{"id":1200,"date":"2017-07-12T08:42:05","date_gmt":"2017-07-12T15:42:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/?p=1200"},"modified":"2017-11-10T08:44:45","modified_gmt":"2017-11-10T16:44:45","slug":"how-to-pass-tests-of-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/blog\/how-to-pass-tests-of-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Pass Tests of Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and\u00a0Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. (Hebrews 11:32-34)<\/em><\/p>\n

When Your Faith is Tested<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is there really a God?\u00a0 If there is a God, why do I still encounter difficult times in my life?\u00a0 Are my prayers effective?\u00a0 Should I give up\u00a0and succumb to the realities of life, or should I continue to trust God?\u00a0 When our faith is tested, such questions inevitably arise.\u00a0 When the Israelites were besieged and captured, we wonder if Daniel asked these same questions as he stumbled along with the other captives on the way to Babylon.<\/p>\n

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it, taking captive some Israelites from the royal family, including Daniel.\u00a0 These noblemen, who were used to a comfortable and luxurious lifestyle, were now being moved along like a herd of cattle, making the arduous journey towards Babylon.\u00a0 Did they blame God?\u00a0 Did they persevere?\u00a0 How many of them survived and reached Babylon?\u00a0 What fate awaited them if they did survive?<\/p>\n

Many captives died along the way.\u00a0 Daniel, along with those who survived, arrived in Babylon, where King Nebuchadnezzar had just given an order.<\/p>\n

Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility\u2014young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king\u2019s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.\u00a0 (Daniel 1:3-4)<\/em><\/p>\n

Daniel and his three friends were among the fortunate ones to be selected.\u00a0 They were to eat food and drink wine from the king\u2019s table, then they were to be trained for three years, and after that to enter the king\u2019s service.\u00a0 In such a situation, most people would choose to accept their good fortune at being selected, and live this new life with thankful hearts.\u00a0 Daniel, however, thought differently.\u00a0 His experience of suffering had not caused him to stray from God, but rather increased his faith in God.\u00a0 Now he had a choice to make: should I eat food and drink wine from the king\u2019s table?\u00a0 Such meals from the king\u2019s table often consisted of food and wine that had been offered to idols.\u00a0 Furthermore, some of the food, such as pork, were forbidden to be eaten according to the laws of Moses.\u00a0 Daniel was conflicted:\u00a0 should I eat, or should I not?\u00a0 If I eat, I would be comprising what I believe; if I don\u2019t, I may face severe punishment.\u00a0 And so, Daniel\u2019s faith was tested.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>He Would Not Defile Himself<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every believer\u2019s faith will be tested.\u00a0 In every facet of life, whether in important matters or seemingly insignificant decisions, will I resolve to make choices that go against what the world says, and thus show that I belong to God?\u00a0 Will I hold fast and stick to the principles that are pleasing to God?\u00a0 Or will I make compromises in order to please the world?\u00a0 When we make compromises and do as the world does, we are accepted by the world as one of its own.\u00a0 However, when we stand firm and hold to principles that are against what the world desires, such conviction becomes offensive to the world.\u00a0 Yet Daniel resolved to draw a clear boundary in what others saw as a grey area.\u00a0 To him, it was far more important, even at the risk of his life, to gain the favor of the Lord over the favor of men.\u00a0 Thus, Daniel resolved not to defile himself.<\/p>\n

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. (Daniel 1:8)<\/em><\/p>\n

Daniel\u2019s three friends had the same resolve as he did, and so they requested the chief official to test them by giving them only vegetables to eat and water to drink for ten days.\u00a0 At the end of the ten days, the chief official inspected them and found them to be \u201chealthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food\u201d (Daniel 1:15).\u00a0 As a result, the chief official gave orders to remove the royal food and wine, and permitted Daniel and his friends to eat food according to their conscience.\u00a0 Praise the Lord, Daniel passed his test of faith with flying colors!<\/p>\n

