James 1:12-13

” 12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

13. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:”

As a follow up to the last post “Strange, But True” it is important to understand God does not deal in sin. Yes, as long as their is breath in our bodies, we will always face temptation. But we must understand God does not bring temptation to you.

God allows the enemy to work while it is still his time, but there are limits to what he is allowed to do to God’s people (see Job Chapter 1).

God knows you will be tempted. But he does not temp you. His expectation is that you will endure the temptation without falling to it.

God knows what he has invested in you. The trying of our faith is so that we can better understand what God has invested in us. As we emerge victorious from these trials we learn a little more about God, and a little more about who we are in him. Patience will have its perfect work.

The temptation itself shows us something about ourselves. We learn how vulnerable we are to certain things. Enduring the temptation teaches us that even though I may be vulnerable, I still do not have to be a partaken of that sin anymore. Why? Because the power of God is strong enough to keep me from falling. This is the Blessed knowledge referred to in verse 12 above. God is so faithful that he provides a way of escape – every time, without fail.

God bless you all.