“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)

Dearly beloved in Christ,

Loving greetings to you in the sweet name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Temptations are inevitable in our lives. Everyone goes through tough times of trials, tribulations, and temptations. Very often our peace and joy are snatched away in the midst of them. Here let us meditate on how and why we are tempted and how to overcome them.

Satan who is a tempter roams around seeking persons whom he could devour. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Jesus Christ is said to be the lion of Judah. The devil fakes him and cheats as if he were great.

 

1. Purpose of Creation Not Fulfilled

‘And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him’ (Gen. 2:18, 20).

God created Eve out of a rib bone of Adam so that she might be a good helper to him. But she did not realize the purpose for which she had been created. The devil took the form of a serpent and tempted her. He made a small change in the word of the Lord God. God had told Adam that they would die the day they ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But the devil lied and assured her that it would not happen so. He is a liar from the beginning and is said to be the father of lies. She yielded to temptation. First, she plucked and ate the forbidden fruit and then she gave it to her husband. Thus they sinned and came under curse. She should have been with her husband. As she strayed away from him, she fell into temptation and was cheated by the devil.

Dear Brother, we have been created to praise the Lord and do good things for His glory. If we fail to fulfil this plan of God, but do evil things unacceptable to Him, the tempter will certainly come to tempt us.

2. Being Irresponsible

“It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.” (2 Samuel 11:1).

At the time of war, the king should have been in the battlefield with the soldiers encouraging them and leading them. But king David failed to do that. He was irresponsible; he remained at home. As there was no one to question him, he was at home roaming on the terrace. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time. As a result, he was tempted and he committed a grave sin. Consequently, curse came upon his descendants. The child died.

Once an official in high position left his office a few hours early to be with his family for the weekend. His house was in a distant place. Unfortunately, a higher official visited his office when he was away and made enquiries and found certain misdeeds in the office and linked it to his absence in the office. He also suspended him.

When we are duty conscious in our family and workplace, the tempter cannot harm us.

3. Lust Working in Us

“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” (James 1:14)

Another reason for temptation is lust. The Bible says, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:16). If one is given to any of these, he will be tempted and put to trouble.

Gehazi the servant of Elisha saw that the man of God Elisha did not receive any gift from Naaman the commander of the army of Syria. He was tempted as he had lust for those things offered by the Roman General. He had lust of the eyes which worked on him. Without the knowledge of his master, he went after him and lied to him and got some gifts from him. But the whole thing was revealed to the servant of the Lord God, Elisha. When he returned, he enquired him where he went, Gehazi again uttered a lie. As a result, curse came upon him and his family. Leprosy came upon him and his descendants.

We do know of persons who get bribe even for small things in government offices. Today it might seem to be a blessing and you may delight in it. But you do not know of the curse that would haunt your family for generations.

For small things there are persons who have lost their lives. Once my father told me about the end of a teacher. He had gone to a river to spend the day there. As he was about to return, he went back to clean his hands. When he bent to take the water, a pencil from his pocket fell into the river and drifted away. When he tried to take the pencil, he fell and was carried away.

4. Preparation for the Work of the Lord

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (Matthew 4:1)

In preparation for ministry, we are tempted as Jesus Christ Himself was tempted. This is to make us stand established in ministry and in the Lord in all situations. We are led through this path.

Peter pleaded with the Lord Jesus Christ to grant him permission to walk on water. He also gave him permission and he took a few steps with enthusiasm. But the wind was strong. He was troubled. But he cried to the Lord for help and he was saved. It was a great experience for Peter. It was the basis for his ministry in building and safeguarding and tending the sheep of his fold.

Perhaps, you may be worried why you have problems even though you are a child of God. Peter must have had good skill in swimming. From birth he was a fisherman. He did not rely on his skills. He had his brothers and other friends with him in the boat. He did not seek their help. The help of man is in vain. He knew that and looked to Jesus for help, a practice to stick to. At that time the hand of the Lord was extended to him. He practised what the Bible taught him: “Call upon Me on the day of trouble, I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” He had this experience of looking to Jesus. This helped him and prepared him fully for his ministry.

Today, are you worried about the troubles you have? Do you experience sufferings as they well up and are you troubled in thought as to whom to approach? How long should you undergo this trial? Why this trouble for you alone? Why death does not come? You may be undergoing such problems which cannot be narrated, and living in turmoil. You may be in the grip of sorrows and grief.

Dear Brother, such trying circumstances is only to mould you, to strengthen and grow in your relationship with the Lord. “. . . When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” was the faith of Job (Job 23:10).

Such trials and temptations are allowed in our lives to make and mould us as gold.

 

1. Pray

“...Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:40)

To overcome temptations and trials that come in our way, we should be transformed into men and women of prayer. Jesus Christ taught us to pray. In that prayer we pray for escape from temptations: ‘Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’ This is a practical way of protection from trying circumstances. We are strengthened to face them.

