By Allen Bailey

"...Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:.." Eph 1:3-4.

The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits..." Prov 16:1-2.

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death Prov 14:12.

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me..." Luke 22:32-34.

Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him..." Job:23:8-14.

"...Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time: Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:.. 1 Peter 1:3-7.

The Trial of Faith

10, 10, 11, 11

Come, true believer, to you I will speak;
You, whom in Jesus, His merit do seek;
For you He hath called in Eternal Love;
Who always are looking for Grace from above;

For in your ownselves, have found no goodness,
And know all within is only weakness;
And when your faint heart does with Christ’s strength compare,
Find all of your vile nature is then laid bare.

When sometimes you faint, and your love grows cold,
And at an impasse, with none to uphold;
Cannot find the Lord, when His face seems to hide,
This is, true believer, your faith being tried.

You may have begun your journey with joy,
And Jesus’ sweet praise, have been your employ;
And forever it seemed, in this way would ride;
Felt that God’s presence would forever abide;

But pressing troubles has foamed like the sea;
And still your old flesh, you sometimes will see;
When your soul will wonder, as it has oft cried,
Is this the hard way, that my faith must be tried?

You thought you would daily, better become,
And stronger and swifter your race would run;
Thus thought that your path would be easy and wide;
Little did you know, that your faith must be tried.

Dogs, by their nature, to vomit return;
The sow, to wallowing, for mire will yearn;
So, A mere professor, does not know Christ’s way;
But a true believer will rest in Christ's Day.

He will remember that Jesus has said,
The ways’ still narrow, where His Spirit’s led;
For the Spirit Itself, did the Savior guide,
Into the desert, to be tempted and tried;

Here, the world’s spirit, may to you, too say,
As old Satan to Him, did in His day;
When He was hungry, and in Spirit He cried,
For as our Surety, He too must be tried.

"If you be God’s only Son, now arise,
For why earth’s allurements will you despise?
Will you not rest in this place easy and wide;
This world’s glory you may forever abide."

To seek this world’s glory, Christ didn’t come;
Man’s honor doesn’t need, as taught by some;
The glory of the flesh, in mankind so wide,
Is not why in the mountains, He to God cried;

But to seek, save and succor, all His sheep;
Joined with His Spirit, through this world to keep,
And will in their journey, have all their tears dried;
His merit and suff’ring, their path sanctified.

True believer, while trav’ling, you will find,
Trials and temptations, of various kind;
So, when again your path, grows easy and wide,
You will find that your faith, again must be tried;

For there is a way which seems right to man,
And which doth accord with his nature’s plan;
For all of man’s ways are right in his own eyes;
But believer, now know, these ways will be tried.

Christ will not allow believers to rest,
But, like Jacob of old, stirs up their nest;
Or, when through the world, they may take a long stride,
It’s then they will find, that their faith must be tried.

God may allow them to drink the world’s cup,
And of it’s false zeal, they even may sup;
While therein continue, His face, God will hide,
And then they will find, that with them He will chide;

Through this they’re learning, their own foolish heart;
That in Christ’s sufferings, too have a part;
For God is weighing, of all their flesh’s pride,
And this is the way that their flesh shall be tried.

Long will Christ continue, their faith to try,
So that more and more, to Him they will cry;
Through ev’ry new trial, faith purer becomes,
And more and more, to the Law’s strength they succumb;

And fin’lly they find, to the Law they’re dead,
By it’s damning pow’r, they’re no longer led;
And to their own righteousness, see they have died;
Begin to realize, why their faith was tried.

To see that their faith is not found in men,
But in the Dear Son, where it’s ever been;
That God in His faithfulness, still doth abide,
Though faith in His children, is still surely tried.

When their trial is through, faith ever is found,
Unto praise and honor, with it’s sweet sound;
Like gold I’ve tried thee, in a furnace of fire,
Where Jesus’ appearing, is all our desire.

Believer, remember all your way past,
Where faith’s ways were tried, at the first and last;
Still hoping for that, which faith’s eye only sees,
For that inheritance, from sin ever frees.

*Copyright 2000

O. Allen Bailey