Dealing with Trials and Temptation

**Fenny West** Thu 17 Apr 2008, 12:49 pm

James 2:1-18

Meditate on this word try and recall what you can remember -may be paraphrasing it. Write it down if you can. Compare it to what you read again. Note what you have omitted. How important were they?

This was what I recalled:

Count it all joy when you encounter various temptations or trials because the trial of your faith brings about patience and let the dose of the medicine that produces the fruit of patience have its full course.

Don’t run away from it or look for a short cut. Endure the trials or temptation. Learn from them otherwise you will have a merry go run because it will come again until you pass that level of temptation.

We all need wisdom to know how to deal with temptation, therefore if you lack that wisdom, ask of God, why He is the bastion, the fountain, the repository of wisdom that is untainted, pure, unadulterated, lasting, secure and trustworthy. And He will give that wisdom if we ask in a certain way-in faith not wavering like the wave of the seas which is tossed to and fro by the wind.

Warning: Let no man expect to receive anything from the Lord if he asks, doubting. You must believe when you ask, that God not only exist but that He is hearing you and willing to give you the wisdom you asked for to deal with that problem, expect to receive that wisdom and expect the wisdom He gives to be in line with His word. In other words, if the wisdom you receive is not in line with His word, it is not from Him. God deals that wisdom generously, willingly, super-abundantly, because He wants you to mature, robust- not lacking anything that you need in that area of life in which you’re tempted.

The crown of life awaits those who endure and overcome temptation. It is a prize for overcoming temptation; dealing wisely with the temptation and rising to a new level through your experience. You will be able to deal wisely when you’re tempted again in that area because you will have had good experience that money cannot buy. You will also be able to help others who fall into similar temptations. That is the essence of your overcoming- not just for yourself, but to hep others and give glory to Him, because you have been there and He helped you through it.

God does not use evil to tempt us. He tries us to see if we are faithful, trustworthy or loyal, like He did Abraham, David and other saints. In the same situation there could be a trial and a temptation- a trail to prove our faithfulness and a temptation to do evil.

We also have a responsibility when we are tempted. We are drawn of our own lust and uncontrolled passion, or ego or pride into a tempting situation. For instance when we look long and longingly at the opposite sex we are to blame. When we put ourselves in compromising positions to sin, we are to blame. Remember: when we are tempted we are also given the way of escape. In fact the word says God is faithful and will not allow situations that we cannot bear to come to us, but that He will through the trial or temptation make a way of escape. The question is: will we see or recognise that way of escape and take it, or linger on and sin?

Before sin, there is conception- a mind war when we think of it long enough and then act on it and when conception has reach full term, we give birth to sin which separates us from God, destroys us and brings about ultimate death.

All good and perfect gifts come from above -from the Father of light who gives generously.

I know I have added to the passage from my knowledge in other areas. That is the essence of Bible studies. Other areas of the scripture can compliment what you read to bring richness and freshness, so you need that flexibility to let God use the Holy Spirit to remind you of other passages of scripture as you study the Bible.

Summary of lessons

James 2:1-18

1. Temptation or trial is standard in the life of anybody- believer or not.

2. There is a benefit of enduring temptation-patience, experience from growth, development and maturity, robustness, character, integrity, faith, love, joy, goodness, kindness, peace or other fruit of the spirit which may not come in any other way.

3. Patience does not come overnight and we need to allow the medicine of trial to do its full work in us rather looking for a quick escape.
4. God gives wisdom that we need in any temptation, either to know how to endure and deal wisely with the situation or how to come out unscathed but with all the beneficial experience of having been there.
5. In order to avail ourselves of this wisdom, we must ask, believing that He will give us
6. We must have the confident assurance that God gives this wisdom generously so we need to expect comprehensive wisdom- not have-measures.
7. We must ask in faith –not wavering like a sea tossed about by the wind.
8. If we are not receiving the wisdom that we need, we may need to check the quality of our faith.
9. We have a responsibility when it comes to temptation. Although temptation will come to us whether or not we like it, some temptations are self -inflicted because of our lust or uncontrolled passion, which we need to master to avoid a repeat temptation in that particular area. Again, if we pray, God will open our eyes to that area. We all have blind spots. God can shine His light on those areas to set us free from the unending cycle of sin, pain and regret and even death of relationships or loss of peace or joy.
10. God will not tempt us to do evil but He will test our loyalty and commitment to Him.
11. So temptation to do evil could be from us or from the devil when we have given him room.
12. Trials come from God to make us better, shine brighter, and give Him more glory.
13. Temptation comes in divers, multifarious ways- finance (tithe, relationships -opposite sex, at work with people, the way you do your job, mind- the way you think, pride, the way you spend your time, the programmes you watch the books you read, in your speech, in your eating or dressing etc. motives count not just what you do, but why…?)

Questions Try and identify the verses that answer these questions.
1.What is temptation or trial?
2. Is there any benefit that can come from a trail or temptation?
3. What should be our attitude to temptation?

4. What is the danger of looking for a quick fix when we are tempted?

5. Where should we go for wisdom to deal with temptation?

6.How should we ask for that wisdom?

7. How does God give wisdom to those who ask in faith?

8.What happens to those who are unstable when they pray for wisdom form God?

9 . Do we have a responsibility when we are tempted? What is that responsibility?

10. What is the prize of those who overcome temptation?

ANSWERS

Try and come up with your answers which could be equally good and acceptable before looking at my answers which could vary from yours.

1.Temptation is when you are drawn to do what you know is evil. It could come from you or the devil.
Trial on the other hand comes from God to test our loyalty or commitment or faithfulness.
2. Many benefits can come from the trial of our faith, such as , patience, godly character, peace, etc
3. We need to be patient when we are tempted rather than looking for a quick way out before we learn the necessary lesson of life that come from it.
4. When we look for a quick fix we open the door for a repeat of the cycle of temptation and failure. And until we pass that test we cannot move to another level of development or maturity.
5. God has the solution to our trials and we would be wise to go straight to him in prayer. He could also use people to help us or speak to us, so we need to be open to the various ways He speaks as to get a godly counsel to deal with the temptation or trial.
6. Without faith it is impossible to please God, so when we go to God in prayer, we must go in faith- absolute assurance that he not only hears us but wants t o help us in our predicament.
7. God gives comprehensive wisdom generously and that is what we should expect, although every trial can be in degrees hence when we overcome at one level we could expect a higher level of temptation in that area next time round. But as we go back to God and obtain wisdom to overcome again we mature and get better and better all the way long.
8. If we are unstable and unsure that God is faithful and will give us the wisdom that we need we cannot expect to receive anything from Him. We must be patient when we ask. God is not in a hurry. His timing is perfect. In His time He will make everything beautiful. We need to wait patiently.
9. Often we say we have no control over our temptation. There may well be a stage in our lives when we have yielded repeatedly to the devil and his cohort when they completely dominate us but we have a responsibility at the initial stages to say: ‘No!’
We have a will which we use in our decision-making. When we yield our will to obey God, He is glorified. But often we want to please ourselves and fulfil the longings of our carnal nature- our feelings, lusts, cravings which may be contrary to what God wants for us. We need to realise that there is a constant war between those two natures in us- one pulls us to do the will of God the other is contrary and wants us to please ourselves or the devil, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. When must decide which voice we obey.
10. The prize of those who overcome temptation and become better is the fruit of the spirit, as outlined above and eventually the crown of life- a reward given at the Judgement Seat of Christ to believers.