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Understanding Spiritual Tests and Grace Growers

~ Observant Servant ~ Leave a comment

Life is full of challenging people and situations that test our faith and character. These “grace growers” are opportunities for spiritual development, though they often come wrapped in difficult packages.

What Are Grace Growers?

Grace growers are the people and situations God uses to develop our spiritual maturity. Like a rose with thorns, there may be beauty inside but getting through the tough exterior requires love and patience.

Understanding Spiritual Warfare

A key scripture for dealing with difficult people is Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age.” When we understand that spirits are operating through people, it becomes easier to forgive and respond in love rather than take offense.

How Do We Grow Spiritually?

There is no spiritual growth apart from Jesus Christ. We must:Stay connected to the vine (Jesus) Be willing to step out in faith Grow through trials rather than just enduring them Pass spiritual tests Learn from challenges rather than complaining

Where Do We Find Grace Growers?

Grace growers can be found everywhere:Telemarketers Bill collectors Churches Family members Workplace Schools Politics

How Should We Respond to Grace Growers?

The key is responding with the fruit of the Spirit rather than reacting in the flesh:Love Joy Peace Patience Kindness Goodness Faithfulness Gentleness Self-control

Setting Healthy Boundaries

While we should respond with love, it’s important to:Set clear expectations Avoid enabling negative behavior Be willing to separate if needed Practice saying “no” Maintain healthy boundaries without building walls

Life Application

This week, challenge yourself to: Identify the “grace growers” in your life Practice responding with love rather than taking offense Look for opportunities to grow through difficult situations Set healthy boundaries while maintaining a loving attitude

Ask yourself: How do I typically respond to difficult people? Am I growing through challenges or just enduring them? Where do I need to set better boundaries while still showing love? What spiritual tests might God be using to develop my character?

Remember: Every grace grower is an opportunity for spiritual growth when we respond with God’s love and wisdom rather than our natural reactions.

Send me…

~ Observant Servant

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’
Isaiah 6:8

Back in October of last year I felt the need to take a day trip to a place called Montezuma Well. The gentle nudge came when I was looking for some out of town areas to explore. Now granted, in my happening upon this place in a Google search, it seemed to be a bit boring. Plus it was hot out and it’s about a 3 hour drive from where I live. Gas was also around $4.25-4.50 a gallon. So, in my opinion, it wasn’t worth the drive. But I went anyway.

While driving I kept thinking that maybe God wanted me to go there for a reason. So I began to pray about it. As I was getting close, I realized I really needed to get gas. So I asked God to lead me to a place that gas was less than $4. (And if He did this, then I would know that I was in His will in taking this trip.) I was beginning to feel pretty silly about driving so far for nothing spectacular.

Eventually I happened across a small mom and pop station and it had gas for $3.99. I took it as a sign that God was hearing me and pulled in. There was no one around other than a tanker driver who was delivering fuel on the other side of the pump. He was Hispanic burly guy, a little rough looking. He kinda seemed angry and closed off in all honesty. As I was pumping my gas, I noticed he was watching me and I started feeling a bit of fear creep up but I brushed it off and greeted him mentioning something about the weather. I don’t remember what exactly it was I said but he seemed to relax a bit and we had a brief chat.

While I was finishing up and putting my card back in my wallet, I felt I should give him a Gospel tract. (I carry them with me in the form of $1 Million bills.) I offered it to him, asked if he had seen one before. He said “no” and I told him about the real treasure was on the back where it told about Jesus. He just nodded, didn’t really respond.

As he was looking the bill over I said “You know… Jesus, He loves you. He sees you.”

It’s not normally how I initiate conversations when I share the Gospel but my “normal” seemed out of place on this day.

He paused for a moment and when he looked up, he had tears in his eyes. It was like he transformed into a whole different person in front of me. He began to tell me about how he lost his job during the pandemic because he refused to get vax’d. How his wife had left him and took his children and he lost his house and everything else and now he was living in his truck. He told me how he felt so alone and isolated and he had been praying for a sign because he didn’t think he could make it. He was so broken. I couldn’t help but hug him and encourage him to draw nearer to Jesus. We conversed for a bit more then I prayed for him and gave him a Gospel of John. He thanked me, his spirit seemed much lighter and he was smiling.

Then we went our separate ways.

It is so important to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Ready and willing and having your feet shod with the Gospel of peace. One conversation can turn someones life around. I encourage you to pray daily for the Lord to use you. Ask Him to give you an opportunity to bring Jesus into someone’s life. I promise you will be blessed by the encounter.

Sacrifice of Praise

~ Observant Servant

“And then Job arose and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground and worshiped. And said, “Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord givith and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
-Job 1:20-21

There are many people who are not fond of the book of Job. It is full of anguish – the story of a devout man who is completely dedicated to God. God allows his life to be completely torn apart by the enemy in an effort to prove a point. Job lost his home, his land, his herds, his children, and even his health. At then at the end, God restored much of what Job had lost and then some. Through it all, Job was faithful in continuing to give glory to God. This can be a tough read for a lot of Christians. However, I find comfort and valuable lessons in this story. It has become one of my favorite books in the Old Testament.

