that the plans we made in our minds in regards to the ministry or the business or the career that God has given to us We want, we want a guarantee that's going to all work out just like we saw it in our minds. But here's the thing. In these trials, when we seek to control the outcome, when we obsess over what we think should be the perfectly ideal circumstance, we miss what God wants to do. And this is where trust and surrender and faith come into play. Because it is tempting to be so obsessed over the problem itself and so fixated on getting the answers how we want them and when we want them that we miss what God wants to do in us. And I know that can be frustrating, and I know that's not always the answer we want to hear. We want guarantees. We want certainties. We want very clear, specific answers immediately. You're not alone. You're not the first one to ever go through a trial where you felt like you weren't going to make it. You're not the first one to feel like maybe God's abandoned you. You're not the first one to be confused because, I was doing everything right. I was doing everything correctly. I faithfully followed what God said to do, and now it seems like a trial has come my way unfairly. I want to show you a biblical example of someone who endured the absolute worst that he could endure, And still had his faith intact. I'm talking about Job. In the book of Job chapter 1, we read this: There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless, a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. Notice here that the scripture describes Job as a man of integrity, a man who obeyed God, a man who feared God. He stayed away from evil. You would think that this would shield him from anything bad happening to him. And that sense of entitlement is a form of self-righteousness that many of us develop. And it actually makes the trials harder because now, because of this entitlement, because of this resentment, because of this sense of I'm owed a perfect life, I'm owed an easy path, that actually robs you of the growth that you experience during those trials. Because you're so focused on what you think you should have or how you think it should be that you never really get down and face what reality is. And so you can never grow from it. Verse 2, he had 7 sons and 3 daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. So he's a wealthy guy. He also had many servants. He was in fact the richest person in that entire area. Job's sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their 3 sisters to celebrate with them. When these celebrations ended, sometimes after several days, Job would purify his children He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. So now we see that his family dynamics are intact. The family spends time with one another. It's basically heaven on earth for them. They're wealthy, they're healthy, they're spending time with one another. Now watch this in verse 6. One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the accuser Satan came with them. Where have you come from? the Lord asked Satan. Satan answered the Lord, I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that's going on. Then the Lord asked Satan, have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless, a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. Satan replied to the Lord, yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is. But reach out and take away everything he has. And he will surely curse you to your face. All right, you may test him, the Lord said to Satan. Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don't harm him physically. So Satan left the Lord's presence. Now, what's interesting is that even though we see this occurrence from the perspective of the heavenly realm, we still don't see the specific reason as to why the Lord allowed Satan to destroy Job's life, bring these trials. Now, some have suggested inaccurately that this is just some frivolous bet that God is making with Satan with Job's life, but we know this isn't true for 2 reasons: A, because God is not petty, he's intentional, and B, we're not given the mind of God here. We're not given the specific reasons. So we understand that there is a divine purpose behind this, but even we as the readers aren't given The very specific reason. Verse 13, one day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting at the oldest brother's house, a messenger arrived at Job's home with this news: your oxen were plowing with the donkeys feeding beside them when the Sabeans raided us. They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands. I am the only one who escaped to tell. While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: the fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds. I am the only one who escaped to tell you. While he was still speaking, a third messenger arrived with this news: 3 bands of Chaldean raiders have stolen your camels and killed your servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you. While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother's home. Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed, And all your children are dead. I'm the only one who escaped to tell you. Job stood up, tore his robe in grief, then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. He said, watch this now, I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord. Verse 22 says, in all of this, Job did not sin, By blaming God, what a powerful response! Even in the midst of great suffering, Job still praises God. Now, as you'll see in the next chapter, Satan witnesses this, and then he goes to God and he says, "Okay, all right. He's praising you now, but take away his health, and you watch his attitude change." So God says, "Okay, you can take his health away. Don't kill him, but you can take his health away." So Satan strikes Job's body with boils from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. He has painful boils, and Job still doesn't blame God. Now eventually, Job's friends get involved. In fact, Job's wife gets involved and says, you should just curse God and die. Her heart's broken. And his friends begin to opine. They're sharing their different perspectives as to why they think Job is facing these trials. They're accusing him of sin. They're giving various different ideas. And then Job himself is responding, defending his innocence. And Job is demanding that God give an answer. Job is being a little presumptuous here, though he's not blaming God. He's saying, I want to talk to God. I want him to stand right in front of me, and I want him to give me a clear explanation as to why I'm suffering the way I'm suffering. Does this sound familiar? I, I still love God. I'm still praising God, but I'm in so much pain. This is very confusing. I don't get why this is happening. I just wish God would come and give me an answer. I wish you would stand before me and give me an explanation. So throughout the entire book of Job, you're going to see this conversation take place between Job and his friends. Again, each one giving their opinion back and forth, human reasoning, foolishness, and then finally God responds. God gives Job a response. Now, what's interesting is he never gives him a specific reason. As to why this happened. But in essence, God is saying there is a purpose because God begins to ask him a series of questions. Watch this. Job 38:1. Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind. So He kind of interrupts their conversation here. Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you. And you must answer them. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? Who supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone, as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Who kept the sea inside its boundaries as it burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it in thick darkness, for I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores. I said, this far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop. In other words, he's saying, I'm God, I'm sovereign, I'm intentional, I'm the Creator. And of course, this reveals that this creative, intentional God, of course, will have a plan. Of course, we'll have a reason as to why. He— does he ever give that reason? No, but that's not the point of trials. Then Job replied to the Lord, I know that you can do anything and no one can stop you. You asked, who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance? It is I, and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. So now, once he's been confronted by the presence of God, once he's been confronted by the wisdom of heaven, suddenly his questions don't seem as important. Suddenly he realizes, okay, you're in control, you're in charge, you're powerful, and I'm just going to trust you. That's what he does. He trusts him because God reveals his greatness to him in a way he had never seen before. Now watch this in verse 12. So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. And as you read, he basically doubles everything that Job had lost. Now, the purpose of the story isn't to give us some formula that says, if you're faithful to God, then what you lose in trials, you'll get double back. Look, I understand we have glorious experiences in heaven awaiting us. I understand that God wants to bless us here and now while we're upon the earth. I get all of that, but here's the other side of the coin. Here's the reality. You're not always going to get what you want. And I know this isn't the comforting answer that we all want to hear. I believe in miracles. I believe in healing. I believe in financial prosperity. I believe in breakthrough. All of that is biblical. But the reality is that Job never got his answer. He got the presence of God. He had an audience with God. God spoke to him, but he never got the answer. He never got the explanation. God never said, here's the purpose behind what I'm doing. Instead, Job had to learn that the answer was simply to trust God. It's not always going to go the way you want it to go. It's not always going to end in the way you imagined it ending. But this is where we have to have faith. This is where true faith is strengthened. It's when you give up the need to control and to understand that you get the most out of the trials that you face. It's when you begin to learn to trust in God, even when you don't have all the answers, especially when you don't have all the answers. And this can be your response. This is what's in your control. You can't control the outcome, but you can control your attitude. You can't control the result of the trial, but you can control your mindset. You can't control how all of this ends, but you can choose to keep the right frame of mind. You can choose to stand in faith. You can choose to trust. You can choose to allow this to strengthen you. Instead of getting bitter and filled with resentment. So no, my friend, this is not a formula that I'm giving you. It's an invitation to stay faithful. It's an invitation to true spiritual growth. And think about this: if a man like Job could suffer, if someone who was considered biblically to be upright and someone who feared the Lord can suffer, then maybe— Trials are not evidence that God has abandoned you. Maybe suffering isn't proof that God's presence isn't there. God is present in the trial. God has not abandoned you. He's not rejected you. This is not his punishment. It's just the way it is as we exist in this fallen world. So here are 3 things that you can do while you endure. Well, you face this season because again, many of these things are outside of your control. In fact, most of them are. Number one, and I need you to hear me here, stop isolating. You need to get around good, godly people. Asking for help, needing help is not weakness. I'm especially talking to fellow young men. We have this thought in our mind, just as young men, where we say, well, because I need help, it means I'm weak. No, it means you're a human being. And we were designed to live in connectivity, not in isolation. In fact, when you're vulnerable enough to ask for help, you're actually giving your friends an opportunity to be there for you in hard times. And good friends actually see an opportunity like that as a privilege. I know when my friends come to me and ask for help and prayer, I don't look at that as a burden. I look at that as a privilege, thinking, wow, this person trusts me, or I'm, I'm glad to know they see me in that way. So you got to fellowship. Stop isolating. Stop locking yourself in your room and doom scrolling on social media. Stop ignoring people's texts and calls. Get out. Go fellowship. Get to church. What are you doing not going to church during this time? You need this now more than ever. Get to church. Don't forsake the assembling of yourself together. Go find good Christian friends. Be around people. I know many will say, well, I