God Tests the Areas Where You Feel Stretched
One thing I’ve learned in my walk:
God rarely tests your obedience in an area where you feel strong.
He tests you in the area He is strengthening.
For some, that test looks like forgiveness.
For others, surrender.
For others, letting go of something familiar.
And for many, like me in this season —the test is faith.
Faith when you don’t have clarity.
Faith when you don’t know the outcome.
Faith when you don’t feel ready.
Faith when the timing feels inconvenient.
God’s tests aren’t always loud — sometimes they come as gentle whispers that press into the areas we’ve kept guarded.
A Dream That Revealed the Nature of Obedience
God often speaks to me through dreams, and one dream brought the concept of obedience into perfect focus.
In the dream, Jesus stood on the water in the middle of a storm.
A girl stood in the boat, hesitating, watching the waves.
And Jesus didn’t walk toward her —
He invited her to walk toward Him.
It was a picture of trust.
Jesus wasn’t testing her worth.
He was testing her willingness to move.
That dream mirrored what God was doing in me.
He wasn’t punishing me.
He wasn’t setting me up to fail.
He was revealing:
“Daughter, you’ve grown. You’re ready for deeper faith now.”
This is a truth many believers misunderstand:
Some of the tests you face are not because you’re failing —
but because you’ve matured enough for the next level.
Why Obedience Testing Is Actually an Invitation
When God delivered me from religion and brought me into relationship, my entire lens shifted.
Religion says:
“God is testing me to punish me.”
Relationship says:
“God is testing me to prepare me.”
Scripture supports this over and over.
James tells us:
“The testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:3)
Perseverance isn't passive suffering —it is spiritual strengthening, refining, and maturing.
It’s God preparing you for what you prayed for.
1. God Tests the Heart Before He Trusts You With the Assignment
Deuteronomy 8:2 says:
“The Lord your God led you… to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart.”
Before God accelerates you, He examines you.
Before God promotes you, He purifies you.
Tests reveal:
- motives
- willingness
- posture
- faith
- surrender
Not so God can “find out.”
He already knows.
The test is so you can see it.
This is why Phase 3 of my coaching program begins with Strategic Repentance — not fear-driven repentance, not shame-based repentance, but identity repentance.
Repentance that clears the soil so God’s Word can take root.
I used to teach my kids this with a simple picture:
“When you choose something that isn’t like God, it’s like turning your back on Him. Not because He left—but because you walked in a different direction.”
Repentance isn’t punishment.
It’s turning around.
It’s restoration.
It’s returning to belonging.
2. Every Instruction Is a Faith Test
Hebrews 11:6 reminds us:
“Without faith, it is impossible to please God.”
Faith and obedience are inseparable.
You cannot grow in one without the other.
Jesus taught this through the parable of the soils in Mark 4
The Word tests the soil of your heart.
How you respond reveals the strength of your roots.
So God gives instructions.
And often, the test comes wrapped in questions like:
- Will you obey without clarity?
- Will you act without guarantees?
- Will you move before you feel ready?
Faith grows through movement.
Obedience is the evidence of trust.
3. God Tests Your Schedule to Reveal Your Priorities
Matthew 6:33 says:
“Seek first the Kingdom…”
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
Meaning God doesn’t just want your faith —He wants your time.
Many obedience tests look deceptively simple:
“Rest.”
“Pray.”
“Turn off the distraction.”
“Forgive.”
“Say no.”
“Wake up early.”
This is why Phase 3 of Get Realigned ends with Time-Blocking With God.
Not as another task but as relationship.
Your calendar always reveals your trust.
And I know this personally.
I used to panic first, pray last.
God wasn’t in my emergency contact list.
But once He took His rightful place, everything shifted.
A Testimony From My Son’s Driver’s License Journey
My youngest son tried for months to pass his driving test.
He’d pass one section and fail the other.
By the fourth attempt, discouragement sat heavy on him.
One morning during worship, I asked God:
“Do You even want him to have his license?”
God said: Yes.
Then I asked,
“What’s blocking him?”
The answer: fear and anxiety.
Once God spoke, everything moved.
I prayed Philippians 4:6–8 over my son.
I declared peace.
I prayed for the instructor.
And I rested in what God said.
The next week?
He passed.
Our whole family celebrated because our faith grew together.
This moment reminded me:
Obedience is not just personal — it multiplies faith in others.
What This Means for You
Obedience testing is not random.
It’s not punishment.
It’s preparation.
"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it
without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."
Isaiah 55 teaches three truths:
- God’s Word carries an assignment.
- That Word tests your heart.
- Your response determines your readiness.
If you’re being stretched, refined, or challenged —it’s because God is preparing you for what’s next.
How to Take This Teaching Deeper (Activation)
Ask God"
- "Lord, what are You forming in me through this test?”
- “Where have I hesitated in obedience?”
- “What small step can I take in the next 24 hours?”
And speak this over yourself:
“I am good soil.
I hear God clearly.
I obey quickly.
My steps are ordered.
And I will pass every test assigned to my growth.”
Final Encouragement
If God is confronting you, it’s because He intends to increase you.
The Word searches so it can strengthen.
The Word cuts so it can heal.
The Word confronts so it can bless.
You are not being torn down —
you are being prepared.
You are becoming good soil.
And good soil always produces fruit.
About Idina
Hi, I’m Idina — a Holy Spirit–led identity coach helping Kingdom women heal, realign, and build from who God says they are.
I didn’t start confident or clear; I started in survival mode, hustling and doubting myself. But as I learned to trust God’s whisper and obey before I understood, everything in my life began to shift from the inside out.
Now I help other Kingdom daughters do the same — not by striving, but by realigning with their true identity so clarity, peace, and purpose can finally flow.
