A temptation is designed by the devil to destroy you. A test is designed by God to prove you.
What do you think about that statement? Temptation isn’t a test. That’s why James chapter one says never attribute temptation to God. He never tempts. But He will allow testing as He did with Job. I wrote before that Jesus wasn’t led to be tempted, but He passed the test. Listen to what James wrote.
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”James 1:2-4 NKJV
He didn’t say count it all joy when you’re tempted, but when you’re put to the test. Testing produces patience and endurance. Temptation produces condemnation and guilt because it preys on our weaknesses and desires. Satan will only tempt us in the areas of our weaknesses. Testing proves us in areas where we need to grow in our obedience to Christ Jesus. I heard a preacher ask this question. “Have you ever been tempted to tithe if you’re not a tither?” The answer is no! But I’ll follow that with another question: Have you ever been tempted not to tithe? The answer is yes. Tithing is a spiritual law that flows from the heart. Stinginess is a natural law that flows from the soul, (the mind, will and emotions) we choose to do so because God doesn’t force obedience, but it hurts us in the long run.
“Blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] is the man who is steadfast under trial and perseveres when tempted; for when he has passed the test and been approved, he will receive the [victor’s] crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God” [for temptation does not originate from God, but from our own flaws]; for God cannot be tempted by [what is] evil, and He Himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted when he is dragged away, enticed and baited [to commit sin] by his own [worldly] desire (lust, passion).”James 1:12-14 AMP
Jesus endured temptation in the wilderness. He did so full of the Holy Spirit and the Word. We will all be tempted at some point in our walk with Jesus. Temptation in and of itself isn’t the problem, yielding is. And James lays out a thorough description of what to do when faced with temptation, how to come through it, and what causes it. The first thing to note is that it will come but we must be steadfast and persevere, never give in. Do not allow unbridled sin to take root in our minds. Most sin begins with a thought.
I said at the onset that God doesn’t tempt but He will test us. It’s not done out of meanness but rather out of a heart of love. We’re given a drivers test, an educational test, a medical test. All are designed to prove proficiency and healthy awareness. We don’t accuse our teachers and doctors of meanness do we? We praise and thank them for being thorough. Why don’t we take that approach with our Heavenly Father? He knows and loves us at a higher level than humans. Our hearts towards Him must be tested. It reveals areas that the enemy may use against us. We have no idea what we’re capable of until we’re put to the test. Do you know that God invited us to test Him? And He does it in the area we’re most likely to be tempted in by Satan.
“Bring all the tithes (the tenth) into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you [so great] a blessing until there is no more room to receive it.”
Malachi 3:10 AMP
Satan wants to keep us broke and barely getting by-So does a socialist government-But God has invited us to test Him in the area of giving. The enemy tells us we can’t afford to…While he lures us to apply for another credit card. Spending someone else’s money is fun, until the bill comes. That’s yielding to temptation. It isn’t always sexual. Temptation takes on many forms. God wants to prove us. He wants to mature and bring us to a place of integrity, honor and good character. He wants to test our love and trust for Him. Not once did He tempt Israel but He tested them. They proved time and again that they couldn’t be trusted. They didn’t believe and they wouldn’t persevere. They grumbled and murmured. But it was only a test.
“Every commandment that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, so that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore [to give] to your fathers. And you shall remember [always] all the ways which the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart (mind), whether you would keep His commandments or not. He humbled you and allowed you to be hungry and fed you with manna, [a substance] which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, so that He might make you understand [by personal experience] that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your feet swell these forty years. Therefore, know in your heart (be fully cognizant) that the Lord your God disciplines and instructs you just as a man disciplines and instructs his son.” Deuteronomy 8:1-5 AMP
There’s no mention of temptation in those verses. Why? Because there was no malicious intent. It was all for their good. Every test was a proving of the heart. Are you up to the test? Have you been faithful in the little? Have you endured and persevered? Have you counted it all joy? When Job heard all the devastating news about his family and every earthly thing he owned had been destroyed, he did the most unusual thing.
“Then Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head [in mourning for the children], and he fell to the ground and worshiped [God].”
Job 1:20 AMP
That wasn't a temptation, that was a testing that God allowed! Satan wanted him to turn against God. It backfired. This man endured because he was a worshipper. Before he ever reflected on what he’d heard, he worshipped. The apostle Paul had this to say about testing.
“And not only this, but [with joy] let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble) produces patient endurance; and endurance, proven character (spiritual maturity); and proven character, hope and confident assurance [of eternal salvation].” Romans 5:3-4 AMP
Paul, like Job, understood testing. They had endured and persevered. God will never put us through anything or allow anything that will destroy us. We mature through testing. We’re weakened through temptation. There’s a great contrast between the two. Know the difference and submit to His testing, submit to God, resist the devil and don’t yield to temptation. Our hearts are proven through testing, promotion comes through testing. We don’t move to the top of the class simply by being present or showing up for every class. Our works must be tested.
“If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small.”
Proverbs 24:10 NKJV
If we fail to pass the test, we’ll be required to repeat it. This is only a test. A test of our faith, loyalty and commitment to what we say we believe. Testing proves the authenticity of our faith. I told you Covid exposed the Church’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities. We weren’t practicing what we were preaching. We still aren’t. That’s why some churches are still closed. And some church folks are still watching the virtual church even though the doors are open. This is a test of our spiritual emergency readiness systems, to see if the Word is working in our lives. How’d we do folks? It’s only a review before the real testing. This is only a test.
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
October 29, 2021