Daniel was twice tested in his faith, first in a test of suffering, and second in a test of life.\u00a0 The Bible merely mentioned the first test in passing, yet recorded the second test in detail.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because in the first test, Daniel did not have a choice\u2014suffering came upon him; but in the second test, he did have a choice, a decision that he had to face as part of his daily life.\u00a0 Brothers and sisters, what most often tests our faith are not seasons of suffering, but our day-to-day life.\u00a0 It is not the sudden catastrophic events that will erode our relationship with God, but more often than not, it is the daily choices we make that can defile us.\u00a0 In the matter of food and drink, Daniel knew where to draw the line, and did not allow the world\u2019s impurities to contaminate him.\u00a0\u00a0What about you?\u00a0 Where do\u00a0you\u00a0<\/em>draw your line?\u00a0 This is between you and God, but the underlying principle is the same:\u00a0 I am set apart for God, and I will not defile myself.\u00a0 I will honor God.\u00a0 Daniel honored God, and God showed favor to him.<\/p>\n

Shut the Mouths of Lions<\/strong><\/p>\n

In life, there are two types of tests.\u00a0 One is \u201cto not do what is wrong\u201d, the other is \u201cto do what is right\u201d.\u00a0 Daniel did not defile himself with the king\u2019s food, and so he chose \u201cto not do what is wrong\u201d.\u00a0 Do not lie, do not hurt others, do not covet dishonest gain\u2026all these fall under the first category.\u00a0 Several years later, Daniel found himself in another alarming situation where he would face the second type of test.<\/p>\n

By that time, the Babylonian empire had been overturned, and on the throne was Darius the Mede.\u00a0 At the instigation of treacherous court administrators who planned to harm Daniel, King Darius issued a decree that anyone who prays to any god or man other than to the king, shall be thrown into the lions\u2019 den.\u00a0 Daniel had always prayed to God three times a day.\u00a0 If he continued praying as usual, he would violate the king\u2019s decree and be thrown into the lions\u2019 den.\u00a0 What should Daniel do?\u00a0 Should he pray, or should he not?<\/p>\n

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem.\u00a0 Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. (Daniel 6:10)<\/em><\/p>\n

Daniel decided that he must do what is right.\u00a0 And so he went upstairs where the windows opened towards Jerusalem, and got down on his knees and prayed.\u00a0 When Daniel\u2019s enemies found out about this, they immediately reported it to King Darius.\u00a0 The king loved Daniel, but he could not change his decree.\u00a0 Bound by his words and forced to act by the people, he had no choice but to capture Daniel and throw him into the lions\u2019 den.\u00a0 At the first light of dawn the next morning, the king drew near to the lions\u2019 den, and called out in an anguished voice, \u201cDaniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?\u201d\u00a0 To his astonishment, Daniel answered from inside the lions\u2019 den:<\/p>\n

O king, live forever!\u00a0 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions.\u00a0 They have not hurt me.\u00a0 (Daniel 6:22)<\/em><\/p>\n

Darius was overjoyed to hear Daniel\u2019s voice, and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den.\u00a0 No wound was found on Daniel, and he appeared in front of King Darius unharmed!\u00a0 Without a doubt, this was a miracle!\u00a0 God sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions, and saved the life of Daniel.\u00a0 The reason Daniel was saved was because \u201che had trusted in his God\u201d (Daniel 6:23). Dear brothers and sisters, the miracle of the lions\u2019 den happened only to Daniel, and only once in history.\u00a0 The miracle of salvation, however, is ongoing\u2014it takes place every day, everywhere, and to everyone who trusts in Jesus.<\/p>\n

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile\u2014the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:12-13)<\/em><\/p>\n

Daniel\u2019s experience teaches us:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. God shows favor to those who honor Him, and saves those who trust in Him.<\/li>\n
  2. The tests of faith are \u201cto not do what is wrong\u201d and \u201cto do what is right\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and\u00a0Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1201,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,49,50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-devotionals","category-life-is-a-song","category-pastor-warren-wang"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1200"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1202,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1200\/revisions\/1202"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}