When you get saved you will get tribulation, tears and disappointment. God is in the process of building rock solid saints. We are not yet the finished product. There are four steps to rock solid faith.

1 – Conflict (vs. 1-3)

The word tribulation means “to be crushed”. God will bring pressure to make you a strong saint. You need conflict. You need pressure. A diamond is a lump of coal that has been under pressure for a long time. Conflict may come from this world, the flesh Satan or God. God is in control of it all. The flesh is an enemy within the fort. You only understand the power of Satan when you oppose him. Satan came against others in the Bible. Satan came against Jesus. Satan will come against you as well. The Lord scourges those He loves. He wants to make us holy through the trials of life.

2 – Constancy (vs. 3)

Patience means consistency. When the crisis comes it reveals what you are made of. There are few of us who want patience. Tribulation works patience. It takes effort to learn constancy. There is no instant maturity. Conflict teaches constancy. When conflict comes you can do one of four things:-

• Run away – Get far away from the conflict rather than face it.
• Resent – They pout and blame God and become cynical.
• Resign – They give in to discouragement.
• Resolve – We are to resolve by faith. Faith is shown in constancy more than any other way.

We are to bear things with blazing hope rather than grimly holding on. There is a goal of glory.

3 – Character (vs. 4)

God wants to build character in your life. God is not interested in reputation. The faith that can’t be tested cannot be trusted. There is dross that needs to be removed in our lives. Gold becomes more pure as the dross is removed. We want God to substitute things for us. God wants to transform things for us. We will learn from our bad experiences. We will develop a mature character through conflict.

4 – Confidence (vs. 5)

It is hope that is sure. It is rock solid faith! There is anchor for the soul. See Hebrews 6:19. It is steadfast and sure. You want a rock solid faith? You need to go through the fire to get patience, character and hope. With hope you will never be disappointed. You have something to hold onto to. You have an anchor. You can have a rock solid faith in the midst of a storm.

Categories: Romans