Tag: Trials

The Purity of Faith: Trials and Triumphs for Believers

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Acknowledge God, All have sinned, Awesome God, Commitment, Faith, God Cares For Us, God’s WordLeave a comment

DATE POSTED
Monday, June 30, 2025, and I was blessed to be at Westgate Vacation Villas, Kissimmee, FL when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find and read any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Read 1 Peter 1:6-9 in your Bible or click on it to read it online in the Living Bible (TLB).

APPLICATION – as inspired by the Holy Spirit
There may be multiple misconceptions out there about Christians and their safety, security, joy, and total exemption from the evils of this wicked world and its leader, Satan. However, after you read today’s Scripture verses, you might be confused, because under the inspiration of the holy Spirit, Peter is telling us that testing, and trials, will continue while we remain here on earth.
So, we should look at this, in hopes of better understanding why God would expose even His own children to such earthly heartaches and stress. After all, God is known as our Father of love, care, and protection. Our Father for all eternity. The Bible use gold as a comparison. Probably the most precious metal, yet it is placed through fire and pounded to prove its purity and genuine aspects. We must always remember, when we place our trust in Jesus Christ, we are saved for eternity. Our Heavenly Father watches out for His own and we could got to bed in peace knowing that we are His, and He is ours. We can awake each morning with great assuredness, knowing that our time in God’s Word will reaffirm the greatness of our Father, who will be leading us through every circumstance of life that day. Fellow believers, remember, our faith, protection and overlook are anchored in the powerful hands of the Creator of this universe today! While still here in this world, we are not exempt from trials and temptations. In fact, these may become more intense as the world places us in the fire to prove our commitment to our Lord. Some may very well pound on us to test God in protecting His dear children.
I sincerely believe that today’s Scripture encourages us to embrace true faith in Jesus Christ. Some turn to Him for the promise of Heaven, while others see Him as a backup for life’s toughest moments. However, those who fully surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ find peace in knowing that God equips them to live according to His guidance, through studying His Word, praying regularly, and entrusting every aspect of life to Him. Surrendering to Jesus means giving Him control over your decisions, direction, and worries. Holding onto even a small part of these means you haven’t fully surrendered. Each evening, reflect on your day and compare it to gold—just as gold is tested and proven genuine, can God see your life as genuine at the end of the day? In verse 9, Peter reassures us that enduring the trials of life leads to true salvation, showing the world who we belong to.

PRAYER
Lord, I thank You this morning for the reassurance of knowing You as my Lord and Savior! Life on earth often feels filled with endless trials and challenges, but through the Holy Spirit, I am reminded of who is in control of my life, watching over me and guiding my steps in every situation. You understand our doubts and how we falter under Satan’s attacks and influences. Lord, my fellow believers and I need You every moment. With empty hands, we come before You, asking to be filled with Your everlasting goodness. Reassure us constantly of Your wisdom, presence, and unending love. As You bless us, may we also share Your grace with others who are in need of a Savior today. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please take advantage of the information provided on my page ‘To Know Jesus’. Alternatively, consider speaking with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. One of God’s servants will pray with you and offer help and encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals or subscribe to receive a daily email containing each new devotional, please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. Friends, I encourage you to find a Bible teaching church home near your residence and attend as frequently as possible. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk while you make every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider being a part of that while also growing in your faith as you worship with fellow believers!

Overcoming Life’s Trials Through Prayer

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Acknowledge God, All have sinned, Awesome God, God Cares For Us, God’s Word, Power of Prayer, PrayerLeave a comment

DATE POSTED
Monday, June 9, 2025, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa at Hunter Road, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find and read any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Read James 5:13-18 in your Bible or click on it to read it online in the New Living Translation (NLT).