Once a high official who was a child of God shared with me what he experienced in his life. He used to pray for his work that no evil should take place there. The day he failed to pray that he should carry out his responsibilities without favour or fear without accepting any bribe, he confronted troubles in his workplace.

Yes, daily we should pray for being protected from trying circumstances. That is important. Prevention is better than healing. Pray and be saved from temptations.

Once the Holy Spirit guided me to go to a particular village. For reaching that place I needed a minimum of Rs. 10 as bus fare. I had only two rupees in my pocket. In this state I submitted to the guidance of the Lord and went to the bus-stand. I boarded a bus and took a seat in the front row. At that time, a number of questions cropped up in my mind. The conductor might scold me if I told him that I had not enough money. Then I began to pray to the Lord. Then thoughts of comfort came. If Jesus Christ who had all power was spit on the face, why I cannot submit to insults. Such thoughts encouraged me. I was prepared to face the situation. The conductor was issuing tickets and he came to the row behind me. I heard his voice, but kept praying with closed eyes.

At that time, I felt someone taking the seat next to me. He patted me and called me by name and asked me where I was going. He was a colleague of mine at high school. He told me that he had heard about me and my ministry and encouraged me. He said that he was happy about it. He got his ticket and asked my permission to get tickets for me too. I felt the love of God in my heart and praised Him. The Bible assures us, “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. 10:13). He has created a way of escape. That is the way of prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Then trials will vanish and you would taste the love and glory of the Lord. “When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” was the assurance of Job.

2. Keep the Word at Heart

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” (Revelation 3:10)

We should preserve the word of God in our hearts. When we are so filled with His word, we will be protected by them. We will not be put to shame. Some would jokingly say that we have two ears, one to listen and the other to leave it. They sleep in the church where the word of the Lord is preached. Words would not reach their hearts. They would call long prayers ‘Prayer Sermons’ and preachers who take time ‘blades or saws.’ Jesus Christ taught in the Parable of the Sower that the seeds falling on the pathways were taken away by birds. Let us not be like that without a receptive heart for the words of the Lord. Let us preserve them in our hearts. They are words of life and good to our physique. Let us triumph over trials.

Satan is a tempter. He came to Jesus Christ to execute his plan craftily against the plan of the Lord God. He chose the time of the end of his fasting. He tested him in three ways – one against his flesh, one with His pride and the other against His kingdom. In all these cases, He quoted the scriptures, saying ‘it is written.’ Let us also have the word of the Lord in our hearts to triumph over the designs of the devil. He will always provide a way and guide us.

3. Be Holy

“then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.” (2 Peter 2:9)

We should be godly to overcome the devil. What does it mean? We should know that, if we should grow in it. “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). We should help those who are in trouble. In helping others, we should not yield ourselves to temptations of wicked exploitation.

For us to grow spiritually, we should submit ourselves into the hand of the Lord. The blood of Jesus is sufficient to cleanse us of all sins. Having been cleansed, the state of holiness should be preserved daily. In holiness, we should strive to fulfil the will of the Lord God. For that the Lord has given us His Holy Spirit. This Spirit leads and aids us in holy life. Moreover, prophesy aids us daily in holy living. “But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men” (1 Cor. 14:3). Thus the anointing of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit transform us to live without any blame or spot.

To grow in spirituality, we should be filled with the love of the Lord. “. . . We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” (1 Cor. 8:1). Loving the Lord means that we should obey His word and love our neighbours. Our heart should throb when they are in trouble and in tears. We should extend all help that we can render them. Helping them in the name of Jesus Christ urges us to share or declare the gospel of Christ.

4. Love the Lord

“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)

We should have the heart and mind to love the Lord in our lives. There should be room in our hearts to love Jesus Christ who gave Himself to be crucified for our sake. The body of Him who knew no sin was beaten and bruised for our sins. He bore our weaknesses and sorrows. He suffered on the cross of Calvary to atone for our sins.

When He was spit on the face, whipped and crowned with thorns, He bore everything because He loved us. The love He had for us made Him accept all sufferings. When we give room in our hearts to love the loving Jesus Christ, all sufferings and trials would vanish. We would be transformed to overcome the devil. So let us love the Lord with the whole heart. If we have gone back from the original love we had for Him, let us decide to commit to the Lord realizing His love and His work on the cross for our redemption. Would you do that?

If we pray with holiness, observing the word of the Scripture, loving the Lord, we would triumph over the tempter. Jesus Christ is the model to learn from and imitate. His sufferings on the cross of Calvary make us take root and grow in Him. Let us be sensitised to witness the cross of Calvary and be victorious. He will make us have victory in all circumstances over the designs of the enemy. Let us triumph over trials and temptations and inherit the blessings and exaltation in Him.

The blessings of the Lord be with us all.

In the service of Christ Jesus,

Bro. C. Ebenezer Paul.