Trials And Temptations
By Mark Grant
In James the first chapter we read, “My
brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this,
that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her
perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James
1:2-4; KJV). James doesn’t say IF we “fall into divers temptations”,
but whenever we DO we are to “count it all joy.” James
teaches us that all Christians are going to have to face “trials and
temptations” in life and that it is possible to profit from them. As Christians
we are not to pretend to be happy when we face adversities but we should have a
positive attitude since it is an opportunity for joy because of what struggles
it can produce in our lives. James is teaching us that when difficulties come
our way we can turn them into times of learning. One of the many beneficial
purposes of afflictions in this life for the child of God is to test the
genuineness of our faith. We can’t really know the depth of our character until
we see how we are going to react under “trials and temptations.” Solomon said, “If
you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small” (Prov. 24:10;
NKJV). God knows that tough times can teach us perseverance as well as help us
to mature and become complete. So next time instead of complaining about your
struggles, you should see them as opportunities for growth. The New
International Version reads this way, “2Dear brothers and
sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.
3For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
4So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be
strong in character and ready for anything” (James 1:2-4).
What Is Temptation?
Webster’s dictionary defines temptation as, “1. A
tempting or being tempted 2. Something that tempts; enticement” (New World
Dictionary, pg. 1464). While most people associate temptation with only an
enticement to sin, the scriptures do not limit it’s meaning as such. Marvin
Vincent describes how temptation is used in the bible by saying, “It is a
mistake to define this word as only solicitation to evil. It means
trial of any kind, without reference to its moral quality”
(Vincent’s Word Studies Of The New Testament, Vol. 1; pg. 44). The Interpreter’s
Dictionary of the Bible explains the word “tempt” as, “To test,
try, put to the proof. “Tempt” and “temptation” are
used in the Bible characteristically of the testing of man or of God” (Vol. 4,
pg. 568). We can understand then, that temptation is used in two different ways.
First it is used in a good sense of God testing man by proving his belief in
obeying God’s word. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “O LORD of hosts, You who
test the righteous, And see the mind and heart…” (Jer. 20:12; NKJV).
God’s testing is always for the good end of exposing loyalty and disloyalty,
faith and unbelief, for what they are; but it is never an enticement to do evil
(James 1:13). Secondly, it is Satan who tempts man to do evil through the lust
of the flesh (2 Pet. 1:4). Temptation then, is simply a trial which serves to
show us what we are and what is in us. It brings to light the strength or
weakness of our faith, our love to God, and our regard to His law. It was Job
who said in his trial, “But He knows the way that I take; When he has
tested me, I shall come forth as gold (Job 23:10; NKJV). As gold is
heated, impurities float to the top and can be skimmed off. Likewise our trials,
struggles, and hardships refine and strengthen our faith by teaching us patience
(Rom. 5:3,4; 1 Pet. 1:7) and help us grow to be the kind of people God desires.
HOW DOES GOD TEMPT MAN?
In Genesis the twenty second chapter and verse
one reads, “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt
Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he
said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee
into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of
the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Gen. 22:1-2; KJV). To offer
Isaac as a burnt offering was surely the supreme test of Abraham’s faith.
Abraham was given the decision to choose between his affectionate love for his
son or obeying God’s word. As Abraham was about to slay his son the Angel of the
Lord called to him and said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do
anything to him; for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld
your son, your only son, from Me” (Gen. 22:12; KJV). God’s test for
Abraham was matched by his faith and trust in God. “By faith Abraham, when
he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up
his only begotten son” (Heb. 11:17; NKJV). The great lesson this story
bears for the believer today is that all trials allowed by God are for the
strengthening of one’s faith by enduring the trials that come our way, by
neither growing weary nor quitting, we can prove our faith in God to be genuine.
It was God who allowed trials to into the lives
of the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness in order to humble them,
prove them, and test their obedience. “And you shall remember that the
Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble
and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His
commandments or not” (Deut. 8:2; NKJV).
It is imperative that we all understand that God
created man as a free moral agent in order to be put to the test. We can choose
to serve God, and submit to His word and live with Him in eternity, or we can
choose to serve Satan through the lust of the flesh and spend eternity in
torment. “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked;
Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give
every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings”
(Jer. 17:8-9; NKJV).
HOW DOES SATAN TEMPT MAN?
