It is a certainty that we will be faced with tests in life.  Tests are not exactly fun, but they are necessary.  Sometimes we face tests with nervousness and anxiousness.  The purpose of a test is to see if we are ready to advance or to correct an area in our lives.  For instance, there are tests that show the mastery of a subject, like driving.  You won’t be able to legally drive unless you pass the written tests and practical road test to get a driver’s license.  Vision tests are taken to check how well a person can see.  The vision test will gauge a person’s sight and the optometrist can prescribe corrective glasses or contacts to provide perfect sight.

In Genesis, Abraham faced an extremely difficult test,

“Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said,‘ Here I am.’ He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.’” (Gen. 22:1-2) 

Notice how it says “God tested” not “tempted”.  God will test you, but He will never tempt you.  It is a fact, in the book of James “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” (Jas. 1:13) 

God tested Abraham not to tempt him but to test him.  He tested him in order for him to advance to the next level.  In Greek “to test” is the world “dokimon” where something is documented. “To tempt,” is the Greek word, “periazo” which means to push until you break.   God will test you in order to find a weak spot and once it is found it can be reinforced.  The Devil will tempt you in order to find your weak spot and break you.

Abraham is being tested about giving up his only promised son Issac.  In Hebrews 11, when God tested him, Abraham, in deep faith, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.  He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son. You see, God had given him a promise that he would be the father of many nations, and He had to test that trust in the promise of God.  For, in fact, if Isaac had been taken away, then all the promises of God would have become moot, and it's sort of like God is saying, “Do you believe what I said?”  And he's about to test him.

God was testing to see if He had Abraham’s complete love and trust.  God gave a promise to Abraham and He wanted to see if Abraham’s heart is with his son or God.  When Abraham put Issac on the altar and held the knife downward, God knew that Abraham put God first, not his only son Isaac.  God intervened and stopped Abraham from offering his son.  God did not want Isaac; He wanted Abraham’s heart.

Years ago, when I was in Hilo, I really wanted a Harley Davidson, so I saved and saved and saved for years.  But I had to wait until my kids got into high school, my wife said, before I could have a motorcycle. Years went by.  Finally, she said, okay, you can have this motorcycle. I was so excited.  So I got a motorcycle. And so I would be polishing that thing, and I'd polish the polish and I polished the polish on top of the polish. 

Then one day I heard the Lord say, “I want you to put this up for sale.”  I thought, “No way, I'm not hearing this.”  And I heard it again and again, about five times, until I knew God was saying, “I want you to put this up for sale.”  I thought, “No way.”  So it took me a while, but I finally thought I'd better do it.  And I tell you, it was hard. 

So I put it up in this advertising newspaper, you know, “Harley Davidson for sale”.  And as soon as I put it in, my heart had to let it go. I ran it for a week.  One guy called up: “I wanna come and see that motorcycle.”  I replied, “Oh, it's really junk, you know.  It makes way too much noise.”  But he said, “Oh, that's the kine I want.” “No, sorry, it's real quiet.”  He came and looked at it, decided not to buy it.  Another guy came and looked at it, decided not to buy it.  I ran it for a whole week, and finally it was like, well, if God wants it to be sold, it will be sold. 

But it was like the Lord said, “Good, now you can keep it because I needed your heart.  I don't want that junk bike.  I want your heart.  But you had it so attached to that, I had to test you.”  So after a week, I canceled the ad.  Whew! Praise the Lord, you know.  No one came to buy it.  I don't know why.  I put it up for $52,000.  But that's God's problem, not mine, you know!

In our own lives we have to examine if there are relationships or things that might get in the way of God having our complete heart.  God will test us with those things to see if our hearts are with Him. 

ABRAHAM’S RESPONSE

“So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.” (Gen. 22:3)

Pay attention and take note that Abraham rose early in the morning.  In this story Abraham is teaching us a lesson about faith.

 ABRAHAM’S LESSON

1.   FAITH IS SPIRITUAL PUNCTUALITY.

Spiritual punctuality is about being aligned and in step with the Holy Spirit.  It is not being impatient, where we run ahead of the Lord.  It is not being slothful or disobedient where we fall behind God.  Spiritual punctuality is walking step by step with God.  There are three types of people: the ones who are ahead of God, behind God, or in step with God.

There are two tests for spiritual punctuality.  The first test is what has God been telling you you have been slow on or stalling out on?  It could be forgiving someone, being involved, doing devotions, and making things right in estranged relationships.  When God asks you to do something you just put your faith in Him and do what He asks.  Fear can sometimes get in the way, but God just wants us to be strong and courageous.  For instance when we forgive, we just forgive no matter what the other person’s reaction will be. It is your responsibility to forgive.

In the book of Joshua, God says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:9) God commands us to be strong and courageous.  Courage does not mean there is an absence of fear.  Courage is obeying God in spite of fear.  It is facing those fears and moving forward.

Let's say we're all in the army here.  You're all private first?class, you and you and you.  All right?  And a four?star general comes up, and the four?star general says, “Let's rise.” or one person says, “Here's the general, Atten?hut!”, what do you do?  What if your knee is sore?  You stand.  What if you don't feel led?  You stand.  What if someone says, “Eh, no stand up.”, what do you do?  It doesn't matter.  You stand.  Even if your ankle is sprained, what do you do?  Because you have been commanded. 

Now listen.  We forget that Jesus is not a general.  He's the commander and chief of the universe.  And when God says, Wayne, it's time to do this or it's time to do that, let that go.  Give that up.  I command you. 

The second test is, in what area does God wants us to slow down and pause on? Spiritual punctuality is not only about speed; it is about being in step with God.  For example there are times when we say the right things at the wrong times.  It is like when we correct someone at the wrong moment; it can do more harm than good. 

We're talking about spiritual punctuality. There are times when your children God will say things you desperately want to correct but just pause. There are times with your wife or your husband that you want to correct them because they're so off base. Pause.  You hear another Christian or see another Christian doing something wrong that you don't approve of.  Pause.  You don't need to die on that hill. Spiritual punctuality. Not too fast. Not too slow. 

Being spiritually punctual is all about obedience.  It is moving and being in step with the Holy Spirit.  When God tells you to slow down, you drop your pace.  When God tells you to speed up, you quicken your pace.  Spiritual punctuality will help us live our faith and be aligned with God.

Discussion Questions:

1. What does it mean to be spiritually punctual?
2. Where does God want you to slow down?
3. Where does God want you to speed up?
4. Why are tests important?
5. How is spirituality related to obedience?
6. How is being courageous related to fear?