Greetings and welcome to Living Supernaturally. Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to minister God’s word and spend a few moments in prayer as well. This week, we will be looking at insights and aspects form the letter of James and see what we can learn together from this book. James chapter 1, verses 2 through 4, ‘Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds for you know the testing of your faith produces steadfastness and let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.’ This is the first command James gives in his epistle. Trials should produce growth. These tests and trials are not meant to make us fall but they are meant to make us whole. We shouldn’t resent our trials, be mourn our fate or the state in which we find ourselves in. James says to count it all joy when we face trials. We must evaluate the difficulties in life with the eyes of faith and see them in the light of God’s good purpose. The process may be difficult but the results are worth it, a deeper relationship with God and a life marked by the fruit of the Spirit. The word count is a financial term and it means to evaluate. When James says to count it all joy, he encourages his readers to evaluate the way you look at trials. He calls believers to develop a new and improved attitude that considers trials from God’s perspective. James wants believers to know to expect trials of various kinds in Christian life. We should be prepared and not caught off guard when trials come upon us. Trials are a part of Christian experience. Jesus told His disciples in this world you will have tribulations. Typically, a trial is not an occasion of joy. James isn’t suggesting that we pursue trials or hardships, neither are we to pretend that trials and tribulations are enjoyable to endure. Trials are difficult, they are painful but they exist for a purpose. Trials have the potential of producing something good in us and for this reason, they are an opportunity of expressing joy. Knowing there is a bigger picture, we can consider trials and rejoice in them. Even though joy is contrary to our normal reaction, James urges us to work on challenging and changing our attitude. James doesn’t merely say, count it joy, but he says, count it all joy that we can consider trials and testing as a total joy. Trials develop our spiritual muscles, giving us the stamina and the endurance to stay the course. We count it all joy in trials because we learn to depend on God and trust Him. Faith that is tested becomes genuine faith, rugged faith and uncompromising faith. God also uses trials to discipline us. James encourages us Christians to embrace trials, not for what they are presenting to us but the outcome that God will accomplish through them. James wants us to rejoice in this fact knowing that we can trust God always. Let us pray, Father, we thank you for your word that encourages us, exhorts us that in the face of trials, tribulations and challenges that we can count it all joy, knowing that you are there with us and you are working in our waiting. We thank you that we can trust you in all our ways, in Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

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