Faith Filled Family Magazine August 2016 | Page 115

us up to keep us away or take us
away from our walk with Christ.
He’s the impurity in this world.
He is the bad things in this world
that can hold us back from being
refined… if we let him do this to
us. God does use the bad things
we face to help us grow closer to
Him- it is the refinement of our
faith. If He didn’t work refinement
in us, what’s the point of relying
on Him for help and growth?

mud and don’t want to blame
ourselves, but someone else,
which at times is God when we
can’t blame someone for our ills.
We think God turned His back
on us. God never turns His back
on us. He is always there for us.
He wants us to rely on Him. He
wants us to grow in Him. When
we’re mired in the mud, God will
pull us up and point us back in
the direction of righteousness.
We have to keep our eyes forWe cannot grow in faith by our- ward, not behind us or to the left
selves, God helps us. We can’t or right, but straight on towards
avoid tribulations, God offers Christ.
His strength to overcome. So
the next time you think or hear When faced with adversity, don’t
someone say God did such and think of it as trouble, but have
such to them that was not good, an attitude of opportunity to rely
know that He didn’t do this. We on God so you may be refined
drag ourselves down into the in Him in your walk with Him. He

cares and loves us beyond our
ability to fathom. He just wants
us to be with Him wholly in mind,
soul, and heart. When we open
ourselves to Him in complete
surrender, refinement of our faith
in Him will work in us amazing
growth in our love, trust, and reliance on Him to get us through
this life to be with Him for all
eternity.
John Lysaught hails from El
Paso, Texas. He is married to a
wonderful wife and has four children. He has been a Christian
for four years and attends Hope
Community Church in El Paso,
Texas, as a member and volunteers with the high school youth
group.