David Diga Hernandez - 7 Trials of the Called: Faith

Spiritual tests, just like any other test, must be taken again if you don’t pass them. For all the journeys you’ve undertaken and for all the progress you’ve made, you will be tested in one area before the Lord promotes you. Many of you have listened to this series and have noted where you are spiritually. Some of you have passed the test of blessings, the test of jealousy, or the test of discouragement, but the most difficult test to pass is the simplest: it is simply the test of faith. Someone watching this right now is on the verge of that promotion, on the verge of that next level of influence, but you must pass the test of faith. To pass the test of faith, you have to take a step of faith. That’s what I’m discussing in this edition of Spirit Church here on Encounter TV. But first, Stephen Moctezuma is here with me, as usual; he’s going to lead you in some anointed worship, and then we will dive right into this lesson. Here is Stephen Moctezuma.

Before I discuss the test of faith, let me recap the different tests I’ve talked about throughout this series. Number one: there is the test of service. God wants to see if you will serve before He can trust you to lead. Next, there is the test of hiddenness. Before God promotes you, He will hide you. Before God exposes you, He will keep you in the secret place. This is where your motives are tested. If you can serve God during a season of hiddenness, you can serve Him in a season of influence. Third, there is the test of discouragement. Do you continue despite heartache, sacrifice, and hardship? Number four: the test of faithfulness. Are you not just consistent, but also consistent with excellence? Number five is the test of blessings. What do you do with what God has given you as a blessing? Can you give back to God what He’s placed in your hand? Number six is the test of jealousy. Do you celebrate the success of other ministries like yours or other believers who receive blessings you’re praying for, or do you become bitter, entitled, or competitive instead of complimentary? Now, I want to talk to you about the test of faith. Let’s go to Genesis chapter 41, verse 1. It says, «Two full years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River. In his dream, he saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass. Then he saw seven more cows come up behind them from the Nile, but these were scrawny and thin. These cows stood beside the fat cows on the riverbank. Then the scrawny, thin cows ate the seven healthy, fat cows.» At this point in the dream, Pharaoh woke up, but he fell asleep again and had a second dream. This time, he saw seven heads of grain, plump and beautiful, growing on a single stalk. Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were shriveled and withered by the east wind, and the thin heads swallowed up the seven plump, well-formed heads. Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized it was a dream.

The next morning, Pharaoh was very disturbed by his dreams, so he called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. When Pharaoh told them his dreams, not one of them could tell him what they meant. Verse 9: Remember, last week we talked about the test of jealousy. The cupbearer was supposed to remember Joseph. The cupbearer received that which Joseph was believing for, and Joseph did not allow himself to become bitter in that moment. Instead, he held on to the dream that God had given him. Verse 9 says, «Finally, the king’s chief cupbearer spoke up: 'Today I have been reminded of my failure, ' he told Pharaoh. 'Some time ago, you were angry with the chief baker and me, and you imprisoned us in the palace of the captain of the guard. One night, the chief baker and I each had a dream, and each dream had its own meaning. There was a young Hebrew man with us in prison who was a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he told us what each of our dreams meant.'» So every test that Joseph had passed led him to this moment, where he was being mentioned to the most powerful man in all of Egypt, Pharaoh himself. Now, all the tests we take on our journey, though they may not be chronological as I have mentioned them throughout this series, will test our character, our spiritual strength, and our motives. But Joseph had passed all of these tests, and he held on to the dream that God had placed in his heart. Now it was time for him to take a step of faith. All the testing you go through, all the trials you’ve faced, all the circumstances bringing hardships, lead you to a moment where faith must be your choice. When faith is chosen over fear, doubt, apathy, and comfort, then God pours out His blessings, and there is promotion that comes. Now, this is what’s so powerful: Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream in verse number 25.