God uses different situations, occasions, and circumstances to test His people. You don’t need to worry about yourself or be afraid when you are going through a test.
This is because in as much as God tests us, He cannot harm us. All the tests from God work for our good. However, we need to know if it is God who is testing us or not.
The word of God says that God can never test us beyond what we can bear. He allows tests into our lives for different reasons that are meant for our spiritual growth, and sometimes for the preparation of greater things that await us in the future.
The word of God says in James 1:12 (NIV) – “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because when He has stood the test, He will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.”
There is always a great testimony and great miracles after standing the test of God.
But how does God test us? And how do we know that God is testing us? Highlighted below are 13 signs that will prove to you that God is testing you.
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13 Signs God is Testing You
We often go through vigorous training in schools and colleges. But, before we are promoted to the next grade, we have to go through a series of exams or tests to test our eligibility.
The students who pass the exams are often promoted to the next class while those who fail are asked to retake the exams. In the same manner, God tests us to prove if we are eligible for the glory of His kingdom.
2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV) – “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
God tests us to see if we are faithful enough to be His trustworthy workmen.
Here are the signs that He is testing us.
- When our stand in Christianity is tested.
- When God is silent or we experience delayed answers to our prayers.
- When we are being led to prove our integrity.
- When we are being led to sacrifice something.
- When we face life challenges.
- When we lose everything.
- When we are being led to prove our perseverance and endurance.
- When we are being led to prove that we are patient.
- When we face trials of faith.
- When we face financial constraints.
- When we get struck by illnesses.
- When God blesses us beyond our expectations.
- When we are being led to express acts of compassion.
1. When our Stand in Christianity is Tested.
God allows some things to happen in our lives so that He may know where our stand in Christianity is. Many Christians fail this test because they are never aware that it is the Lord who is testing them.
Most of them get scared of the risks involved in acknowledging their faith in Christianity and end up denouncing God.
An anti-Christ terrorist once took captive 50 passengers on a bus and asked each one of them to declare their faith and their religion. He made it clear that all the passengers who were not Christians will not be killed.
Only one out of the 50 was not of the Christian faith. Surprisingly, all the other 49 denounced their faith in God. They denied the fact that they were Christians so that the terrorist could not kill them.
Daniel 3:16-18 (NIV) – “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold that you have set up.”
This was a very difficult test, but the three men of God stood it. Later on, after they had stood the test, God elevated them.
The Bible says that the king promoted them in the province of Babylon. Is your stand in God strong enough to stand such kind of test?
2. When God is Silent or We Experience Delayed Answers to Our Prayers.
The Bible says that God is always ready to listen to us, and He answers when we call out on Him in prayer. However, this is not always the case every time we pray. You might have experienced this on one or more occasions.
We are often drawn into thinking that God has rejected our prayers. This can be very dangerous to the faith of Christians if they are not aware that God is doing so to test them. The devil uses such opportunities to lure a Christian into wicked and ungodly ways that seem to work fast.
Do not ever try to compromise your faith in God when you experience delayed answers to prayers. God is faithful enough to grant you your requests, but He does so at His right time.
3. When We Are Being Led to Prove Our Integrity.
God tests our integrity on various occasions. What would you do if your boss unknowingly dropped a wallet that was full of money at a period when you were facing financial constraints?
Tests of integrity come when no one is watching, and our respect for the Lord is what will make us stand the test.
Psalms 139:23 (NIV) says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”
The Lord tests our thoughts and our hearts to prove our integrity. Joseph’s integrity was tested by the Lord, and he stood the test. His story is outlined in the book of Genesis 39:1-23.
When Joseph was drawn into the temptation of adultery by Potiphar’s wife, he rejected her advances since he respected the Lord. No one was around to watch them or to report them to Potiphar, but Joseph chose the right path.
Even though he was taken to prison for some time, God later elevated Joseph to higher ranks. Can you stand for Jesus and choose Him again and again even when no one is around to keep watch on you?
4. When We Are Being Led to Sacrifice Something.
Abraham, the great icon and the father of faith was tested by God. The Lord asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, to Him.
Abraham stood this test, and through that, he is now considered the father of all nations and God blessed him abundantly.
The story about Abraham’s test of sacrifice is outlined in the book of Genesis 22:1-19.
Genesis 22:1-2 (NIV) – “Sometime later, God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
God will test us in different ways to see if we can sacrifice what we hold dear to Him. It might not necessarily be the sacrifice of a child as in the case of Abraham.
