Today’s New Covenant nugget is from James 1:2-4 (NLT)
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So, let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
The Passion Translation says, “My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things. And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.”
The key to dealing with challenges in a positive way is in how you ‘PROCESS’ the challenge that you are facing. Processing life through the WORD according to the New Covenant will always bring joy, faith, peace and excitement and will always be a very positive experience, even in the light of negative circumstances!
The NLT talks about “considering it an opportunity” and the TPT says, “see it as an opportunity”… how you SEE something and how what you CONSIDER it to be is what either makes it a negative experience that leads to questioning, doubt, unbelief, hopelessness, condemnation and defeat, or a positive experience that leads to faith, hope, joy, peace, excitement and victory.
When you take your challenge and ‘consider it’ in the light of the New Covenant, you will see that every test will become a testimony, every battle will become a victory and that every trial is a launching pad for a triumph… in Christ all things lead to triumph!
Notice that I did not say to consider what you are going through according to the Bible… I said, “consider it in the light of the New Covenant!” The devil uses the bible (out of context, or according to another covenant) all the time to bring confusion… “well brother, the Lord gives and the Lord takes!” FYI that quote is from the book of JOB… at the end of the book of Job, Job says to the Lord, “I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything. Nothing and no one can upset your plans. You asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water, ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?’ I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head.”
After God had finished addressing Job, he turned to Eliphaz the Temanite and said, “I’ve had it with you and your two friends. I’m fed up! You haven’t been honest either with Me or about Me.” (Job 42:1-8 – MSG) So, basically pretty much everything that Job or his friends said before chapter 42 is nonsense!
The devil will use quotes out of Job or quotes from the Law of Moses or oven things Jesus said while He was teaching the Law to bring condemnation, confusion and defeat.
In the future I will teach on ‘Understanding the New Covenant’ and on ‘rightly dividing the Word’… until then, know that under the New Covenant the LAW of God is a Law of freedom and liberty (James 1:25) so, if it does not bring freedom, if it is not full of life, or if it does not build your faith it is not according to the New Covenant. (Click on this link to see my teaching on New Covenant Laws)
As you get ready to face things today, know that you are going to face some challenges, know that some negative things are going to come across your path, but make sure that you are fully convinced that no matter what you face, as you put things through the process of your New Covenant in Christ, all things will be turned around to your advantage!
“When it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things. And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.”
In His amazing love, Nick