As long as you and I are in this physical body
then we are going to be tempted to do evil by old Satan. James wrote, “Let
no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted
by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is
drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it
gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death”
(James 1:13-15; NKJV). Temptation to do evil comes from sinful desires within us
and not from God. Jesus said, “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies”
(Matt. 15:19; NKJV). Temptation to sin is a process that begins with an evil
thought and becomes sin when we dwell on the thought and allow it to become an
action. There is no sin in just being tempted; for Jesus “was in all
points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15; NKJV).
Temptation, however, does become sin when we are drawn away by our own desires
and enticed and then yield to the enticement from within, followed by action and
finally and ultimately death. Sin does not force itself on the unwilling, but is
chosen because of its attractiveness. “Drawn away … and
enticed…” are primarily hunting and fishing words, used metaphorically
here to explain the consequences of yielding to Satan‘s enticements. It was the
beauty of the forbidden fruit that acted as a lure for Eve, the bait, which
resulted in her being caught upon the hook of sin (Gen. 3:1-6). Forbidden
pleasure, however great the desire for it may be, must be firmly excluded from
our lives, lest we be caught in Satan’s snare. “Therefore submit to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7; NKJV).
Submission to God is an attitude of the heart shown by obedience to His Word,
while resist means that you refuse to cooperate with the devil. Let us as
Christian’s learn to exercise discipline by rejecting the appealing “bait” with
which Satan lures his trap of enslavement to sin. Let us determine that we will
never do or go to any place where there is the possibility that we may be
tempted to sin. As Paul said, “Abstain from every form of evil” (1
Thess. 5:22; NKJV).
OVERCOMING TEMPTATION
Oscar Wilde once said, “I can resist anything,
except temptation.” No one is immune because we all have to battle with
temptation everyday of our lives, and at times we may lose the battle. But we
must keep fighting and fighting to resist Satan. That is why we need to watch
out for Satan for he will do his best to attack us and try to destroy us (1 Pet.
5:8). While it is certain that Satan will attack us, we need to know and
understand that Satan is limited in his power because God has put certain
restrictions upon Satan’s efforts. In first Corinthians the tenth chapter in
verse twelve we read, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed
lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man;
but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are
able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be
able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:12-13; NKJV) When faced with temptation no
one needs to feel that they have been personally singled out because temptations
happen to all people everywhere. The great difference between a sinner and a
Christian is that a Christian has God as his helper when he meets these
temptations, whereas the sinner must face them alone. The temptation to do evil
may be very great, but God has put a limit on it. When we resist the temptation
then God is faithful for He is right there with us to keep us from being
overwhelmed by the temptation. God has nowhere promised exemption to His
children from temptation and trials. Yet, He has promised His sustaining
presence and power by providing a way of escape when we have the fidelity to
resist, thus enabling the believer to conquer. As Peter said, “…the Lord
knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations…” (2 Pet. 2:9; NKJV).
HOW TO RESIST
The greatest example of how to resist Satan was
given by our Lord when He was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to
be tempted (Matt. 4:1-11). Jesus was tempted by the Devil, but he never sinned!
The Devil’s temptations focused on three crucial areas; (1) lust of the flesh,
(2) the lust of the eyes, (3) the pride of life (See 1 John 2:15-16). Jesus’
response to all three temptations was to quote the Word of God (…it is
written…), showing His followers the power of Scripture in battling the
Evil One. Satan will certainly attack those who obey God but he is powerless
against those who resist him with the Word of God. It was David who wrote, “Your
word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You” (Psa.
119:11; NKJV). Jesus was able to resist all of Satan’s temptations because he
not only knew Scripture, but he also obeyed it. Knowing Scripture verses is an
important step in helping us resist the Devil’s attacks, but we must also be
willing to obey and do what the Scripture’s teach as well (James 1:22-25). Note
that Satan memorized Scripture and quoted it, but he has always refused to obey
it. Knowing and obeying what Jesus taught in the Gospel will always help us to
follow God’s Will rather than the Devil’s.
In closing, you and I can take comfort in knowing
that Jesus knows firsthand what it is to experience temptations, and He is
willing and able to help us in our struggles. “For in that He Himself has
suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted” (Heb.
2:18; NKJV). No one can truly suffer with someone else unless he has been
through a similar experience himself. That is why a Christian can go into His
presence with prayer at any time of the day or night and acquire mercy, grace
and support in time of need. “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot
sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet
without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:15-16;
NKJV). When you are going through trials and temptations, then go to Jesus for
strength and patience. Remember, the Christian who has stood the test and
remained lovingly faithful to God, even under afflictions will receive the crown
of life. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been
approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those
who love Him” (James 1:12;NKJV).