We might be tested to sacrifice our jobs, our leisure time, or our wealth for the sake of the glory and the kingdom of God. Can you give up watching that favorite soap opera to have time for overnight prayers at church?
5. When We Face Life Challenges.
James 1:2-4 (NIV) – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Not all challenges are normal as many are in the habit of saying. Some challenges come into our lives as tests, and the Lord instructs us to consider it pure joy when we are tested. Life challenges develop our perseverance and faith in the Lord.
Through life challenges, we can acknowledge the Sovereignty of God over our lives and be mature enough to serve the Lord at any level. Before he became king, David went through a lot of challenges.
From having to fight with a bear to protect his father’s sheep to his life being sought by king Saul, and having to fight against Goliath.
The good thing about David is that He never retreated. He depended on the strength, help, and protection of the Lord. Later on, God elevated Him to a very powerful king in Israel.
When you face life challenges, be keen and find out if God is testing you, and be still so that He can refine you for greater glory.
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6. When We Lose Everything.
Sometimes God may feel like we are putting too much of our attention into our possessions rather than on Him. When such happens, He makes us lose everything that we have to see if we could still be faithful and thankful to Him for everything that happens.
After standing this test, He restores everything in good measure. An example of a hero in the Bible who lost everything but remained faithful to God is Job. This man, Job, lost all his wealth, including his children.
However, God later made him prosperous again and made Job twice as much as he had before. This is outlined in Jobs 1 and 2.
7. When We Are Being Led to Prove our Perseverance and Endurance.
The word of God says that the suffering that we go through cannot be compared to the glory and greatness that awaits us.
We only have to endure and persevere. God tests if we can acknowledge Him in bad times before He blesses us.
8. When We Are Being Led to Prove that We Are Patient.
Patience is one of the attributes of the fruit of the Spirit. God calls us to exercise patience with Him and with our fellow human beings. Patience is fruitful as it allows us to receive the best from God.
Jacob’s patience was tested when he was asked by Laban to work for seven more years so that he could be able to marry the love of his life, Rachel.
Sometimes, God denies us that job to see if we are patient enough with Him. And, after standing this test, He blesses us with our dream job. There are many things that we miss out just because our patience is being tested. But, later on, after we have been patient enough, God manifests Himself with good things in our lives.
9. When We Face Trials of Faith.
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) – “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
God may promise us something that we could not even imagine possessing. He might promise you something that has a very low chance of happening to test it you can trust in Him. But, as the Bible says in Hebrews 11:1, we have to trust in God and have hope in those things that are not visible to us.
When God promised that He would bless Abraham with a son, Sarah laughed in disbelief. She could not figure out having a baby at her age.
When God promises you something that seems impossible, or a church minister makes a prophecy over your life that seems beyond you, it could be that God is testing if you trust Him.
.Do not sarcastically laugh out loud like Sarah. Rather, have trust in God’s message like Abraham, and the Lord will surely make His visitation and fulfill His promise.
10. When We Face Financial Constraints.
Are you aware that sometimes we experience lack because God is testing us?
Philippians 4:19 (NIV) says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
God is the one who provides us with everything that we need, including finances.
He might withhold finances in our lives to see if we could still depend on Him as the sole provider of silver and gold.
11. When We Get Struck by Illnesses.
Some illnesses attack us so that our faith in God in His healing power may be tested. God allowed the devil to inflict sores on Job’s skin as a way of testing his faith, Job 2:7-10.
Whenever you fall sick, always trust that the Lord will heal you and restore you to good health as He promises in Jeremiah 30:17.
13. When God Blesses Us Beyond Our Expectations.
God does not only use negative occurrences to test us. He also uses good situations to test our hearts and our thoughts.
Luke 12:15 (NIV) – Then He said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Jesus said these words to His followers as He narrated to them the parable of the man who was richly blessed by God, Luke 12:16-21.
The man did not honor God with what He had received but made plans to make merry and enjoy on his own. However, God cautioned Him that He was going to die that very night.
How do we behave when God blesses us with good things in abundance?
God tests our hearts to see if we are compassionate. He tested the heart of the widow of Zarephath before blessing her. The widow had only a handful of flour and oil left, but she prepared it for Elijah.
How often do you express kindness and compassion to those in need? God tests us in such ways before He releases His blessings upon us.
Summary
God will always test us to keep us on track and in line with His will. We should be alert in the spirit and keen to know if what we are going through is a test.
Hope you will be strong and mature enough in spirit to stand God’s test! God bless you!
What does it mean to be tested by God? What to do when God is testing you?
