Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” What are grace words? They build up and do not tear down. They are filled with encouragement that strengthens the one who hears them, as well as the one speaking them. They come from a heart that walks in truth.

Psalm 45:2 was written about Jesus. It says, “You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever.” Proverbs 31:26 says of the virtuous wife, “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.” We have to ask this question: Is the law of kindness on my lips?

David had a prayer. Psalm 141:3 says, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Proverbs 16:24 is two-fold. It applies to the hearer as well as the speaker. It says, “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.”

All our words are first thoughts that germinated in our heart. One seed was planted through one thought. Think about how many seeds would be sown into our heart through meditating on God’s word. Psalm 104:34 says, “May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord.”

There is one condition for walking in grace ~ humility. This is a very familiar verse, yet let’s look at it again. James 4:6 says, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Verse 10 says that we are to humble ourselves before the Lord. I can’t think of a more effective way than through the gift of forgiveness.

Here is a warning for us. Hebrews 12:15 in the J. B. Phillips says, “Be careful that none of you fails to respond to the grace which God gives, for if he does there can very easily spring up in him a bitter spirit which is not only bad in itself but can also poison the lives of many others.” Serious words. When we are sinned against, God’s grace is instantly ready and available for us. If we fail to respond to His gift, the seed of unforgiveness is planted.

Mark 4:27 says that when seed is sown, it will sprout and grow. Verse 28 says, “…first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.” Let’s apply this personally. The moment we forgive, the opportunist seed is sterilized. It will not form. There will be no fruit of bitterness. Hebrews 12:15 in the Amplified says, “…that no root of resentments (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment…”

Matthew 18:21-35 is key in our progressive sanctification. It is about forgiveness. Peter asked the Lord how many times he had to forgive someone. In verse 22 Jesus said, “…up to seventy times seven.” I learned something years ago. I was in a difficult working situation. I forgave the offending person when I woke up each morning. It paved my day with grace. It kept me constantly aware of how easy it would be to carry the offense.

When we are offended, grace is there to forgive and release the offense. If we fail to appropriate His grace, the offense will remain. The roots of bitterness go deep. They cause that bitterness to filter through every thought. In verse 34 the master turned the unforgiving servant over to the torturers. Verse 35 says, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” The unforgiving heart does not walk in grace.

Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” The Hebrew word for ‘sustain’ means: to maintain, nourish, provide food, bear, hold up, protect, support, defend; to supply the means necessary for living. God’s grace is abundantly available until the moment pride steps in. 

Our flesh does not like to be needy. It rushes in through a spirit of independence. Many years ago, my mom said, “Marilyn, you are the most independent person I know!” That was not a compliment, but it was the reality of who I was at that time. It took many hard trials to teach me how dependent I am on the Lord. John 15:5 is a governor over my heart. It says, “….without Me you can do nothing.”

Nothing means not one thing. The Lord has given us a marvelous brain. When we learn something, it remembers it so that we do not have to think about what we are doing. Think back to when you first learned how to tie your shoes. I remember when I first was learning how to drive my parents stick shift Hudson. It took utmost concentration to remember all the components needed to make the clutch work and shift without grinding gears.

We did not come to salvation on our own merit. We were drawn by the Father to Jesus. Remember, we were alienated from the life of God. We had to learn the truth that we were bound in sin. There was no way of escape from God’s wrath to come. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I like to remember Titus 3:5. It says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” After salvation, we need to continue to be washed. Why? We have a propensity to do things in our own way and in our own strength. 

Here is a great verse about grace. Though it is in the context of finances, we can apply it to our lives. 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always have all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” Did you notice the word ‘all’ is used three times? All grace, all sufficiency, and all things denotes a huge spectrum that has no beginning nor an ending.

Verse 15 says, “Thanks be to God, for His indescribable gift!” That is exactly what grace is~a gift. We don’t do anything to earn it. It is ours at the moment of our rebirth. We are saved by His grace, and therefore we live out our progressive sanctification through grace. We don’t ‘do’ anything but receive it. Abiding is not a Christian discipline, it is a wonderful vital union with the Lord through intimate communion through His word.