don't have a lot of good Christian friends, and it's hard for me to make friends, and nobody wants to be my friend. That's a lie from the enemy. You go and with the right mindset, not with this filter over your eyes where you see everything in a negative light and you interpret everything as a rejection. No, I'm saying go with a biblical mindset. Look to connect with people. Go and be a good friend and connect with godly people. Number 2, You need to be in prayer and the Word daily. This is true of all seasons of life. It is especially true in trials. Make sure that you're making time for prayer and the Word. This will help to keep you strengthened spiritually. This will help to keep you in the right frame of mind. Even, even listen, even, and I know some days are tough, even if it's just 20, 30 minutes in the Word, even if it's just 20, 30 minutes in prayer, You need to be in prayer and the Word daily. Number 3, and this is going to be key too, you need to think biblically. Stop being so negative. Yes, thinking positively is a biblical concept. Whatsoever is true, whatsoever is lovely, whatsoever is pure, whatsoever is honorable, and so on. Think on these things. That's positive thinking. What is faith? Faith is simply to think like God thinks. Stop allowing yourself— and you do allow yourself because you are in control of your thoughts. Take responsibility for your thoughts. You control your thinking. I don't care what someone else told you. I don't care what you've come to believe. I don't care what it feels like. Biblically speaking, you can choose your thoughts. Choose biblically positive, truthful, Thoughts. Stop allowing your mind to be programmed under an old sinful way of thinking and start thinking like a victor, not a victim. There's no such thing as a Christian victim. Everything always happens to me. Nothing good ever comes my way. It's one trial after another. I can't catch a break. God's ignoring me. Those are all lies. And those are all thoughts that if you repeat, you're going to live in such a way that just Compounds the problem. So you have a choice. Either you can choose to think biblically and make this a smoother process, or you can choose to think negatively, feel like a realist. You can be lazy with your thinking and make things a lot worse. The trial is going to be there either way, so you choose how you want to face that. Look, I don't know the exact date that the trial is going to end. I don't know the morning that you're going to wake up and you're going to feel like the burden is lifted off of you, but you, you have to put in the spirit Spiritual practices. You have to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. But I can tell you this, God is doing something. Please hear me and stop. You see how even when I said that to you, God is doing something, that, that the mind wanted to go back to negativity? That's what you have to fight. That's what God is interested in purifying in you. In fact, the trials are proof that God is interested in you. And, and if he wasn't interested in you, he would just leave you alone to become whatever you want it to become. Trials are proof that the hand of God is at work, and trials are proof that he is crafting something in you, the image of Jesus. Yes, there are seasons of blessing. Yes, there are seasons of growth. Yes, there are seasons of prosperity where you feel like everything's working together. But then there are moments. That trials come to strengthen in you what can only be strengthened under pressure. And I'm assuring you of this: this word is true. You will make it, and you're coming out of this stronger. Listen to me now. You're coming out of this stronger. You're going to be more grounded than ever before, and you're going to be more like Jesus than ever before. So Father, I pray. In the name of your Son Jesus, that you would strengthen that one who is enduring a great trial right now. Lord, they may feel confused and frustrated and angry, but you're right there with them. So precious Holy Spirit, be to them that daily strength. Let them sense your presence abiding with them. Let them know the beauty and the glory of your presence. And Lord, help them to not waste this opportunity. Help them to not waste this opportunity. Help them to pass these tests. Help them to go through these trials in a way that they come out more like Jesus than ever before. Let your light shine through them. In the mighty name of In Jesus we pray. I want you to say it, type it in the comments section. If you believe it, type amen. I'm David Diga Hernandez, and I'm an evangelist who travels the world preaching the gospel. And our ministry is an evangelistic ministry that focuses on healing, the Holy Spirit, prayer, spiritual warfare, and of course, soul winning. And we accomplish this mission through media like what you're seeing right now. Through events that we hold around the world, and through church planting. Now, maybe you've become familiar with our ministry over the past few months and you like what you see and you want to get involved. You're saying, you know, I want to connect in some way, I want to help in some way. Maybe you're watching this or you've received from our ministry and you're saying, you know what, that really helped me, or it blessed me. I'm asking you to honor the word of God, to do your part, and to sow where you've been blessed. For one reason, that the Kingdom of God may expand. Pay it forward by becoming a monthly ministry partner. That is, sign up for automatic giving on a monthly basis. To do that, you can go to davidhernandezministries.com/partner. Consider right now, today, a monthly gift of $30. You can also give a single gift by going to davidhernandezministries.com/donate. But would you do something today? Would you do something right now? I know that when you watch this video online, you may feel a little bit like, uh, like disconnected. Like, well, it's just a video I'm watching. I'm not really a part of that. I'm just some random person who just so happened to watch this video. Well, you're here right now. Don't say somebody else, some other time. It's you. It's now. Do your part and help us win the soul of a generation. One more thing before you click away. If this video spoke to you today, let's go deeper. Make sure to check out my teaching titled Don't Confuse Your Thoughts for God's Voice. And remember these 2 things: he is not finished with you, and nothing is impossible with God.