APPLICATION – as inspired by the Holy Spirit
It seems like troubles abound in the lives of our friends, family, and yes, even in our own lives as well. It seems extremely frustrating at times, for just when we thought we have heard of the greatest challenge a person could possibly reach; a friend will approach us with a challenge unlike any other we may have heard before. Of course, if we listen to the media, we will possibly hear THE worst, but media hype seems unreal at times! As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, whom the Bible assures us never faces something that surprises Him, we must rest assured that All Things are possible with God. Unfortunately, many times I believe we enjoy sharing the challenging times with friends, for it really produces shockingly interesting conversations as we watch for their mouth to open wide and jaws drop to all-time lows! Thankfully, I believe that believers often possess such confidence in the power of God that we naturally alleviate the frustrations and disappointments of those with no hope, for we know a Man who can, as referenced in the old gospel song. Friends, we know the Creator of this world and of all mankind. We know the Healer of all diseases affecting His created ones, for the Bible tells us of the lame man who walked again, the ruler’s son whom the people had declared dead, yet Jesus raised him up, and the leper whose skin became perfectly pure with just one touch of the Master. But in our focal verses today, James, a servant of Jesus Christ, reminds us through several points and their corresponding answers, to help us face the uncertainties of life. Let me spell them out again, with hopes that these things will stick with us, especially when trouble comes:

  • Are you suffering hardships? You should pray.
  • Are you happy? You should sing praises. 
  • Are you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.

Verses 16 thru 18 goes on to remind us of a few other tips that will help us decide to step out in faith:

  • Share with believers, what may seem like, the ugly sin, or faults, that you feel guilty of. For this brings healing to your burdened soul!
  • Pray for one another, especially those who are struggling with the challenges of sin and life as a whole. For this produces wonderful results!
  • Think on past answers to prayer, where God showed His power and grace to His children, such as the example James offered about Elijah and his prayer for the rain to stop and start back up again. This helps to instill confidence in following the commands of God, even in challenging times. Start by first reflecting on past answers to your prayers – even the small ones, for this will remind you that if God did it before, we know He is quite capable of doing it again!

For the unbeliever, God wants you to listen and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit as He calls you to repentance. As an unbeliever, you can try to follow all of the above, but it will be superficial, unless you know the One to whom you are praying. Know Jesus today and know that peace of which I have explained above. However, for the fellow believer reading this devotional today, I trust that this devotional will serve as a reminder that there is great power in knowing Jesus Christ, and believing that He loves and cares for you, especially in those areas of life where you may question if you could possibly overcome the tactics of Satan. As for Your Lord, please consider allowing Him to have His will and way in your life and in all of life’s circumstances. He will never lead you astray, but rather in the center of His will for you. As you study His Word you will find the peace of God and be led by the Holy Spirit to all truth and the perfect will of God.

PRAYER
Lord, thank You for saving my soul and leaving me here on earth to share that miracle with others in search of hope and a future for eternity. Thank You also for Your servant, James, and for him sharing the wisdom needed for us to best look at challenging circumstances and to help others who may call on us for that kind of wisdom. Lord, I pray that we will be faithful and dedicated to You in all areas of life here on earth, for as we display our confidence in You, I pray that it will serve to lift others up and draw them to the foot of the cross to seek salvation in You alone. For the unbeliever who may happen upon this devotional, I pray that they may be drawn to You and develop a desire to know You personally. Please encourage fellow believers to look to You for all things we face every day and help us to gain strength through Your Word as we meditate on it. You deserve our praise, honor and worship. Be lifted up because we are fixing our eyes on things eternal and the only One who can open the doors of heaven for our journey. You are lord, and we seek Your face, oh Lord. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please take advantage of the information provided on my page ‘To Know Jesus’. Alternatively, consider speaking with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. One of God’s servants will pray with you and offer help and encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals or subscribe to receive a daily email containing each new devotional, please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. Friends, I encourage you to find a Bible teaching church home near your residence and attend as frequently as possible. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk while you make every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider being a part of that while also growing in your faith as you worship with fellow believers!