As we daily read His word for understanding, the Holy Spirit is present to dispense the grace we need to apply His truths to our lives. We cannot bring any inner change through self-effort. Inner transformation comes as we renew our mind through Scripture, and as we gaze upon the Lord. James 1:21 says, “…receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your soul.” Meekness is absence of pride.

Paul ended his epistles with an encouragement to his readers, that the grace of the Lord would be with them. I had a pastor back in the 80’s that would answer his phone: grace to you. I find it interesting. Paul was called by grace to minister to Gentiles. His writings bear timeless truths that we can daily apply to our lives.

Here is one. Think back to all that Paul went through. If you need a refresher, you can read 2 Corinthians 11:23-33. There is no mention that he asked the Lord to deliver him from them. Yet, in 2 Corinthians 12:8, he plead with the Lord three times to remove the thorn in his flesh. The Lord did not remark about the thorn. He very succinctly said in verse 9, “…My grace is sufficient for you…”

Our trials are like Paul’s thorn. The truth the Lord spoke to him, is the same truth you and I are to embrace. The verse continued, “…for My strength is made perfect in weakness…” The revelation of what the Lord said hit Paul’s understanding. He said, “…Therefore most gladly  I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Did you notice that he didn’t use the word ‘grace’ but power? God’s grace becomes our strength to endure. Years ago I would take my dad to a flea market thirty minutes from our home. I would stand at the entrance and tract the folks as they came in. My dad was inside as a vendor. He would sit on his walker and hand out tracts, and give away magnetic signs with Scripture on them.

This one day was really hot. My back was screaming in pain. I didn’t know how I would last another minute. I asked the Holy Spirit what to do. He gave me this thought: stand in my grace box. I pictured a box. Each side said: My grace is sufficient for you. I stood in it in my mind, and I was able to endure. Thereafter, when I was struggling I would say, “Lord, I’m standing in my grace box.” It was a great lesson for me that I still use. 

Grace is the power to do all that the Lord has called us to do. In verse 10 Paul said, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Paul understood that God’s grace was all that he needed in order to accomplish what God had called him to do. When we acknowledge our weakness, His grace rushes in to give us the abundant grace-strength we need to endure.

Back to righteousness. Romans 1:17 says, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith. What is the ‘it’ referring to? Verse 16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Whatever path the Lord takes us on through our trials, it is His instrument to purify our faith, and to conform our thoughts, purpose, and actions to His will. Psalm 23:3 says, “…He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Every aspect of our trials is all about the Lord. He is the Author and the Finisher of our faith. May we all finish well

The word ‘cultivating’ indicates that there is a need to plow up some uncultivated ground. We cannot sow seed and expect it to mature when there are clods, rocks, or hardpan soil. Hosea 10:12 says, “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” Righteousness is the fruit of being trained through our trials.

Verse 13 is a verse that reveals the root to uncultivated faith. It says, “You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, because you trusted in your own way…” There is the crux. Anything that we do in our own strength is futile. Why would we ever trust in our own way? It is because of unbelief.

Hebrews 3:12-13 says, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called Today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Hardened is to be calloused. Have you ever had callouses? The skin is thick and impenetrable. 

Trusting in our own way, leaning on our own understanding, or depending on our own strength is departure from the Lord. We are believing a lie. That lie is rooted in deception which brings hardness in our hearts. Let’s take a trial to illustrate this. If you are saying something like ‘I can’t take this anymore’ or you are just gutting it out, you are looking to yourself.

Let’s review. God cannot lie~Titus 1:2. He cannot deny Himself~2 Timothy 2:13. His mercy for our trials is new every morning, and His faithfulness is great~Lamentations 3:23. In Him is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge~Colossians 2:3. Romans 11:33 says, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”

Our trials are gifts. They are strategically orchestrated by the Lord for our good. Through them He purifies our faith by exposing the dross-lies that are controlling our lives. Through them He imparts benefits that we lacked. Through them He reveals Himself in ways we have not experienced Him before. Through them we gain wisdom that we didn’t need until the trial. 

