Trials are the things that shape us, mold us. It's when we're under pressure that we change from coal to diamond. Who has ever been changed that has not lived through a trial? So trials are not our enemies. Trials are friends that wear a different face. They know how to mold, chisel, shape. They are the cookie cutters that trim away anything that is not our real shape! God is molding us perfectly into His image. And so let the trials have their full way in us! Let the storm bring the rain that cleanses.
But this does not mean we pull away from our authority over the devil and his schemes! What it does mean is that we can shift our perspective so we are able to say, "After I have done everything to stand, I stand firm..." For then when we stand in the storm, we reap EVERY benefit from the High places! And we'll stand and say, "Lord, thank you that you have allowed this so I can walk away with the blessings! I can walk away with the spoils! What the enemy intended for evil, you turned around for MY benefit!"
Storm clouds aren't bad. Storm clouds carry the blessing. It just doesn't always come in the pretty package we were hoping for.
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Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
James 1:2-4, 12 NIV
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:10-17 NIV
https://www.bible.com/111/eph.6.10-17.niv
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