Silas
Beloved of All
Your question is one that many sincere believers ask when a hard season will not lift, and it is wise to ask it. Scripture shows that God does at times separate, break and rebuild those He intends to use. Like a seed being planted, there is a hiddenness and a pressing that feels like burial, but it is meant for growth. At the same time the Bible is clear that there is a real spiritual enemy who attacks, and there are also consequences that come from our own choices. Often these things overlap, so discernment is needed.
One way God works is through testing. The proving of your faith is not for God to find out what is in you, for He already knows, but for you to see what is in you and to be refined. That testing is described as more precious than gold that perishes, because gold will not last but faith purified will. Its purpose is to develop patience and endurance, which is often where we fail because we do not want to wait on God. When God is planting you, even in pain you will usually find He is drawing you toward holiness, humility, dependence and a deeper hunger for His Word. The season may be lonely or stripped down, but it produces a quiet fruit of wanting to seek Him more, to live a cleaner and more obedient life, and to trust His promises for the future inheritance He has secured for you.
The enemy's work has a different mark. We often react in the flesh without recognizing the spiritual nature of the conflict, and that is why the first step is simply to recognize when an attack is happening. His way is wily and not always obvious. He tends to bring accusation, confusion, condemnation, and temptation to take a shortcut around God's path by offering immediate fulfillment. He will whisper that you do not need to follow God's way, that fulfillment lies in a compromise, in a relationship outside of marriage, in dishonesty, in bitterness or in turning away. If the pressure you feel is pushing you toward sin, toward despising holiness, toward despair that says you are already condemned and unforgiven, that is not the voice of the Father who has justified you.
Your own part also matters. Scripture always puts God's part first and as predominant, He is the one who gives new birth not by the will of man but by His own will, yet there is still a human part that is secondary but real. God calls His people to a pure and holy life, and when we walk outside that path there are natural consequences. That is why God's Word is so necessary. It is given by inspiration and it does not return without accomplishing its purpose. It is sharper than any two edged sword, discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart. In prayer, ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and to guide your prayers according to God's will, and let the Word search your motives. Ask honestly, is there disobedience, neglect, or a pattern I need to repent of and turn from, trusting that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin.
You can test the season by a few simple questions. What is it producing in you. Is it making you more patient, more prayerful, more anchored in Scripture, more willing to wait on God even when it hurts, that points to God's planting hand. Is it driving you toward accusation, isolation from God, temptation to sin, and a sense that God has abandoned you, that bears the mark of the enemy who must be resisted with truth. Is there a clear area where you have not walked in obedience and need to make it right, that points to your own responsibility and an invitation to repent and seek Him again.
Be assured of this, God's judgment and His dealings are always righteous and fair, and His will for your life is the very best that could happen to you. You would not want to be able to change it. The promise stands that the Lord will be with you as long as you are with Him, and if you seek Him you will find Him. He is not willing that any should perish and His Spirit still strives with you, calling you to repentance and to a higher life. If you are in Christ, no charge can stand against you, for it is God who has justified you. Bring this whole season before Him honestly, stay in His Word daily, let it soak your life like rain, and ask Him to show you what to repent of, what to resist, and what to endure with joy for the sake of what He is growing in you.
One way God works is through testing. The proving of your faith is not for God to find out what is in you, for He already knows, but for you to see what is in you and to be refined. That testing is described as more precious than gold that perishes, because gold will not last but faith purified will. Its purpose is to develop patience and endurance, which is often where we fail because we do not want to wait on God. When God is planting you, even in pain you will usually find He is drawing you toward holiness, humility, dependence and a deeper hunger for His Word. The season may be lonely or stripped down, but it produces a quiet fruit of wanting to seek Him more, to live a cleaner and more obedient life, and to trust His promises for the future inheritance He has secured for you.
The enemy's work has a different mark. We often react in the flesh without recognizing the spiritual nature of the conflict, and that is why the first step is simply to recognize when an attack is happening. His way is wily and not always obvious. He tends to bring accusation, confusion, condemnation, and temptation to take a shortcut around God's path by offering immediate fulfillment. He will whisper that you do not need to follow God's way, that fulfillment lies in a compromise, in a relationship outside of marriage, in dishonesty, in bitterness or in turning away. If the pressure you feel is pushing you toward sin, toward despising holiness, toward despair that says you are already condemned and unforgiven, that is not the voice of the Father who has justified you.
Your own part also matters. Scripture always puts God's part first and as predominant, He is the one who gives new birth not by the will of man but by His own will, yet there is still a human part that is secondary but real. God calls His people to a pure and holy life, and when we walk outside that path there are natural consequences. That is why God's Word is so necessary. It is given by inspiration and it does not return without accomplishing its purpose. It is sharper than any two edged sword, discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart. In prayer, ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and to guide your prayers according to God's will, and let the Word search your motives. Ask honestly, is there disobedience, neglect, or a pattern I need to repent of and turn from, trusting that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin.
You can test the season by a few simple questions. What is it producing in you. Is it making you more patient, more prayerful, more anchored in Scripture, more willing to wait on God even when it hurts, that points to God's planting hand. Is it driving you toward accusation, isolation from God, temptation to sin, and a sense that God has abandoned you, that bears the mark of the enemy who must be resisted with truth. Is there a clear area where you have not walked in obedience and need to make it right, that points to your own responsibility and an invitation to repent and seek Him again.
Be assured of this, God's judgment and His dealings are always righteous and fair, and His will for your life is the very best that could happen to you. You would not want to be able to change it. The promise stands that the Lord will be with you as long as you are with Him, and if you seek Him you will find Him. He is not willing that any should perish and His Spirit still strives with you, calling you to repentance and to a higher life. If you are in Christ, no charge can stand against you, for it is God who has justified you. Bring this whole season before Him honestly, stay in His Word daily, let it soak your life like rain, and ask Him to show you what to repent of, what to resist, and what to endure with joy for the sake of what He is growing in you.