He is trustworthy. The only reason we default to ourselves is when we have forgotten the foundational truths about Who He is at all times. He has given us everything through His death on the cross. At salvation He came to dwell in us. Amy Carmichael used to say, “He is closer to me than air.” Every breath we take we are breathing in His Presence.

Here is a verse that might reveal if you have a lie or not. Psalm 63:3 says, “Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.” I remember reading this verse after I fell into the ravine (1977). I stuttered on this verse. There was a hidden lie (that I didn’t know about at the time) that kept me from believing David’s words with my whole heart. It is two-fold. I encourage you to ask yourself: Do I believe God’s lovingkindness is better than life? Do my lips praise Him for everything? Our faith is challenged each time we face our impossibilities.

Our faith is a gift, given in a measure at salvation. Romans 12:3 says, “For I say, through grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” 2 Peter 1:5-7 is a list of what we are to add to our faith.

Now if we add a little yeast to bread dough, it will permeate and bring an increase to the dough. There is an interesting aspect of our faith. In order for it to grow, we must decrease. John the Baptist said in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” 1 John 2:6 says, “He who abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” 

Decreasing so that He may increase is a huge part of our progressive sanctification. As we abide with the Lord through His word, He will lead us deeper into His truth that will set us free from ourselves. When I was in 1st grade, we were given a coloring book. It was all based on teaching us to not be “Me First” but to share.

What are we called to do? Share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our faith is reflected through our life’s experiences as we are around others. No man is an island. We live in a community. How we are in the marketplace, reflects what we believe, and Who we believe in. 2 Peter 1:3 says, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him…”

Verse 9 says that if we don’t add to our faith, we will be shortsighted, forgetting that we were cleansed from our old sins. The list we are to add, is incorporated in our interpersonal relationships. Virtue is moral excellence. Knowledge puffs up unless it is used to humble us. When I think about the Lord’s attributes, I become very small. To our knowledge we are to add self-control. There would be no crime if everyone exercised this character quality. Then there is perseverance that only grows through our trials. Godliness is exemplifying the Lord’s character. Brotherly kindness is key to unity in diversity. Love is the last. Colossians 3:14 says, “But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”

The Lord purifies our faith through our fiery trials. Our trials cause the hidden dross to surface. Nothing is hidden except that it might be revealed. Hebrew 4:13 Amplified is a great reminder for us. It says, “And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.”

We decrease in our fleshly desires, as He increases through our focus on Him alone. Remember when Peter, James, and John were on the mountain? Jesus was transfigured before them. Matthew 17:8 says, “When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.” We are transformed, according to 2 Corinthians 3:18, as we gaze at Him.

May we decrease so that He may increase. May we grow in grace and in our knowledge of Him. May we exemplify Him through our actions which come from our thoughts. May our thoughts please the Lord. May we glorify Him through our thoughts, words, and actions. We are in a unique time of history. Let us be about our Father’s business.

What are we to remember? Isaiah 51:1 says, “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.” David expressed his pit in Psalm 40:2. It says, “He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.”

What pit did the Lord dig you out of? For the children of Israel He dug them out of the pit of slavery to the Egyptians. Therefore when He inaugurated the keeping of the passover, He told them to remember something. Deuteronomy 16:3 says, “You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, that is, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.”

Do you celebrate the day that the Lord took you out of sin’s degradation? Do you look back to the pit, and remember how you were hopelessly lost? Ephesians 4:17-18 is one of my places for remembering. It says that my mind was futile, and my understanding was darkened. I was alienated from the life of God. My heart was blind to the truth of the gospel.

When we accept the Lord as our Savior, we are set free from the bondage of sin. However, we need to daily remember the truth in Romans 6:12. It says, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lust.” Our flesh lusts. We need to heed the warning that the Lord gave.

In Deuteronomy 8:10 the Lord reminded them of what to expect in their new land. It says, “When you have eaten and are full…” Verse 11 says, “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by NOT keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you this day.” Verse 14 spoke of their heart being lifted up.

James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” If our heart is lifted up in pride, then the Lord will use measures to humble us. The quickest way I know to humble myself before the Lord is to remember what my life was like when I was alienated from Him. 

