Well I want to start by saying that we all go through trials and tribulations one way or another. Weather we see something as a trial or not we still go through it. I did this lesson for the youth group at my church about four years ago and thought that it would be applicable for the time we are in today. The youth group had a great understanding of sports so I would use that analogy to describe or explain certain situations to them. I also explained to them that everything that they are going through can be found in the bible to help them go through whatever they are struggling with.
Let’s begin;
In sports, you must go through a process or training before you can play for a team to see if you qualify to participate as a member. Here are eight basic rules to this process.
1. You have rules you need to obey for the game to be played properly.
2. You need to hold a certain grade point avg.
3. You must train daily or weekly one of the two to stay fit.
4. There are times you have to change your diet.
5. As you get bigger in your talents’, you must act a different way because you are representing more than yourself.
6. There will be time you will have to take criticism from your fans because of something you did or didn’t do.
7. In this you have a new person in your life, your coach becomes you small (g) of your life
8. Some training cause physical and metal pain and stress.
I am sure there are other things that you are willing to do for man with no questions asked, but for God we question everything. See this is call conditioning yourself so you can be the best at the task you are given in the game. What you fail to understand is that we go through different types of trials daily some are painless and some over whelming. No matter the outcome, it is a form of conditioning the body and the mind to do more or better than before.
This is how God conditions us for two reasons, one for what is yet to come and for eternity. Conditioning like this takes a lot out of mankind, this is where God tells us that he knows what we can bear weather we think we can or not.
1 CORINTHIANS 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Matthew 4:1-3
Then the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness so that the devil might tempt him. 2 After Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was starving. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “Since you are God’s Son, command these stones to become bread.”
Jesus prior to his ministry what through a trail for forty days to prepare him for the task the Father had for him.
I will now break down the eight for God.
1. If you ❤ love God, you will keep His word for proper living. (The Bible)
John 14:23 ESV
Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
2. Treasure up his word by keeping His commandments.
John 14:15 ESV /
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
3. Speaks about staying fit and the word of God ask us to train to be approved. The word of God I important and we must handle it delicately.
2 Timothy 2:15 ESV
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
4. God ask’s us to fast regularly and pray.
Matthew 6:18 ESV
That your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5. When you receive the Holy Spirit, you will begin to seem different to you family and friends.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
6. The one you are closest to will question your belief; some will even ask if your love is greater for the Lord than for them.
John 15:19 ESV
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
7. Once you are born again you are no longer the same, you now have a new identity because you have accepted the truth Christ Jesus.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Ephesians 2:10 ESV
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 4:24 ESV
And to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
8. You will learn the ways of Christ to be approved.
2 Timothy 3:16 ESV
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
See all these things are a natural byproduct of coming to Christ, we have no problem giving our time for ourselves or even the world which by the way is controlled by Satan for a time. However, for the lord we find every excuse under the sun to do something other than what is expected and complain about everything in Christ.
James 1:12
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
1 Peter 4:12-15
12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised about the fiery trials that have come among you to test you. These are not strange happenings. 13 Instead, rejoice as you share Christ’s suffering. You share his suffering now so that you may also have overwhelming joy when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are mocked because of Christ’s name, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory—indeed, the Spirit of God—rests on you.15 Now none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or evildoer or rebel.
1 Peter 3:18
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,
So I say to you who are you to question my resolve for you, were you here when I created the heaven and earth. Did I come to you for approval in all of creation? No! Did not my son come to earth, and suffered more than any man alive in his last days, was he not tested for 40 days and forty night by the devil. Did he not suffer a death for sinners even though he knew no sin meaning he was sinless and dead for you; who were still full of sin and hate his mortal enemies? However, he took on the cross and died for all of your sins and to his father he says it is done.
This is who you are going through trails for and it is worth it for today and eternity.
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