⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 3 min read
Trials and Testing: How God Strengthens Your Faith
Trials are not meaningless interruptions to the Christian life. God uses them to test genuine faith, produce steadfastness, deepen our trust, and lead His people toward spiritual maturity.
Listen or Watch
In This Episode
- Why trials are an expected part of the Christian life
- How testing reveals and strengthens genuine faith
- What it means to count trials as joy
- How God uses trials to produce steadfastness
- Why no trial is meaningless or wasted
Count It All Joy
Counting trials as joy does not mean denying pain or pretending difficult circumstances are pleasant. Biblical joy is not rooted in the trial itself. It is rooted in confidence that God remains faithful and is accomplishing His purposes even when we cannot yet see them clearly.Trials test the genuineness of our faith. They reveal where we trust the Lord and where we struggle to trust Him. Through this testing, faith becomes steadier, stronger, and more firmly rooted in the truth of God’s Word.Responding Faithfully to Trials
Christians should expect trials as part of the Christian life, recognize that God is using them to strengthen faith, and respond with trust even when the way forward is difficult.Trials are not the end of the story. God uses them to produce endurance, form Christian character, deepen faith, and lead His people toward maturity. Nothing is wasted in the hands of a faithful God.Explore More Contending for the Word Q&A
Find more biblical answers to important questions about Christian living, suffering, discernment, and standing firm in the truth of God’s Word.
Visit the Q&A PageWatch the YouTube Playlist
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.
Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.
He is the author of The War of Worldviews: Truth, Lies, and the Battle for the Christian Mind (Theology for Life, 2026), Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021).
You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.
When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.
Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
