July 9, 2025 Devo

What is one thing you wish you could do or become? Would it be to be an amazing athlete? Do you wish you were an incredible musician? How about a mountain climber who has scaled the tallest mountains in the world? Let’s be more spiritual. Would you like to be a person of great faith or a strong, resilient man or woman of God? The question behind all of these questions is this: Are you willing to pay the price to be that individual?
Great athletes don’t just walk out on a court or field and excel. They put in years of hard work and rigorous conditioning to get their bodies and skills where they need to be. Incredible musicians don’t usually just pick up an instrument and play it at a level that fills auditoriums and mesmerizes audiences. They practice day after day for hours, honing their skill and learning the most effective techniques. Mountain climbers spend years conditioning their bodies, building up their legs and lungs, and learn on small mountains how to climb big mountains. And people of great faith and spiritual maturity don’t just “happen.” They’re made. Their faith is a muscle of the soul that has been pushed and challenged and grown over time. They learn to believe in God by going through times when they HAD to believe in God.
The psalmist reminds us of this truth today. He describes our faith as silver that has been purified. What purifies silver? The FIRE! Ouch! Let that sink in for a second. We want the product, but we often run from the process. We want to be strong, but we don’t want the burdens that make us strong. We want the faith, but we don’t want to be put in those situations that make us have to trust God. How often do we ask God to make our path easier instead of asking Him to make us stronger to endure it? James says, “Count it all JOY when you face trials of many kinds…” (James 1:2 NIV) Why? Because that’s what makes you grow and become who you really want to be.
Are you facing a trial right now? Are you going through a difficult time? Maybe God isn’t removing this time of “testing” because it’s in this fire that He’s going to purify you and help you to grow. Instead of asking for an easier path, ask God to make you stronger. Ask Him to use this circumstance to help you believe Him more, trust Him more, and become more like Him. Stop running from and whining about the very things God uses to make you who you tell Him you want to be. This testing isn’t to show you how weak you are. It’s to show you how strong you can become. It’s the testing that makes you TOUGH! That’s God’s Word for you today.