#soap # Judges 02 ## Title: The Lord Tests Us ## Scripture: (Judges 2:21-23) “So I will no longer remove before them any of the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died, in order to test Israel. I want to see whether or not the people will carefully walk in the path marked out by the Lord, as their ancestors were careful to do.” This is why the Lord permitted these nations to remain and did not conquer them immediately; he did not hand them over to Joshua.” (NET) ## Observation: Testing: Offering a chance for you to show you have learned the material presented. Tempting: Offering an opportunity to sin. God never tempts His people. He WILL test us to see if our hearts are true. The reality is He already knows, so testing becomes a way for us to see our own hearts. Sometimes God will test us with failure, but often His hardest tests are with success. It’s one thing to cling to the Lord when things are going wrong. It’s quite another to hold to God when things are going well and everyone is speaking well of us. ## Application: Don’t see bad times as God leaving us. Maybe it is because He trusts us to pass every test. ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for loving us completely. You know our limits better than we do.