“TESTING!”

Romans 12:1-2                              (ESV)

“1 I appeal (demand, call, plea) to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of GOD, to present your bodies as a LIVING SACRIFICE, HOLY AND ACCEPTABLE TO GOD, which is your spiritual worship.

2 DO NOT BE CONFORMED (comply, harmonize) to this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the RENEWAL of your mind, THAT BY “TESTING” you may discern WHAT IS THE WILL OF GOD, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

So often I hear it said “Well, that’s the way GOD made me” as an excuse for the actions of a person.  These two verses implore is to PRESENT OUR BODIES to GOD, for the purpose of being TRANSFORMED (made over) into what GOD has CALLED US TO BE.  You might say “I would do what GOD wants me to do, if I ONLY KNEW FOR SURE what HE desires?  1 Corinthians 2:11b says “...So also NO ONE comprehends the thoughts of GOD EXCEPT the SPIRIT of GOD.”  We don’t get to decide on our own how GOD is going to use us.   

To KNOW WHAT IS THE WILL OF GOD, we must go through “TESTING”!  Sometimes that may take longer than we want, it might cost us more than we wanted to pay, it might be something that is TOTALLY different than what we had planned.  Proverbs 16:9 says “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”  GOD routinely has HIS CHOSEN doing things entirely outside of their comfort zone, where HE gets all of the GLORY.  Moses, Paul, and Peter are just a few names that come to mind.

When we go through a time of “TESTING”, we have to experience discomfort most of the time.  Getting out of OUR COMFORT ZONE demands that we give up “the way we’ve always done it”, and turn to doing it the way GOD is CALLING us to do things.  The very word “TESTING” means “to prove” or “verify”.  GOD already knows how strong our FAITH is, just as HE already knew that Abraham would obey on Mount Moriah in Genesis 22:12.  In Genesis 22:1a GOD says “After these things GOD TESTED Abraham...”.  If GOD already knew Abraham was going to obey, why then the TEST?  

My belief is that GOD puts us through “TESTING” so that we can grow our dependence on HIM.  None of us are WORTHY of being used by the SPIRIT OF GOD, but we are CHOSEN to be put through our “TESTING” so HIS NAME will be magnified to a lost and dying world!  Our “TESTING” is not to elevate us, but to GLORIFY HIM!!!