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Have You Considered The Purpose of Your Trials ? (James 1:1-8)

I. Trials Expose and Develop Your Faith (James 1:1-3) James a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

Trials A. Trials expose what you depend on apart from God that you may turn from it and turn to God to build true hope in Him alone.

Trials B. Trials expose who you depend on apart from God that you may turn from them and turn to God to build true hope in Him alone.

Trials C. Trials expose what you truly believe about God in real time that you may make the necessary adjustments to build true hope in Him alone.

II. Trials Expose and Develop Your Endurance/Patience (v3) Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

Trials A. Trials expose how you handle delays and teach you how to persevere and stay godly as you work through them.

Trials B. Trials expose how you handle denial and teach you how to persevere and stay godly as you work through it.

Trials C. Trials expose how you handle disruptions and teach you how to persevere and stay godly as you work through them.

Trials D. Trials expose how you handle devastations and teach you how to persevere and stay godly as you work through them.

III. Trials that are endured expose and develop your character (v4) But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing.

Trials A. Trials expose your immature and sinful thoughts, words, actions, and expectations towards God and lead you to replace them by developing godly thoughts, words, actions and expectations towards God.

Trials B. Trials expose your immature and sinful thoughts, words, actions, and expectations towards others and lead you to replace them by developing godly thoughts, words, actions and expectations towards others.

Trials C. Trials expose your immature and sinful thoughts, words, actions, and expectations towards life and lead you to replace them by developing godly thoughts, words, actions and expectations towards life.

IV. Consider this about your trials: ( v5- v8) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man unstable in all his ways.

Trials A. If we humble ourselves before God, acknowledge that we need Him and do not stubbornly insist on our way, God will respond by giving us Divine help to walk in His will through the trial (concept by Jim Berg in When Trouble Comes)

Trials B. If we don’t believe that God will help us we can’t expect Him to.

Trials C. If we don’t believe that God will help us we will be indecisive about our choices, hesitant in our choices, and divided in our choices as we go back and forth between trusting God and trusting ourselves.

Trials D. If we don’t believe that God will help us we will live a life that is unstable, complicated, and destructive, because we know the Truth of God’s Word but live by the lies of Satan’s world.