The Test of Faith

The proving of your faith is like the test drives that cars undergo. The manufacturers carry out these tests because they have utmost confidence in their products. In the same vein, God puts us through certain tests based on the confidence that He has in our abilities. An example can be found in Job 1:6-12 as a proud father, God was willing to have Job tested because He was confident that Job had the capacity to pass the tests. God was this confident because He had built these traits in Job. So, He gave Job up for testing to prove that the work done in him was complete and total. This proves that when God puts us through diverse tests, it is not necessarily to reveal our weaknesses but it could be to prove those things which have been corrected within us. This fact should help us understand God’s processes better and should make us more patient when we are led into hard inexplicable situations. When God led the Israelites out of Egypt, His first port of call was the wilderness. This particular phase was to show them the present state of their hearts. In this phase, the Bible shows that God found fault with them. He then allowed them wander in the wilderness until He had corrected their character flaws. God devoted forty years to work on their character because a strong character is the foundation of every successful walk with God. The wilderness was chosen as the training ground because people are more receptive to correction when faced with difficult circumstances. These flaws can be categorised into different types and include the sins of omission (subconscious sins) and the sins of commission (or conscious sins). Subconscious sins are sins that are committed even when the individual sets his will against such acts. This was the type of sin that Paul talked about in Romans 7:18-21 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. This type of sin is usually the result of errors in the internal workings of individuals. These hidden faults usually take over their actions. This was the type of sin that the Israelites were committing immediately they left Egypt. This was as a result of the way their minds had been programmed while they were in bondage. It was this programme that kept on playing out in their lives while they were in the wilderness. It played out in the form of fear, low self-confidence and even in the area of doubt in God’s ability to preserve and to prosper them. This ultimately led to idolatry and other vices.

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