“Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe.” (Spurgeon)

I blogged recently about this woman who called to ask me why God keeps testing her faith when she was sure that He knew that she had already become a woman of “great faith?” I can't get her out of my mind. Just how is it that someone can come to the conclusion that they had arrived at such a state of perfection that they no longer needed to be tested in their faith?

It is indeed a very dangerous thing to reach the conclusion of such a prideful and false notion that you have mastered such an important aspect of the Christian life, is it not? Never is the true believer in a more dangerous position than to be deceived into thinking he or she has mastered anything to do in the Christian life. One can never gloat that he or she has reached the point where there is no longer any need to have trials and tribulations in his or her daily life. The path of anyone's life is not so pristine so as to stop dirtying one’s clothes. To keep one’s hands clean in such a defiling, filth-ridden world, there has to be much watching and praying lest one fall into temptation (Mark 14:38).

At every turn, corner, or juncture in life's road is something just waiting to steal away joy, peace, patience, and contentment. Everything we encounter in life has within it the potential of taking away joy and peace. If we survive trials and sufferings, it is only due to the Sovereign working of God in preserving us that the fruit of the Spirit would be seen in the midst of seeming impossibilities. In this God is glorified.

When the believer stops watching and praying lest he or she fall into temptation is exactly when the fall comes, and great is the fall thereof. Just like a man who walks around with a stick of dynamite in his hand and has to watch lest he venture too close to an open flame so the fuse doesn't ignite, so the Christian can never give up watching and praying lest the fuse of temptation is ignited and the explosion of iniquity occurs.

Everyday affairs in life must be considered as potential land mines for nothing in this life and in this world works to foster any God-glorifying godliness in the life of the Christian. Nothing must be assumed to be safe enough to stop watching and praying lest we fall into temptation. The world system seeks to offer death and destruction to the life of joy and peace.

Instead of false and arrogant protestations of not needing trials and tribulations any longer in your life, there should be supplications directed heavenward desperately seeking God's sustaining Grace through the pain and sufferings of life. You should pray,

“Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe.” (Spurgeon)

That and that alone should be your prayer when you are tempted to think you have arrived at spiritual perfection of not needing the testing of your faith.

And, having expressed your anxious need for God's help, you must watch diligently and vigilantly taking every word, thought, and deed captive to Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

And when required to venture into a situation where temptation is most intense, never go forth without the Full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).