So far in this series, from the introduction to last week’s New Testament commands, I have dealt a great deal with generalities. Not very many specifics. But what am I really getting at?
First, I want to reiterate that it is possible to test God. It always has been. And a quick survey of the history of God’s people will show that His people have always tested Him — and not always in a good way. We certainly don’t want to test him like the Israelites did at Massah (Deuteronomy 6:16).
On the other hand, God is testable.
Secondly, there’s no rule that says a believer HAS to test God. If you’re satisfied in your faith and you take God at His word, there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, God rather likes it when we do that. Obedience is better than sacrifice.
Faith is not necessarily a blind leap (although, it may require blindly leaping). And I rather think there is a HUGE difference between faith and wishful thinking. I’ve seen the two confused. The point of this series is to challenge you to put God to the test.
If you have any doubts—any doubts at all—about God, whether He’s true to His word or not, or whether you can rely on His promises, I believe God understands that doubt. He is willing to let us test Him so that we can increase our faith. And if testing God leads to an increase in faith, then it certainly is a fruit-bearing tree. Testing God ensures that we don’t just blindly leap into anything and everything that promises a supernatural result. The Apostle John encourages us to test the spirits to determine whether they are from God (1 John 4:1). I believe that includes the Holy Spirit. Here’s the promise associated with that challenge:
By this you will know the Spirit of God (1 John 4:2, Berean Study Bible)
Why? Because spirits that confess Jesus Christ is Lord and King are from God. Spirits that do not, are the antichrist. God wants us to know the difference, and He wants us to know how to discern the difference. Discerning means testing.
What Does A Test of God Look Like?
God is the same today as he’s ever been. The same God who spoke through a donkey, appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush, and saved three teenagers from a fiery furnace is still alive and well today. If you think about it, every saint in history who obeyed God in the face of persecution, opposition, or any other obstacle was testing God. Every act of faith is, in a sense, a test of God.
In other words, whether you intend to or not, if you operate out of faith and leap into the unknown trusting God for the results, then you are testing God. With this caveat: It has to be in something that honors God and through which God intends to deliver you.
When Jesus told the blind man, “Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam” and the blind man obeyed, that blind man was testing God. The blind man had no idea that he would come back with his sight. He simply did as the Lord told him to do and received his sight. Jesus healed the man on the basis of the man’s faith. The man stepped out in faith without knowing the outcome and the result was a test that displayed God’s glory, power, and faithfulness.
When friends of a paralytic had such faith that they lowered him through Jesus’ roof and into Son of Man’s living room, Jesus not only healed the man of his physical ailment but forgave his sins too. On the basis of his friends’ faith. That was one amazing test.
When Jesus told His disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit, they did so. A few days later, they were baptized with the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus promised.
In each of these cases, the point is not that Jesus heals physical ailments (He has, can, and still does), but that He was demonstrating His kingdom. He had arrived and brought His kingdom with Him. And in each of these cases He was bringing the kingdom to people who had trusted Him and demonstrated their faith in Him. In every case where someone put their faith in God (in both the Old and the New Testament), God demonstrated His power in, through, and for that individual. That is the result that testing God produces.
In this series, I have spoken of many ways a person can test God, but I have not offered any formulas. The test may look different for every individual. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship idols and God saved them from destruction. Stephen the deacon preached the gospel of the kingdom and was martyred, but he was given a vision of His Lord standing at the right hand of God.
God is looking for faithful witnesses, men and women who will step out in faith and point to Jesus Christ as Lord, King, and ruler over all creation. Test God and you will see that He is true.
To summarize, testing God is simply acting on what He has said or promised on the basis of His holy character. Those who put God to that test will find that He is faithful.
How Do You Test God Without Being a Legalist?
There are two dangers always lurking from within an individual Christian’s soul nature and from other Christians in nearby vicinity. On the one hand, there is a tendency to legalize the law of Christ.
Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the Law of Christ (Galatians 6:2, Berean Study Bible)
The law of Christ is simply obeying the second commandment: Love your neighbor as you love yourself (Mark 12:31). The Apostle Paul, in Romans 13:10, says
Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Which law is that? The law of Moses.
When we love our neighbors with a Godly love, we do not place restrictions upon them that are not clearly laid out in scripture, nor do we impose requirements upon them that are not found in scripture. Here are some examples of how modern Christians sometimes take good principles for Christian living and turn them into a law:
Read your Bible every day — There is no requirement to read your Bible every day. However, you should read your Bible as often as the spirit leads you to, and my hope is, that’s every day. But I have heard Christians make the suggestion that this is necessary in order to be a good Christian. It is not.
Forsake not the assembly — Many well-meaning Christians use Hebrews 10:25 to guilt-trip others into attending church, Sunday school, a Bible study, a small group fellowship, or some other religious event. It’s become quite prevalent since the COVID-19 crisis started. The thinking is, because God said that Christians should meet in fellowship with one another, then we should do so even when the government and medical experts warn us not to. There’s just one problem with this: That’s not what Hebrews 10:25 is addressing. Read my commentary titled “What Hebrews 10:25 ACTUALLY means” to see why this is an improper use of that verse.
You must tithe 10 percent of your income — There is not one verse in the New Testament that requires a tithe to any church. The Old Testament tithe was a requirement for Israelites living under the Judaic legal system. That system has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, we are told to give what we have decided in our hearts to give, not out of regret or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. God would rather us give to the poor (1 John 3:17) than to give to a church building fund.
Pray without ceasing — While I’ve encouraged you to pray as a means of testing God, some people want to consign you to constant prayer as if that will automatically make you a better Christian or lead to a better relationship with God. That’s like saying having sex with your spouse more often will automatically make you love him/her more. Mechanically going through the motions in hopes that you will achieve a positive result will more likely make you resentful. But the spirit of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 is an exhortation to be thankful for what you have at all times. Whether you have a little or a lot. In verse 12, the Apostle Paul begins his list of exhortations by saying “we ask you,” and adds, among a list of several exhortations, to “pray without ceasing,” couched between an exhortation to “rejoice at all times” and “give thanks in every circumstance.” Praying five times a day, at every meal time, before you go to bed at night, or every time you stub your toe isn’t going to make God love you any more. However, you should pray every time the (Holy) Spirit leads you to.
I hope you can see how simple, good things can be used as means to lay heavy burdens on our hearts. Not only can we do this to each other, but we can do it to ourselves. Stop it! God loves you just as you are. What He desires from you is for you to return that love back to Him by loving your neighbor.
Conclusion
My desire in presenting this series on testing God is for you develop a love relationship with the Lord of creation, who has died for your sins. These are not legalistic commands or demands. Rather, I have sought to give you food for thought regarding some ways, disciplines if you will, you can reach out to God as a means of testing Him and proving Him in your life.
Here’s a worldly analogy: Young people are often insecure in their ability to love and be loved by others with whom they may have a romantic interest. So a young lady may test her boyfriend by asking him if he thinks she’s pretty, or she may wait placidly beside the passenger’s car door on a date in hopes that he will get the hint and open the door for her. By the same token, the young man may flex his biceps to try and get a girl’s attention or crack a few jokes to make her laugh. If she laughs, he knows she is into him. These are tests. They can sometimes appear childish, but God wants us to be childish. It demonstrates that we are mindful of Him, and when we are mindful of God, we are in the perfect place to be used by Him.
How are you testing God in your life?
Allen Taylor has been walking (and wavering) with the Lord for 28 years. He has served local churches as a Sunday school teacher, a small group leader, a worship leader, a prayer group leader, and a minister of the Word. His journey isn’t over yet, and he still needs discipling.
“I am Not the King” is a personal testimony of how Jesus Christ has worked in my life. It is available at Amazon and Smashwords.