06 – Iype – Trials: Tests and Refinements of Faith
“Iype, a brother in India was having terrible financial troubles. His home was old and had many leaks and problems. He was struggling to find work and his wife and family were looking down on him, doubting him, and causing him great suffering. Iype was becoming increasingly frustrated with God as his circumstances continued to show no signs of improvement.”
More Precious Than Gold: The Value of Faith Tested by Fire
Dear brothers and sisters, the Bible says God tests the righteous (Psalm 11:5, Job 23:10). However, we may not always be tested in dramatic, life-threatening ways. Our faith is more often tested through everyday trials and difficulties, much like those our brother Iype in India was struggling against. The Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart the need to remember this and to remind, not only Iype, but the rest of us.
God tests our hearts. As Jesus says in Luke 8:13, “The seed that falls among the rocks are those who receive the word at once with joy, but because they have no root, they last only a little while. And when the time of testing comes, they fall away.” All of us, from God's perspective, must be tested in our faith.
God isn't looking for a faith that falters under pressure. He wants to look upon us in our trials—financial difficulties, loss of dignity, loss of hope—and say, “This person believes me enough. He believes in my salvation, my truth, my Kingdom, my life, my promises, my redemption, and my salvation, enough to lose his life.” Or will our faith fail when tested? That moment of severe trial proves whether our faith is false or genuine.
First Peter 1:3-8 reminds us, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
Even in the midst of trials, we have a living hope. This hope is not for earthly comfort or improved circumstances, but for an eternal inheritance kept in heaven for us, shielded by God’s power. We rejoice in this hope, knowing that our present sufferings are but a “little while” compared to eternity.
Remember Jesus' words in Luke 10:17-20: "Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” And in Matthew 6:19, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” Our focus should be on eternal rewards, not temporary earthly comforts. As Jesus teaches in Luke 14:12-14, when we give, we shouldn’t expect repayment from men, but from God at the resurrection of the righteous. And in John 6:27, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life.”
Our faith, refined by fire, is of greater worth than gold. Our trials are designed to prove its genuineness, resulting in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Cling to this hope, brother. Trust in God, even when your circumstances fail, even when life doesn’t seem to “work.” God sees your faith, and He is pleased. Continue to abandon and deny yourself for Him. Show Him a level of faith that perhaps you’ve not yet shown, by completely surrendering your will to His. May He be with you in strength, power, revelation, and depth of insight in your heart, keeping you by His grace and in His living hope until His coming.