Maybe you are thinking about 2 Corinthians 5:17 that says, “…old things are past away; behold, all things have become new.” Is there a contradiction? No. 1 Corinthians 2:13 says, “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 

We can go back to Romans 7. Paul wrote about his struggle. Verse 18 says, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells…” John 6:63 says, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” Therefore we must do as Paul instructed his readers. Romans 6:13 says, “And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”

We must continually remember that we are not our own. We belong to another. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Let us remember the pit He brought us up from. Psalm 40:3 is our testimony. It says, “He has put a new song in my mouth–praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.”

I have molehills in my backyard. Little mounds of freshly dug up earth by an unseen creature. There is an interesting verse in Zechariah. Remember that our giant is a mindset absent of faith. The mountain-mindset stands as an obstacle to block our pathway of spiritual progress. It is a lie that just seems mountainous.

Our battle is with our flesh. It requires spiritual warfare. Zechariah 4:6 says, “…This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” 

Verse 7 in the Amplified says, “For who are you, O great mountain (of human obstacles)? …you shall become a plain (a mere molehill)! And he shall bring forth the finishing gable stone (of the new temple) with loud shoutings of the people, crying, Grace, grace to it!”

John 1:16 Amplified says, “For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received (all had a share and we were all supplied with) one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift (heaped) upon gift.”

I love to picture the wording as one on top of the other. It is through grace that we are saved through faith. It is the same grace that we have available to face our mountain-obstacles. Giants that tower over us through our thoughts, are mere molehills when viewed through grace.

Mark 11:23 says, “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things which he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”

Do you believe this verse? Do you see the towering mountain-obstacles in your life through these words? When we wield God’s word, the sword of the Spirit, we are fully armed to take out our giant.

Habakkuk 3:19 Amplified says, “The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk (not to stand still in terror, but to walk) and make (spiritual) progress upon my high places (of trouble, suffering, or responsibility)!”

Whatever your giant is, it can be felled through God’s word. Nothing can stand against His applied truth. John 8:31-32 gives us God’s condition in setting us free. It says, “…If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The condition is abiding. John 15:4 Amplified says, “…Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally untied to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.” It is through our intimate communion with the Lord, that He gives us His specific word that will fell our giant.

On Thanksgiving I watched a 51 minute video on the life of Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand. They faced impossible giants through faith in the name of Jesus. Richard told how he would pace his small solitary prison cell. He would pray, he would deliver a sermon, and he would worship.

Sabina told how the ladies in her prison developed a greeting. “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His mercy endures forever.” It changed everything. They even had unbelievers come and ask them to teach them the greeting.

My faith was challenged as I watched their faith being shared. At one point Richard’s health had declined so much that they put him in a cell with other prisoners who were dying. He went man to man and shared the gospel with them.

Our giant is a mindset that is empty of faith~

I want to use Jesus as an example. He knew that He would be betrayed by one of His disciples. He knew the cross was before Him. John 13:3-4 says, “Jesus, knowing that…He had come from God and was going to God, rose…” He washed the feet of His betrayer. He shared His bread with him.

John 18:4 says, “…knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward…” Jesus never shrunk back as He faced His giant. He boldly went forward. Yet when He declared who He is, verse 6 says of the threatening mob, “…they drew back and fell to the ground.”

Our giant is never a person. Our enemy is spirit and therefore only defeated through faith. 1 Peter 5:8 says that the devil seeks whom he can devour. Verse 9 says, “Resist him, steadfast in the faith…”

Our faith is not a mindset. It is a heart belief in the name of the Lord. One day every knee will bow to that name. Our giants will bow to that name when we wield His word as a sword.

I faced a medical giant in August 2016. I typed out two pages of verses that would strengthen and keep my faith steadfast. I daily read them out loud. They were the medicine my Great Physician prescribed. His word was my life sustaining strength.

Lying mindsets are inner strongholds. Only by working His word into our heart, like a potter works water into dry clay, will inner transformation take place. There is no other way to slay a giant.

