The Trial Of Faith by Apostle Johnson Suleman: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Every Faith Will Be Tried

John 11:21 — then said Martha unto Jesus, "Lord, if thou had been here, my brother would not have died."

James 1:3 — that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Every faith in Jesus will be tried. Every trust in God will be tested. Anything not tested should not be trusted.

God says that everyone — the trying of your faith, the trial of your faith — works patience. And what the ministry of the moment is: to speak to someone whose faith is being tried.

No believer is suffering — every believer is being tried.

Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were those who would provide accommodation for Jesus, who would take care of his needs. They stood with Jesus. They identified with Jesus. But one precious day, their brother fell sick. They sent a message to Jesus. He was aware when the young man was sick. He was aware when the sickness progressed. He was aware until Lazarus died. In fact, when he died, nobody told Jesus — Jesus knew on his own.

"Lazarus, our friend, is dead."

This reveals something critical: I can be his friend and still be attacked. I can be his friend and things can still go bad. It is called the trial of faith.

Hold On to the Presence of God

Martha said: "If you had been here, our brother would not have died." In that statement are several revelations. First — Martha had value for his presence.

When your faith is tried, tested, put under a survey, one thing you must never lose is value for the presence of God.

• Psalm 16:11 — in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore
• Acts 3:19 — the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord
• Psalm 51:11 — cast me not away from thy presence; take not thy Holy Spirit from me

In the midst of shaking, what you say to God is, "God, don't leave me." Hold on to the presence of God. When Samson was almost losing everything, he said to the young boy who was leading him, "Please help me feel the pillar." There is a pillar you need to feel — the pillar that holds your life. If you can feel that pillar, there will be restoration. Your latter end will be greater than the former.

Psalm 34:19 — many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivered him out of them all.

In his presence, there is liberty. In his presence, there is deliverance. There is something that gives you confidence in the midst of nothing — even when there is no money in your bank account, when things are going south. It is called the presence of God. That is why you have what is called joy unspeakable, full of glory.

With divine presence, trials end. With divine presence, tribulation is summarised.

God Is Not Late

Martha's statement also appeared as though God was late — as if he had come late. But God is not late.

God sometimes will want everybody to know about your problems, so that they cannot deny your testimony. When Hannah carried that baby up, nobody contested — because they were all aware.

God can lead you round, but he cannot lead you wrong. He will lead you round Jericho. He will lead you round — but he cannot lead you wrong.

God may not show up at your time, but he will show up at the right time.

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Apostle Johnson Suleman

Omega Fire Ministries International

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The woman with the issue of blood was waiting for twelve years. Mark 5 — when it got to ten years, there was tendency to give up. But God particularly, intentionally allowed it to be for twelve years, because there was a divine arrangement. That woman was standing waiting for a miracle, and a man called Jairus had invited Jesus. It was on the way to Jairus's house that the woman touched the garment of Jesus. How old was Jairus's daughter? Twelve. How long was the woman's sickness? Twelve. God allowed it to wait for twelve years because there was an anointing at work — that period was a twelve-year anointing, and God strategically allowed it to be so.

Romans 8:28 — all things work together for good to them that love God and to them who are called according to his purpose.

It does not matter how far the problem has gone. It does not matter how far the battles have gone. God is not late. He sees the end from the beginning. He is a sovereign God. He shows up at the right time.

God Leaves You Better Than He Found You

God had it better than he met you. God leaves you better than he met you:

• He met Lazarus dead — he brought him out alive
• He met Sarah barren — he made her fruitful
• He met Abraham barren — he made him fruitful
• He met Daniel in the lions' den — he brought him out
• He met David as a frustrated shepherd boy — he made him king of Israel
• He met Moses rejected and dumped by the water side — he turned him into a deliverer
• He met Nehemiah a bartender — he made him the rebuilder of the wall
• He met Esther an orphan — he made her a queen in a strange land
• He met Paul as a murderer — he made him a preacher of the gospel
• He met Peter as a frustrated fisherman — he made him a chief cornerstone
• He met Mary Magdalene as the woman of the city — she became the first one Jesus appeared to after resurrection

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The God I know does not leave you the way he found you. If you put your life in the hands of Jesus, it does not matter how he found you — he makes your life better. God is a farmer. A natural farmer who sees a bad seed throws it away. But the God being described here, when he sees a bad seed, he makes it good and plants it. He makes it 30-fold better, 60-fold better, 100-fold better.

This is not the end of your life. You will come out of battle. You will come out of pain. You will come out of struggle, shame, and confusion.

Lamentations 3:37 — who is he that says a thing and it comes to pass when the Lord commanded it not? To subvert a man from his course, the Lord approves not.

Pour Out to Him

Come Forth — Command What You Are Believing For

When Jesus showed up, he said, "Lazarus, come forth." Whatever you are looking for — call it by name and shout, "Come forth."

• Is it a blessing, a baby? Come forth.
• Is it a job? Come forth.
• Whatever you are believing God for — call it by name and command it to come forth.