Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. James 1:2

Have you ever received a letter that wasn’t addressed to you personally? Instead, it was simply labeled, Occupant. You get that piece of mail because you’re the occupant of your home. Trials are a lot like that. Just by virtue of being an occupant of this fallen world, we will face trials.

Of course, no one likes a trial. No one wakes up in the morning, stretches, and says, “Ah, what a beautiful day for a trial! I think I’d like to have a trial today!” Only an unusual person would do something like that. Yet regardless of how much we want to avoid trials in our lives, they are inevitable.

Trials are adverse circumstances that God allows in our lives to identify where we are spiritually and to prepare us for where He wants us to go. We cannot escape trials. Either you are in a trial now, you’ve just come out of a trial, or you’re getting ready to go into a trial.

But even though we all have to experience them, you can take comfort in knowing that trials must first pass through God’s hands before reaching us. Nothing comes our way without first having received His divine approval. And if a trial is to receive His divine approval, He must have a Divine reason to approve it. We need to trust that God has our best interests in mind when He allows us to experience trials.

Check out more from Dr. Tony Evans @Tonyevans.org

About The Author

Dr. Tony Evans

Dr. Tony Evans is one of the country’s most respected leaders in evangelical circles. As a pastor, teacher, author and speaker, he serves the body of Christ through his unique ability to communicate complex theological truths through simple, yet profound, illustrations. While addressing the practical issues of today, Dr. Evans is known as a relevant expositor. New and veteran pastors alike regard him as a pastor of pastors and a father in the faith.


At the heart of this vision is the use of church and school partnerships to effect spiritual and social change in communities. Dr. Evans’ church and school outreach philosophy has been attributed as a catalyst for former President George W. Bush’s Faith Based Initiative, which was his first formal act of office. Dr. Evans seeks to train churches, schools and volunteers in this philosophy, as well as in the functional practicalities, through the National Church Adopt-A-School Initiative which is a ministry underneath the umbrella of The Urban Alternative.


Dr. Evans serves as president of The Urban Alternative, a national ministry that seeks to restore hope and transform lives through the proclamation and the application of the Word of God. His daily radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 850 radio outlets throughout the United States and in more than 80 countries.


Dr. Evans has written numerous books and booklets including his legacy work, Oneness Embraced, as well as his vision work, The Kingdom Agenda. Some of his most recent books includes, Kingdom Man, A Moment For Your Soul, Marriage Matters, and Victory in Spiritual Warfare.



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