“Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.”
Luke 8:13 NIV.
You’re going to face unpleasant times of testing and discipline.
This is not God punishing you but calling you His own and training you for the journey ahead.
Only God knows the steep incline up ahead and the places where it will seem like the light has left you and you’re walking in the dark.
God is training you to believe He is with you even in the darkness, even when you can’t see anything happening.
Will you trust Him?
Will you trust God when you still have pain? Will you still believe He cares when you can’t afford everything at the grocery store? Will you still thank Him even at the end of a difficult, heart-wrenching day?
Testing may cause you to wonder about the goodness of your Heavenly Father. But don’t put your faith in your own reasoning.
Put your faith in Almighty God.
God will protect you and provide for you when things seem impossible. He will bless you when you’re ready to handle the immensity of the blessing.
And when this time of testing is over, you’ll be stronger because of it. Your faith will be stronger. You’ll understand the test was to train you to focus on your Teacher and who He is.
And you’ll realize when He was quiet, it was part of the test and only strengthened what you’d already learned – God was with you all along. He never left you, and He never will.
Oh, precious soul, your Heavenly Father loves you more than you know. He wants you to be ready for the journey ahead and for the miraculous ways He’s going to use you. You see, the testing is also to train you to help others, to expand God’s Kingdom.
Don’t allow this time of testing to cause you to fall away. Use it to remember your lessons and to focus on your Teacher – your Heavenly Father. Believe in Him and hold onto your faith.
And when you’ve gone through your times of testing, you’ll be able to encourage those who are enduring their own test. You’ll also be able to watch as God works mightily in their lives as He has done in yours. 
Joey Rudder 