Pass The Tests
Many people do not realize how God speaks to them. They think it is going to be too big dramatic voice. But one way Almighty God speaks is through impressions and your knowing. Sometimes you may think, “I know I should go visit my parents. I know I should not eat so many sweets and something like these.” The “I knows” are God’s talking to you. It is a still small voice; not out loud but a knowing or an impression. Knowing is clear but impression is like what you read in the Qur’an about mother of Moses. Qur’an says,
“We inspired to Moses' mother: Suckle him, and when you become fearful for him, then cast him off in the sea, and do not fear nor grieve.” (Qur’an, 28:7).
The question is: what should you do when you feel in this way? You should be sensitive to what you feel down in here. Do not ignore it. Learn to be quick to obey. Lots of time, you know what you should do but you make excuses and reason it out; try to soothe your conscience. You will feel an impression to be good to somebody, a desire to do something good. That is not just a nice thought. That is God asking you to do it. Too often, we dismiss it and think oh I do not feel like it.
I do not really know them, maybe another time. However, if you do not learn to pass these small tests and do what God is asking you to do, it will keep you from the big things Almighty God has in store.
Do not say, “I will do it latter. I am busy now.” You have to understand that Almighty God does not ask you to do it for His sake. He asks you to do it for your own sake. God tells His prophets to say people:
“Whatever reward I may have asked you is for your own good.” (Qur’an, 34:47).
He is trying to increase you, get you into the fullness of your destiny. So He tests you and before God will release big blessings, He will give small tests. He says,
“We will surely test you until We ascertain those of you who strive hard for the cause of God and those who are steadfast.” (Qur’an, 47:31).
God wants to know, “can I trust you? Will you be quick to obey or will I have to ask you again?”
Listen, talk is cheap. You can say, “God I promise I will be good to people. I will give to the people. I will give to the homeless. I will support my mosque.” No, God says, “will you give that 1000, I am asking you to give now? Will you buy that person's dinner? Will you do that now?”
Pass these small tests. Obey the “I knows” on the inside, quickly. God speaks to you about everyday practical things. You are going to pay attention to what feeling down in here. You have to make the first move. God does not force you to do this; he has given you your own free will. He says,
“Indeed We have guided him to the way, be he grateful or ungrateful.” (Qur’an, 76:3).
And says,
“There is no compulsion in religion; rectitude has become distinct from error.” (Qur’an, 2:256).
So choose the best way and obey quickly. Know that whenever God asks you to give something up he is never trying to take something away. He is trying to get something better to you. As you grow, develop, and mature, the more of his blessings and favor will be released.
Do not say, “I want to do something more important.” No, unless you obey in the small, God cannot entrust you with much. Everybody is not going to sensitive to God’s voice and have the discipline and determination to become all they were created to be. Do not confuse small with insignificant. It may be a small thing, but without passing the small tests, you will not step into the fullness of your destiny.
Be careful that something small does not hold you back. You know you need to do it but you do not feel like it. You keep putting it off, thinking “ah it is no big deal.” No, it is a big deal. Start passing the small tests. Every time you obey, a blessing will follow. Here the real test.
Will you be your best right where you are even though you are doing something that you know is beneath you? It may be difficult but God will never ask you do to something and then not give you the power to do it. Whatever tests you are facing, you have the grace to pass it.
God does not task any soul beyond its capacity. (Qur’an, 2:286).
Do not make excuses. Excuses can keep you from your destiny. It was the act of obedience that released the fullness of God’s power.
Obey God and obey the Apostle, and do not render your works void. (Qur’an, 47:33).
God wants you to be surrendered. When you do what God asking you to do, even if it is small, it will activate the greatness of God’s power. It is not so much, what you do, but the power is in the obedience. Maybe God is asking you to do something that seems small, that is not big deal.
When you obey, negative situations turn around. You would see your breakthrough, your healing, your promotion; a dream comes to pass, if you just do the small thing that God is asking you to do.
For those who answer the summons of their Lord there shall be the best of rewards. (Qur’an, 13:18).
To those who do good work will be good and more, and their faces will not be darkened or humiliated. These are the people of Paradise, in it they will abide. (Qur’an, 10:26).
Sometimes you do not realize these little tests that you are not passing, thinking - “oh man it does not really matter. I know I should but I will do one day” - It is keeping you from fulfilling your destiny. It may be something small but your act of obedience will cause God to release the big thing that he has in store. He says,
“Fulfill My covenant that I may fulfill your covenant.” (Qur’an, 2:40).
May be you are waiting on God, but the fact is that God is waiting on you. God puts people in your path on purpose so you can be a blessing to them. Anytime you do good for others you are sowing a seed for God to be good to you.
Take time to follow what God has put in your heart. Be willing to be inconvenienced. It may seem small to you but you do not know what kind of impact it will have on that other person. One of the best things I have learned is to obey quickly.
Hasten towards your Lord's forgiveness and a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the God wary. (Qur’an, 3:133).
When God ask you to do it, do it right then. When God told you to do something, do not overanalyze it. Do not reason it out. If you think about it too long, you can miss your destiny. Quit making excuses. Quit reasoning it out. God knows what he is doing. He can see thing that you cannot see.
It may be that you dislike something while it is good for you, and it may be that you love something while it is bad for you. God knows and you do not know. (Qur’an, 2:216).
When God asks you to forgive, he does not mean partially forgive. Do it completely. Partial obedience is not obedience. Obey your Lord quickly and completely and then try to save your obedience.
Obey God and obey the Apostle, and do not render your works void. (Qur’an, 47:33).
It may seem hard but the greater the difficulty, the greater the reward. When you sow a seed of obedience, you will reap a radical reward.
Therefore, whoever does an atoms weight of good will see it. (Qur’an, 99:7).
and whoever brings virtue shall receive ten times it’s like. (Qur’an, 6:160).
A person who is a scholar now, said, “one day I came out of my house and I saw a poor man. He asked me for help. I had just 5 dollars and gave all of it to him. After some hours, I saw one of my friends. He gave me 50 dollars and said, “it is the money that I had borrowed you some months ago.” It was ten times. At noon, one of my friends asked me to lend him some money and I gave him all of my money, 50 dollars.
Then before I return home, I saw one of my relatives and he gave me 5000 dollars. He said, “it is from your village”.” Therefore:
Whoever brings virtue shall receive ten times its like. (Qur’an, 6:160).
You should just obey.
Do not be like faithless people. When God tests them and asks them to obey and give from their properties, they do not obey.
When they are told, Spend out of what God has provided you, the faithless say to the faithful, shall we feed someone whom God would have fed, had He wished? (Qur’an, 36:47).
True believer is obedient to God. Imam Al-Baqir1 (peace be upon him) said, “By God, He is not our follower except the one who obeys Almighty God.”2 Let us make a decision to fully obey. If you obey in the small, because you obey quickly, God is about to release big blessings, big opportunities, new levels of favor, healing, restoration, vindication and promotion.
When God looks down at you and sees how you are passing the tests, He will say, “I can count on him. He is quick to obey. I can use him to do great thing.” Remember every time you obey, a blessing will follow. Do not ignore the “I knows”. Be quick to obey.
Do not confuse small with insignificant. If you learn to obey these small tests, there is no limit to how high God will take you. He is who “gives big for small!”3 If you try your best to obey quickly and pass the tests then you would go to step in to the fullness of your destiny and become everything God has created you to be.