James 1:21 says that the implanted word will save our soul. Note the word ‘established’ in Colossians 2:7. It says, “Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”

We have so much to be thankful for. It is God’s will that we give thanks for everything. Richard and Sabina did when imprisoned. Yet, their faith stood that fiery trial because they had faith in the power of His name. No giant can stand before the Lord Over All. 

David slew the Philistine giant. First he made a faith declaration. 1 Samuel 17:45 says, “…You come to me with a sword, a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” Our take away: our giant has defied the Lord Over All.

Defy means to openly resist. That is what inner strongholds do. When we have an inner stronghold of truth, it will openly and aggressively resist the fiery dart lies. However, if we have a hidden lie-stronghold, it will resist truth and keep us in bondage. It is only the truth that we experientially live in that sets us free. 

What is the truth about the name of the Lord? In Acts 3 we read about an amazing miracle through the name of the Lord. There was a beggar, lame from his mother’s womb. He had never walked in his life. Peter and John were going into the temple to pray. The beggar looked at them with expectation. Verse 6 says, “Then Peter said, Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you; In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

What did Peter have to give? The name of the Lord. Every believer has the name of the Lord. Let’s see what happened when Peter made that declaration. Verse 7 says, “…immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.” Watch what happened. Verse 8 says, “So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them–walking, leaping, and praising God.”

Acts 3:16 says, “And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong…” Saying the name of the Lord is not an add on to a prayer request. It is wholehearted acknowledgement and absolute belief in who the Lord is. His name embodies every attribute. Here are just three. He is All Knowing, All Powerful, and All Present. 

Psalm 124:8 says, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1 reminds us that our help comes from our Creator. Colossians 1:16 says, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. ALL things were created through Him and for Him.”

The Lord doesn’t have to plan. All that He knows is in His attribute of Omniscience. His plan for your life is part of how He designed you. He knew you before He formed you in your mother’s womb. Colossians 2:3 says, “In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” We grow in our understanding of who the Lord is as we daily commune with Him through His word.

Our giants are fully known by Him. It is when we submit to Him, humbling our heart, that we can acknowledge that He knows. We grow in faith as we apply His powerful name to every situation in our lives. Proverbs 18:10 says that His name is our strong tower. The help of man is useless. The victorious strength to slay our giants comes when we stand in who He is. We become a partaker of His nature through our thoughts as we gaze at Him.

Psalm 17:9 says, “Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.” Psalm 53:2 says, “God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.” What does the Lord see when He looks into your heart?

In the lives of the children of Israel, God tested their heart through His manna provision. Deuteronomy 8:2 says, “And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments of not.”

The Lord knew what was in their hearts. The test was to see if they would do what He told them. If you remember back, when He first gave them the manna, some didn’t believe His specific words. Here is something interesting that I noted last night. Deuteronomy 8:16 says, “Who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end.”

Did you catch that? The result of the testing was so He could bless them. It made me think of Job. James 5:11 says, “Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord–that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”

When we go to the end of Job’s trial, what does it say? Job 42:10 says, “And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” What an intended end! We need to follow Job’s example in our trials. I love verse 2 and visit it often. It says, “I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.”

David went through severe situations in his life. Here is his prayer to make our own. Psalm 26:2 says, “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my mind and my heart.” Try means to refine. The Strong’s definition for refine: to melt, test, or purify metal, to prove, smelt, examine, to try by fire. When gold, silver, and precious stones go through refining fires, only their alloy will surface. 

Our faith is tested through our fiery trials. 1 Peter 1:7 says, “That the genuineness of your faith…though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” It is IN our trials that the Lord reveals Himself to us in new ways. Think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. It was not until they were in the fire, that the Lord appeared to them. Note that in the fire they were not harmed. Daniel 3:27 says, “…they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power…”

So it is when the Lord tests our hearts through our trials. It is not punishment. It is to purify our faith from any alloy-lies of the enemy that came in through fiery darts to weaken our faith. Job’s statement will be ours as well when we endure our trials so that He is glorified. Job 23:10 says, “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” He is reflected through our purified faith.

Happy Thanksgiving!