Tests of God
Judges 3:11-2, 4; ”Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them (that is all who had never experienced the wars of Canaan; in order that the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly)…And they were for testing Israel, to see if they would obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses.”
There is an old saying, “It’ easy to praise God through the sunshine.” I can tell you from personal experience that is true! When everything is going your way, and you feel the blessings of God then you automatically want to say “Thank You”, but when things turn and your life is dark then your faith is really tested, and what you truly believe becomes apparent.
The Bible says that God cannot tempt anyone to do evil.(James 1:13) But, there is no doubt that temptations occur in this world. The Bible does not try to deny that this world is full of temptations. I Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man ; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able…”God will never let us be tempted more than we can stand.
I believe these temptations that Satan sends are not really temptations, but instead when we trust in God these temptations are “tests” that God uses to show us our character, and strengthen our faith in Him! That verse in I Corinthians ends with these words, “but with the temptation(God) will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (italics mine) God will always be faithful to us; He will never abandon us to fight these temptations alone, but He will always give us a way to overcome.
When these temptations come, I try to be thankful for them(that’s not always easy) because I know they build my faith in Him. The temptations we face are very much like the Cross. Satan thought that when he crucified Jesus that he would stop or interfere with the plans of God. Instead, the Cross of Christ was used by God to provide a way of salvation for all people.
In the same way Satan tempts us to drive us far from God, but He uses them as tests to strengthen our faith in Him!
Jesus said in Matthew 5:11-12 that we should be glad when temptations come because after we face these temptations our reward will be great! Demonic temptations cannot be successful if we keep our eyes on the Cross!
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Father God, I thank You for the temptations that Satan sends, and I ask that You help me remember that these are only tests You use to strengthen my faith in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen
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