There is a cost to obey Jesus and be truly his disciple and the quality of your commitment to him will be tested. Jesus gives us promises though in the midst of these trials,

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (Jn 14:18).

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. " (Is 41:10).

"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." (Is 43:1-3).

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33).

Paul wrote,

"Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." (2 Thess 3:3)

WHY JESUS ALLOWS OUR
COMMITMENT TO HIM
TO BE TESTED

Jesus allows the quality of our commitment to do His will to be tested for several reasons. First, for our spiritual maturity. James, the brother of Jesus, wrote in the book of James 1:2-4, and 12;

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. . . . Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him."

Second, Jesus allows our commitment to do His will to be tested to teach us how to have victory over the flesh and the devil. The writer of Hebrews states in Hebrews 12:7-10,

"It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness."

Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:12-13 and in 5:6-10

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation."

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you."

As we choose to walk in obedience to Jesus’ will, regardless of the storm or trials, Jesus promises to bring us through safely in the end and with victory, but only if we stay in the boat. Peter writes about Noah and his generation,

"Who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water." (1 Peter 3:20)

Peter tells us in this passage that Noah and his family came safely through the flood waters only because they obeyed Him and did what he told them to do with their lives. Peter using their example is telling us that as we obey Jesus we will come through our trials safely and victoriously as well.

Third, Jesus tests the quality of our commitment to do his will so that he can bless us and give us more. The writer of Hebrews states in Hebrews 12:11,

"All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."

In Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus promises that as we walk in obedience to the development of the abilities and talents He has given us that he will increase the talents we have and give us more talents and abilities. He will increase the capacity of our hearts and influence for Him in our respective fields (Section 7 goes into greater detail about this passage).

What do trials really test in our lives? They are testing our faith in Jesus. Do we really believe that He loves us and will fulfill what is best for us in His time and way? Or will we try to grab the world out of our own initiative and strength?

What does it cost to be Jesus’ disciple, to let Him be Lord of our lives and time? In order for Jesus’ will and call in our lives to be realized we must die to self. Jesus said in the Gospel of John 12:24-25,

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his soul loses it; and he who hates his soul in this world shall keep it to eternal life."

Jesus has a plan for your life. Specifically, a plan for your soul development. The only way that His plan for your soul-development can come about is through the yielding of all your personal rights. Especially is this true in the areas of vocation, marriage, peace with relatives, the right of many time-consuming friendships unless ordered of the Lord for a purpose, and use of all time during the week (Rom 12:18, Prov 18:24).

Jesus said in Luke 14:33, So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. Giving up our rights to fulfill our desires does not mean necessarily that God will not grant these desires to be fulfilled, but only that we release the right to do anything to bring about their fulfillment in ourselves. The disciple of Jesus relies on Jesus and Jesus alone for all his needs and for the fulfillment of any of his desires. Jesus said in John 10:10, The thief comes only to steal, kill and to destroy; but I came that you might have life and might have it abundantly. Jesus loves us and wants the best for us and since He created us, only He knows best how to manage our lives and when is the best time that our desires should be fulfilled. David the Psalmist said in Psalm 31:14-15, But as for me, I trust in Thee, O Lord, I say, "Thou art my God. My times are in Thy hand". . . . If one does not completely yield his rights to Jesus, Jesus will not be able to develop that soul-life in that person, and that person will not be able to submit to the weekly schedule Jesus has given him. You must make a willful choice and say, Jesus I believe that you love me, not because I necessarily feel that love or because my circumstances necessarily provide my senses with the evidence of that love; but I choose to believe that you love me because Your Word declares you do (Jer 31:3); and since Your Word is true I choose to trust You with every detail of my life and to fulfill my desires when it is best for Your kingdom (Matt 6:33) and when I can enjoy it the most (Heb 1:9, Ps 16:11).

If a person, who desires to be a disciple of Jesus and let Him be Lord over his time during the week, does not take this step, he will be tossed back and forth like a ping-pong ball because Satan will ever throw doubts into his mind and will lead him away from the purpose of God's kingdom to try and fulfill the desires of his flesh in his own strength. Satan will try to get him to act out of fear.

Fear is a questioning of God's love. What happens when we allow fear to be a motivating factor in our decision making? A questioning of God's love, if accepted, will then lead to unbelief.