Preparing For His Kingdom

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Saturday, 2023-03-11
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Thessalonians 1:3-6
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 3 Dear brothers, giving thanks to God for you is not only the right thing to do, but it is our duty to God because of the really wonderful way your faith has grown and because of your growing love for each other. 4 We are happy to tell other churches about your patience and complete faith in God, in spite of all the crushing troubles and hardships you are going through. 5 This is only one example of the fair, just way God does things, for he is using your sufferings to make you ready for his Kingdom, 6 while at the same time he is preparing judgment and punishment for those who are hurting you.

OBSERVATION: Paul was able to help the Thessalonian church, to see beyond the heavy load of persecution, that God was still at work within them. But as we meditate today on the Word of God, I would like for us to especially tune into verse 5, then think about our prayers each time that we feel persecuted or tribulations arise in our life, or the life of our family, our pastor, and yes, even our church – God’s church. Seldom do we glorify God for them!

APPLICATION: Do you sometimes wonder if your prayers are on track – in accordance with God’s will, for you and/or others who are suffering in one form or another? We pray hard for God to cure that problem so the church could once again be like all other churches – relaxed in worship and praise over everyday blessings, don’t we? But what if Paul nailed it, when he said that God might be using those challenging situations to ready us for His Kingdom – just like he did told the church at Thessalonica? To help soften your mind and see where Paul was coming from with this line of instruction, think on these things: 1). Was Peter’s faith stronger when he sat in the boat marveling over the awesome power of God to allow His Son to walk on water, or was it stronger when Peter stepped out of the boat and trusted God to keep him on top of the water? 2). Could Moses have been just as faithful in believing that God was very capable of getting he and the million plus people following him across to the other side of the Red Sea, or when he simply held out his rod in response to God’s orders, knowing full well that God would make a way, some way, for them? and 3). Over the years I have been actively involved in a few churches. I can’t think of any that have not faced their challenges in one form or another. Really, it was a type of persecution, because those challenges tested the faith of those churches and their ability to thrive and show the communities in which they served, that their faith was in Almighty God and that they should choose to stand firm in their belief, and trust in the God who placed them where they were, under the circumstances they faced, and still represent Him as the Savior of the World. Yes, their faith was definitely tested, as indicated by Paul, but I never remember hearing any believer praise God for those times of testing as God solidified their faith for the Kingdom of God. Oh that God would send a ‘Paul’ to each of our churches to remind us that it’s God we serve, Him that we preach, teach and represent. It’s not the trials, temptations and tests of Satan that defines us, but the loving, all-powerful God of the universe, and He never changes. If only we could learn to always focus on our source, and not on our circumstances. Imagine being part of a congregation where we will hear our communities flock to our church because even though they heard about our struggles, temptations, trials and setbacks, yet we remain strong in the One who got our gathering started in the first place, and He will be waiting with open arms to receive us when life here on earth is over. Satan would love nothing better than to know that he and his demons are getting through to us and destroying the work of God. Please join with me in vowing that this will never occur under our watch, as God prepares us for His Kingdom!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: While God will take care of those who persecute us, we will benefit from His strengthening power as He helps us to keep praising Him – especially through the storms of life.

PRAYER: It’s easy to worship you and lift up holy hands in praise to You when we see Your good works and rejoice in Your blessings. But, oh Lord, it is very challenging to follow in the footsteps of the church at Thessalonica and continue to praise You when others persecute us and try to take advantage of us. I am convinced of what Paul told the church, that You would grow them spiritually when they stand firm in their faith during these difficult times. You didn’t promise us good times every day because we accepted You as Lord of our life. But in having You by our side, at least we can defy all odds and do things like walking on the water, expecting the waters to part so that we could safely march to the other side, and even more. Please Lord, teach us to trust You in the good times, and trust You even more in the challenging times, but to never lose hope in knowing that You are with us in every circumstance of life in which we decide to draw close to You. Show the unsaved that You are still Lord and that You are alive and well in Your church today – the ones that are flourishing, and the ones struggling to overcome persecution. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!