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From Test to Testimony

  • Writer: Alexis Goncalves
    Alexis Goncalves
  • 5 days ago
  • 4 min read

Passing God's faithfulness test



When we read about all the inspiring men and women in the Bible who are known for their faith, we may think to ourselves “I wish I could have faith like that!” But what we see through the accounts of our admired heroes of the faith like Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses and David is that they were ordinary people like us who had their own imperfect journeys marked by moments of incredible confidence in God and not-so-incredible moments of doubt and disobedience. None of them were naturally born with great faith or given any special shortcuts—just a call from God to trust and obey. Like us, their faith was developed over time through tests and trials that challenged them to grow in their capacity to believe in God’s promises, some that they didn’t even get to see in their lifetime. To be a daughter of great faith, we must allow God to bring us through trying times that test the integrity of our faith in Him.

Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. James 1:2-3

Having faith is almost always easier said than done. While believing is a simple concept, it’s certainly not easy to practice. That’s because when God gives us a promise, it’s always bigger than ourselves. What God requires from us cannot be done in our own power–it requires a new level of faith. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:1 that faith is confidently believing in that which we cannot see. To practically walk by faith and not be influenced by what we see around us, we must actively choose to put our trust in a God Who we cannot see, believing in Him for something that hasn’t happened yet. Oftentimes living by faith means trusting in God as we take steps in the direction He’s leading us. Other times, it’s exercising restraint and simply waiting on God to move on our behalf. At all times, faith requires our participation, taking one step at a time.


When we ask God to use us or entrust us with something, what we’re really doing is giving Him permission to put us to the test. God tests our hearts, minds, emotions and motives before He promotes us to a higher level of responsibility and authority. That’s because God cares more about developing daughters of strong character than prematurely blessing them with something they could mishandle and potentially hurt themselves and others. Naturally, many of us don’t like taking tests but they are the necessary and unavoidable process by which God prepares us for His Kingdom work. When we test something, we are allowing it to undergo a level of pressure to prove its genuineness, either by an experiment, trial or examination. We’re determining whether it can hold up under the applied pressure. 


There is no testimony without a test. God in His mercy doesn’t set us up to fail and fall flat on our faces. He also does not let us be tempted beyond our ability. Before God ever promotes us, He gives us a series of smaller tests to determine if we are ready for the next level. This is not so much to prove to God whether we’ll pass the test, but it’s more for us to see the measure of faith that’s really in our heart and draw it out. It’s in the trials that we become best acquainted with ourselves and familiar with our own strengths and weaknesses. Whenever God tests us, we can tell how far we have come and how far we still need to go by how we react in that test. Attitudes of the heart that we did not know we had often come out in the difficult seasons of testing. In God’s school of faith, if we haven’t learned our initial lesson, He will often give us a chance to try again until we have sufficiently passed the exam.


Daughter, God delights in your faith. Without it, we simply cannot please God. Genuine faith isn't just a belief in God but it’s an active trust in Him that leads to deeper spiritual development that produces good works. Thankfully for us, even when we are faithless, God is faithful. Scripture tells us that Jesus lives to make intercession for us and while He cannot take our tests for us, He does promise to be with us every step of the way. He is the best Teacher Who sees in you what you can’t see in yourself. If you’re going through a hard season of testing and trials, don’t fight it but embrace it! Be encouraged that God is preparing to promote you to something greater! Know that there is grace available to you by His Spirit to get you through to the other side. When you’re there, you’ll thank God for putting you to the test because it fortified your faith and better positioned you to appreciate and steward God’s blessing.



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