2. JAMES 1:2-8
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers
and sisters, whenever you face
trials of many kinds, 3 because you
know that the testing of your faith
produces perseverance.

3. JAMES 1:2-8
4 Let perseverance finish its work
so that you may be mature and
complete, not lacking anything.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you
should ask God, who gives
generously to all without finding
fault, and it will be given to you.

4. JAMES 1:2-8
6 But when you ask, you must
believe and not doubt, because
the one who doubts is like a wave
of the sea, blown and tossed by
the wind. 7 That person should not
expect to receive anything from
the Lord.

5. JAMES 1:2-8
8 Such a person is double-
minded and unstable in all they
do.

6. HARDLIFE,
GOODGOD

7. TRIALSand
WISDOM

8. LIFEissometimes
wonderful,
Sometimes
PAINFUL

9. six
misconcepcions
abouttrials

10. (1)
He is punishing you.

11. Jesus went to the cross, took upon
himself all of the sin of all of his
people, and suffered and died in
their place for their sin.

12. We reap what we sow, we make bad
choices, we live with the
implications and complications of
our own folly, but God never
punishes his people for their sin.
He’s already punished Jesus.

13. (2)
He is failing you.

14. God is not without power and God is
not without a plan. And when you’re
hurting, you need to grow in
trusting, and that’s what faith is.

15. (3)
He has abandoned you.

16. He sends the Holy Spirit so the
presence and the power of God is
available to us through the person of
the Holy Spirit.

17. (4)
He is acting evil
toward you.

18. Not everything on the earth is as
God intends. There is much that
breaks his heart in addition to
breaking his law.

19. When life is hard, it is not saying that
God will make it all better for you.

20. (5)
He will make it all
better for you.

21. God doesn’t promise that things
will change, God promises that you
can change.

22. (6)
He will answer every
question for you.

23. When life is hard, it does not say
that God will answer every question
for you.

24. It doesn’t say that when life is hard,
God is punishing you, God is failing
you, God has abandoned you, God is
acting evil toward you, God is going
to fix it all for you, or that God
needs to give an answer to you.

25. THREETRUTHS
abouttrials

26. JAMES 1:2-4
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and
sisters, whenever you face trials of
many kinds, 3 because you know that
the testing of your faith produces
perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish
its work so that you may be mature and
complete, not lacking anything.

27. (1)
You are going to
get trials.

28. JOHN 16:33
33 “I have told you these things,
so that in me you may have
peace. In this world you will have
trouble. But take heart! I have
overcome the world.”

29. (2)
It’s a test and an
opportunity.

30. It depends on how good you are at
taking the test. Life is filled with
tests, spiritual tests. A trial is a test.

31. It’s an opportunity. It’s an
opportunity to prove who you are in
Christ, to see who you’re becoming
in Christ.

32. (3)
You will get trials of
various kinds.

33. Don’t
compare
trials

34. STEADFASTNESS
ANDMATURITY

35. What this means is you’ll become
more godly, you’ll become more
like Jesus. The trial will be used to
transform you. Steadfastness
produces maturity.

36. You can become more steadfast
and mature. You can rejoice, not in
the circumstance but in the Lord,
who will change you through the
circumstance to become more like
Jesus.

37. GODIS
ALWAYSGOOD

38. JAMES 1:5-8
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you
should ask God, who gives
generously to all without finding
fault, and it will be given to you.
6 But when you ask, you must
believe and not doubt,

39. JAMES 1:5-8
because the one who doubts is
like a wave of the sea, blown and
tossed by the wind. 7 That person
should not expect to receive
anything from the Lord. 8 Such a
person is double-minded and
unstable in all they do.

40. There’s a difference between
wisdom and knowledge.

41. KNOWLEDGE WISDOM
Knowing the truth Knowing what to do with it
Theoretical Practical
Fills your mind Guides your life
Truthful Useful
Provides information Provides transformation

42. KNOWLEDGE WISDOM
Tells you what to believe Tells you how to behave
You can have even without
wisdom
You cannot have without
knowledge

43. Askgodfor
wisdom
Hegiveit
generously

44. Our life is filled with self-help.
Anyway, you need more than self-
help. You need God’s help.

45. Faithgives
youwisdom
To make the plan

46. Faith is not opposite of planning.
Faith gives you wisdom to make
the plan.

47. WHEREIS
WISDOM?

48. (1)
In Scriptures

49. (2)
In Prayer

50. (3)
In Holy Spirit

51. (4)
In General Revelation

52. (5)
In Teachers

53. “The Mentor Myth.”
There’s one person, and if you listen
to them, you’ll learn everything you
need to know. Not true.

54. (6)
In Experience

55. (7)
In Experts

56. There’s one
person, and if you
listen to them,
you’ll learn
everything you
need to know.
Not true.

57. “Sweet Darkness”
When your eyes are tired
the world is tired also.
When your vision has gone
no part of the world can find you.
Time to go into the dark
where the night has eyes
to recognize its own.
There you can be sure
you are not beyond love.

58. “Sweet Darkness”
The dark will be your womb
tonight.
The night will give you a horizon
further than you can see.
You must learn one thing.
The world was made to be free in.
Give up all the other worlds
except the one to which you belong.

59. “Sweet Darkness”
Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn
anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.
-- David Whyte
from The House of Belonging
©1996 Many Rivers Press

60. 2 CORINTHIANS 4:17
17 For our light and momentary
troubles are achieving for us an
eternal glory that far outweighs
them all. 18 So we fix our eyes
not on what is seen, but on
what is unseen, since what is
seen is temporary, but what is
unseen is eternal.

61. 2 CHRONICLES 20:12
12 Our God, will you not judge
them? For we have no power to
face this vast army that is
attacking us. We do not know
what to do, but our eyes are
on you.”

62. FAITHWORKS CHRISTIAN CHURCH GLOBAL
Presented By:
Pastor Alvin Gutierrez
FCC Main
March 13, 2016
Afternoon Service
Website: http://faithworkschristianchurch.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Faithworks-Christian-Church-Global-
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