Extending Your Faith

Good Day Men!

James 1: 2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  (NKJV)

As parents and spouses, sometimes we can be stretched to the limit in the category of patience.  This becomes even worse when our patience is stretched in the workplace as well.  This is often referred to as the Refiner’s fires.  We don’t like being tested especially when we are not prepared and are sent scrambling for answers in God’s Word and elsewhere until the pressure is off.  “Anything to get relief”, is the answer that Satan wants to hear, and he then sends in wrong but applicable answers to your problems only to find out in the short term they work, but in the long term those answers dissolve like sugar in hot tea and you are worse off than before.

An illustration that I have used on occasion is one, which applies to the sailing vessels of yesteryear.  As the wooden ships would get fitted with their masts all would appear well until the first storm at sea occurred.  Wooden wedges would be driven into the mast at the seat in the hull of the ship and in the deck where the mast would pass through.  Wooden mallets would hang by a rope from the mast so that when the waters from the storm would rush onto the deck the second mates would drive the wedges deeper all around the mast to keep the mast from getting too loose and break up the hull below and the deck above.  As bad as this would appear, it actually worked to the advantage of the ship and its crew.  Each storm that the ship weathered, the more solid the masts would become in the seats.  In various other areas the ship was tightened as well in order to better weather the next storm.  In essence, with each storm the ship improved in its ability to weather the next storm.  This is how God wants us to mature in Him.  We may not like the Refiner’s fires in our lives, but we can count on the fact that through our response (not our reaction) we will grow in knowledge and wisdom as we look to God for answers before the storms of life arise.

We need to become well versed in God’s Word so our answers to life’s problems are the correct ones that God wants us to experience.  As you mature in Christ through God’s Word, Prayer, and fellowship with other believers, you will become an anchor of confidence.  Godly confidence is a powerful and positive force.  This level of confidence attracts others and will draw downtrodden believers as well as unbelievers to you for answers for their life’s problems.  We need to be ready to give the right answer.  It’s in God’s Word.  Any other answer is your answer, not His. 

Prayer:  Dear Father in Heaven, Help me to understand patience on Your level, that I may become a more useful tool in Your hands on this level here on earth.  Show me Your resources through Your Holy Word that I may grow deeper in the knowledge and wisdom You have for me as I grow nearer to You.   In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

May God richly bless us as we continue to seek His will, and His way, through His Word.

Have a GREAT Day!!!

In Christ,

Rev. Ted J. Wilkins
Director and Founder of “Good News Brief For Men” Ministries. (Since 1998)

© 2014 Ted J. Wilkins, Good News Brief For Men