In the first few months after being born again, I felt the Holy Spirit lead me to read through the book of Job. Looking back, I feel that I was being prepared to be tested because no sooner did I complete the book, did absolute chaos hit my life. I lost my friends, I lost my place to live, and I didn’t own a car so after I lost my friends, I also lost my transportation and my job. On top of this, one of my “friends” left me with a mountain of debt. I also lost my relationship with my daughter, and my dad had passed away. It left me broken, hurting, angry, sad, confused and full of regret. But even in this, my God was merciful to my dad in affording him a nearly instant death. I was thankful for that.

This all happened within a short period of time. And the hits just kept on coming. To say I was struggling would be an understatement.

All throughout this storm that had become my life, I was reminded of Job. How he remained faithful to God in the midst of all his suffering. He would continue to worship and praise the Lord even as he was crying out to Him in prayer. No matter what his wife said, or his friends said, he remained steadfast and true.

So I did my best to do the same. I would thank the Lord for what little I still had. I would thank Him for pulling me out of darkness, for breaking the chains, for dying on the cross. I would praise Him and glorify Him for every day that He gave me to live. I would thank Him for the very breath that He allowed me to breathe. I would thank Him for the lessons He was teaching me. Anything I could think of, I thanked Him for. I discovered that in this process, despite what was happening in my life, He gave me reassuring peace. It built faith and trust.

Just like Job was restored, I found myself restored as well. God provided me different (better) friends, a place to live, vehicle, restoration of some family relationships and so much more. God is faithful. There are still things that haven’t been restored, but I know they will be in His perfect timing.

At the time of this writing, I find myself in another situation where I remind myself to praise through the pain and the struggle. Because of what I went through in the past, I now know that God will work things out. I have peace even though I do not know where I am going. I imagine this is how Abraham felt when the Lord told him to leave everything behind. Trusting God’s process. Praising Him for the lessons being taught.

Remember that it is called a “sacrifice” for a reason. You may be going through something and your heart is hurting. Your body is hurting. You feel lost, alone and confused. Praising God through this would definitely be a sacrifice because you don’t “feel” like doing it. The enemy wants you to not praise God. Praise Him anyway!! Praise Him through your pain and suffering. Jesus will take the burden of your heartache and anxieties and He will give you the peace that surpasses all understanding. Bring a sacrifice of praise unto the Lord. It really makes a difference!

The Art of Surrender

~ Observant Servant

Someone on twitter posted a thread not too long ago that really touched my heart. They were sharing a story of how a friend’s dog had escaped the groomer and ran away. The woman searched all that day into the night for her dog. It wasn’t until the next evening that she spotted him in the far off distance. She started to call him, running toward him but as soon as he recognized her, instead of coming to her he dropped down on his belly whining and crying, afraid to go to her. When she got to him, she found him with his fur all muddy and matted and covered in briars. He was so happy to see her that he urinated all over himself. She gathered him up hugging him and telling him over and over how she loved him so much. She kept saying “you are mine, you are safe now, I never gave up looking for you. You will never get lost again. I am going to take you home and clean you up.”

  This reminds me of the love of Jesus. We are so afraid to run to God, so dirty and traumatized by the world, but He has never given up His seeking to save us and to bring us home.

There are many people who state that they will turn to God when they feel like they have got their lives in order. They think that they must clean up themselves before approaching Him. The problem with this is that we are trying to fix things ourselves. We are relying on our own will power and even when we have a moment of clarity when it comes to all the wrong we have done in our lives, we try to make it right by doing “good works”.  We think that we have to get our lives completely cleaned up but we don’t realize that the enemy has put stumbling blocks in our way that make our lives even more of a mess. The enemy then fills us with guilt and condemnation because he knows that if he can keep us in this mindset, then we will be lost forever. He wants to keep us miserable and does not want us to realize the saving grace of the cross.

“There is no one righteous, no, not even one”
Romans 3:10

 The fact of the matter is that there is no way that we could ever make ourselves worthy of God. There is no amount of “good” we could ever do to be deserving of salvation. It is only through the shed blood of Christ that we are saved. It is a gift from God and there is nothing we can do to earn it. It is a gift freely given to those who repent and believe.

 “ I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”
John 14:6

Jesus wants you to come to him as you are. You don’t have to clean yourself up first. Once you truly repent and surrender, he will take on that task himself. He alone can, and will, purify you. He will give you a new life in him. When you come to him and truly give up everything to him, crying for him to heal the pain in your heart and clean up the mess you have made of your life by making wrong decisions and sinning against him, he hears you. He will gather you in his arms, comforting and soothing your soul. He will show you the things in your life that are toxic to you and he will help you to get rid of them. Anything that is unhealthy he will remove and replace with something that is so much better.