WILL YOU PASS OR FAIL?

(By: Norm Rasmussen)

I went for a walk this morning to spend time some time in prayer as well as to get some physical exercise. I believe the Holy Spirit imparted these thoughts to me:

“Everyone has two testimonies. Each day, a new page is added to each testimony. One testimony is being written from My perspective. The other testimony is being written from your perspective. It is My desire that as each new day unfolds, each page that gets added to both testimonies begins to read nearly the same, should a neutral third party read both.  

“You have heard it said that without a ‘test’ … there can be no testimony to tell. That is an incomplete statement. Without passing each test, there can be no testimony that glorifies Me to tell. A testimony that does not glorify Me does not produce a reward for the one the testimony is being written on.       

“Trials and testings come to all. I make sure of it. It makes no difference whether the trial comes directly from Me, or it comes from Satan – the trial serves as a test to see how you will respond. 

“If you pass the trial, you qualify for spiritual advancement. Spiritual advancement is reward. If you fail the trial, you keep yourself from fully advancing spiritually, and you delay your reward.

“ I may allow trial after trial to come into your life, until you finally pass the test. I certainly don’t want you to keep failing the test.  

“Please don’t think of Me as cruel for giving you tests. How else will you know where you are in your relationship with me if that relationship is not brought under inspection for the quality and sturdiness of the foundation on which it is being built, in addition to the soundness of the walls and the roof that sits atop that foundation?

“In the natural sense, ‘Building Inspectors’ are paid to make certain that a house is being sufficiently constructed to keep a future homeowner from having undue problems that need not be. 

“It is the nature of some builders to build a house as cheaply as they can to make the most amount of profit they can. It is the nature of all mankind to build their spiritual house as cheaply as they could, if they answered to no one but themselves -- on weak or unsteady foundations, with the least most expensive materials throughout that house, just as long as it looked reasonably nice on the outside.    

“The easiest way to pass every trial is to ‘give thanks in all thanks’ (1 Thessalonians 5:18), and ‘give thanks always for all things.’ (Ephesians 5:20); learn to ‘cast all your cares of Me, for I care for you,’ (1 Peter 5:8), and to forgive and keep on forgiving the one or the ones who have wronged or harmed you until your anger is kindled against them. Remember, to be angry is not sin. To let the anger continue almost always opens legal doors for Satan (Ephesians 4:26-27) to have influence that is unnecessary and is not designed by Me to accomplish any good purpose in you, though I can turn even that into your good should it happen.  

“The easiest way to fail every trial is to remain angry and bitter for too long because of the pain or inconvenience it seemed to cause. Recognizing your anger and asking Me forgiveness for staying angry stops the anger from gaining power, and silences the bitterness and resentment almost immediately.  

“Remember … hurt and pain eventually turns to anger. Anger eventually turns to bitterness. Bitterness eventually turns to resentment. Resentment usually turns to rebellion. Rebellion puts one in all types of prison.”

“There is absolutely no trial or hardship or wrongdoing from Satan that I cannot and will not use to bring good out of the bad, for those who purpose to stay faithful to Me until the trial passes. I have the power and wisdom and the desire to use everything a child of mine experiences during their lifetime as a beautiful building block or structural device in that individual’s spiritual house, which when their earthly tent will one day be removed … will be a spiritual house made by Me to experience all the eternal joys I have waiting for them.

“The joy that awaits my children for remaining faithful to me during the trials they faced during their lifetime on earth cannot be fully realized in their present bodies, nor when their spirit departs at death. They must be given a glorified body like The Word received after His resurrection to be able to fully receive and appreciate the rewards of joy awaiting them.

“Teachers grade their students to see how their students are progressing. It serves no point to keep giving information if the student is not able to grasp information already given. Students who pass their tests realize a sense of great accomplishment for retaining what they have been taught. On the other hand, students who cannot pass their tests realize a great sense of frustration and sometimes anger for even having to take tests, because to fail the test means they will not be allowed to receive the same rewards that those who passed will. No child of mine needs to fear failing any test I give them, when they realize My tests are not to measure their intelligence or the knowledge they have retained … but their willingness to be teachable. My Spirit is more than capable of teaching every child who desires to be taught by Me for that which is needed for their spiritual welfare and advancement.  

“Every trial a person experiences should prompt the wise person to ask Me this question: ‘What do you want to teach me through this, Lord?’ There is always something to learn from every trial a person goes through. Don’t be so quick to seek me for deliverance of the trial without seeking me for the something I might want to be trying to reveal to you … because that might be the very reason I’m allowing the trial in the first place.”  

“Trials can be blessings in disguise … when flavored with ‘thanks’ and spiritual ears to hear.” 

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Remember:  All that we do in this life comes back to our God-given purpose which is to serve and glorify God. The money and assets we accumulate, the fame and power we've attained or seek to attain - all of the things of this nature will one day pass away, but those lives of others we impact for Jesus Christ will last for eternity, and we will be rewarded for the part we helped play by impacting those lives ... for eternity. (Matthew 6:19-20 is our assurance)