FATHER will test us in the area of finances to reveal and prove our character!
Moses recorded by The Holy Spirit in Deuteronomy chapter 8:
2 Remember how The LORD Your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey His Commands.
3 Yes, He humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every Word that comes from the Mouth of the LORD.
4 For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell.
5 Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, The LORD Your God disciplines you for your own good.
6 “So obey the Commands of the LORD your God by walking in His Ways and fearing Him.”
Walking in the Fear of THE LORD is vital to you and me becoming fully mature in all areas, especially finances. Is there a more sensitive topic to address?
In the mid-1990s, FATHER tested me in the area of finances. I had my own business and suddenly the revenue ceased. When I inquired of THE LORD, HE spoke to me and said, “you will go through a financial wilderness and it will last for eighteen months.” It didn’t matter what I attempted; I could not generate income. It was my custom to pray for at least one hour before work every morning. I had to do that just to keep fear from gripping my heart. Sometimes it took up to four hours before the fear would leave and peace would return. It looked like we would have to file bankruptcy at one point, but FATHER supernaturally provided. At the end of eighteen months, revenue began to flow again… I passed the test. HE clearly had more confidence in me than I did myself at the time. That test prepared me to handle greater resources than before. Now I know who I am and Who I serve.
Luke recorded by The Holy Spirit in Luke chapter 4:
1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,
2 where He was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
The Holy Spirit LED Jesus to be tested. This test exposed His Character to the devil and established His superiority over the god of this world. This test revealed Who Jesus was and is. When you and I are tested, the test reveals the state of our character and shows us our current level of maturity. Failure provides focus on what needs to be addressed.
If I am failing in an area, I must be willing to change to eliminate that area of weakness. I know better than to hold onto an indefensible position.
I am writing this to you out of Love, not out of need. FATHER has proven time and time again that HE is my Source. I simply want my brothers and sisters to walk in the same revelation. Yes, I know that this revelation is counter-intuitive to what the world teaches. Most revelation is!
King David wrote by THE SPIRIT in Psalm chapter 26:
2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.
In other Words,
Yahweh, You can scrutinize me. Refine my heart and probe my every thought. Put me to the test and You’ll find me true.
And in Psalm chapter 139:
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
And in Jeremiah chapter 17:
10 I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
And in 1st Chronicles chapter 29:
17 I know also, My God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You.
Are you ready and willing to be tested?