Finding Joy In Our Trials And Temptations

Theadorus said:

Hey Brother, If you don't mind, I would like to share this with you.

First off, God is not our source of tribulation. If you skip ahead to verse 13, James makes it very clear that when you are experiencing trials and temptations that God is not the source of it. And he goes on to say in vs 17 that God is the source of every good and perfect gift. The Bible tell us where tribulation and hardships come from: 1 Peter 5:8, that our adversary, the Devil, A.k.a, the tempter (Matt 4:3), prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

So something just to ponder:

What those verses are telling us is that when we do experience trials and temptations in our life: Rejoice! Why? Because this gives us an opportunity to exercise our faith and put into practice what we have been taught in the word of God. So when sickness comes your way: Rejoice, because that sickness allows you an opportunity to exercise your faith; and also gives you an opportunity to stand and believe on God’s promise that by his stripes you were healed (1 peter 2:24). As you stand in faith, and work that faith muscle, your faith will grow stronger, and as a result, it will become easier to stand and believe on healing from a simple headache, to something as big as cancer.

(I know, easier said than done).

The same is true with hardships, especially financial ones. But going through one allows you to stand on promises like Phil 4:19 where it says, “My God shall supply all of your needs”, and Matt 6:25-33 where Jesus is telling us that if we put our trust in God, he promises to take care of us.

We can also rejoice when we are tempted to commit various types of sin because as we resist those temptations our will power and ability to resist them grows stronger, and we can eventually get to the point where temptation isn’t a struggle for you anymore. It’s doesn’t mean you’ll never be tempted again, but it does mean you’ll have a much easier time saying no to that sin.

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