Trials vs Temptations

Blessed is he who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12 

We will have trials.

We will have temptations. 

We will especially be tempted during trials. 

During trials, it is very easy to give in to our temptations. 

If we remain steadfast during trials, then God promised that we (who love Him) will be rewarded. 

It is an effort on our part to not give into our temptations. 

We're tempted when we are drawn away by our own desires. 

Falling into temptations vs. Entering into temptations 

Fall - count it all joy knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance. 

Enter - Choices and Decisions 

You have free will. You have a choice to flee from or to give into temptations that lead you to sin.

Sin does not satisfy our desires. 

Sin breaks our fellowship with God. 

Confession of sin restores fellowship with God. 

The love of God covers multitude of sin. 

You have to want more to be free from sin than to have the sin. If you want to be free, confess now to God and ask Him to rescue you, forgive you, and restore relationship with him. 

How you respond to temptations will reveal integrity and maturity. 

Flee from temptations. Know the word. Dwell on the word. We all need safeguards to protect us. Abide in Christ, not in temptation. Walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh. 

It's not instantaneous, it is a process that takes time. Bad habits are hard to break, but we can form good habits instead. We are adaptive creatures. Be flexible in the Spirit. 

If we love God, then we will be rewarded for our efforts to not give into temptations during trials. 

A trial is not a temptation. 

A trial is a situation or a circumstance. 

A temptation is an object of desire.

The object of desire is not necessarily sinful, but can lead the person to sin.

God tempts no one, but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. James 1:13-15

All people are tempted. 

We each have our own desires, our own weaknesses, and our own temptations. 

What tempts one person may not tempt another. 

Giving in to temptations can and will lead to sin.

What is so terrible and important to remember is that the momentary happiness is fleeting and quickly disappears. But the joy of the Lord is my strength! 

It helps to stay away from what tempts us, but we can't always avoid them. It helps to be prepared ahead of time so that we know what to do when we are faced with a known temptation. 

Temptations are not from God. 

God is holy and separate from evil.

James 1:16-18 says... 

God doesn't change. 

God the Creator gives good gifts to His children. 

God created us.

We are His children. 

We are brothers and sisters. 

We are His first fruits of all his creatures. 

God loves us! 

God wants to bless us!

God wants us to love Him!

God wants us to look to Him when we are tempted by our weaknesses.

Thank you Lord for helping me...

to learn from my mistakes, 

to grow from past experiences, 

and to turn to you always. 

Thank you Lord for all your blessings, your love, and your joy. 

God speaks

"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. " 1 Corinthians 1:17 

The Lord sent Paul. 

Paul was called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:1)

Paul obeyed the calling on his life to tell others about Jesus. 

But Paul didn't have to speak eloquently. The power of the cross speaks for itself. 

Just like when my daughter and her troop were selling Girl Scout cookies. The girls were not eloquent in their sales pitch,  and yet their booth sold out of cookies. The cookies basically sold themselves.

We have to step out in faith and let God take care of the rest. The Holy Spirit will give us the words to say. The Lord will bless our efforts when we obey His call. God will use what we say and do for His glory. 

God speaks for Himself. 

Yet, He chooses to use us (who are weak and unwise by worldly standards) to show His power,  so that when we boast, we boast in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:18-31) 

Jesus = wisdom from God. 

To Him who sits on the throne and unto the Lamb, be all blessing, honor, glory, and power forever. 

Unity in Christ

The very first issue Paul addressed in 1st Corinthians was division in the church. This brings to mind a couple well-known quotes...

"United we stand. Divided we fall."

"In essentials - unity.

In non-essentials - liberty. 

In all things  - charity."

Mark 3:25 says a house divided against itself won't be able to stand. 

Paul is appealing to all brothers and sisters in Christ to agree and to be united. (1 Corinthians 1:10)

We, as believers in Jesus, are brothers and sisters. 

Our unity is in Christ. 

Our identity is in Christ. 

In non-essentials,  liberty... Agree to disagree on the little things that are causing strife and division. There are some non-essential things that we may not agree on, but don't let those little things divide us. 

We need to stand firm together, in one spirit, and in one mind. (Philippians 1:27)

Nothing else matters if we don't have unity in Christ. Our identity is in Christ. Once we can agree on the essential truth, then everything else will fall into place. 

They will know us by our love for each other. This is where charity comes in. We are called to love and to give grace to others. (John 13:34-35, 1 Peter 4:8-10,  Matthew 10:8) 

Giving grace to someone is humbling, yet immensely rewarding with the gratifying peace of God. 

We were saved by grace! (Eph 2:8-9) Not because we deserve it. We did nothing to earn it. 

Giving grace to someone is not for them. No! Giving grace is for you...for your own sanity, your inner peace, your own personal joy. Don't let those little things take away your joy. 

The joy of the Lord is my strength!

Easily overlooked

Before I start studying 1 Corinthians, I need to go back to Acts 18:1-17 when Paul went to Corinth to preach the gospel. It's so easy to miss little details when reading this section, so digging deeper helps. 

I always thought of Paul as a preacher. But I see that Paul had a job making tents, and "reasoned" and "persuaded" in the synagogue on the sabbath. The fact that he worked at a regular job throughout the week is an interesting detail. He is just a regular person like me who works all week and goes to church on Sunday. Look at how much Paul accomplished just one day a week, and probably just one person at a time.  When I read that he reasoned and persuaded, I realized he wasn't preaching the sermon in the synagogue, he was just a congregant like me fellowshipping before and after the church service. Just by having a simple conversation with someone and getting to know them, Paul led so many to Christ. 

Another interesting detail I had missed was that Paul was probably afraid. I always figured Paul was so bold and strong because he was so influential. 

The passage does not say specifically that Paul was afraid, but we can infer that he feared others would harm him.

Acts 18:6 says the Jews "opposed him and blasphemed"... so he left the synagogue and went to a believer's house, "next door to the synagogue." The very next verse says the Lord told Paul, "Do not be afraid,  but speak, and do not keep silent, for I am with you, and noone will attack you, for I have many people in this city." Paul's boldness and strength came from the Lord. 

Not only did Paul bring many people to Christ, he led the Ruler of the synagogue to Christ... another interesting detail. In closer reading, it looks to me as if Crispus and Sosthenes are in fact the same person, whose name changed when they became a believer. Can you imagine bringing the Ruler of the synagogue to Christ? Makes sense why "the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul." (Acts 18:12).

No wonder he was afraid. But the Lord was true to His promise (Acts 18:10), and brought other believers to Paul's defense (Acts 18:14). So when the Jews lost their battle in court, they took out their vengeful frustration by beating up Sosthenes, the Ruler of the synagogue who became a believer in Jesus Christ. 

My last interesting detail that is easily missed...because the passage in Acts doesn't say what happened to Sosthenes after he was beaten. 

The fact that Sosthenes survived the brutal beating and didn't let that dissuade his new firm held belief. He 

continued in his faith alongside Paul, as he is so briefly mentioned in the first verse of 1 Corinthians, as "our brother," as a witness or maybe as someone who transcribed Paul's letter. 

It's easy to just read a passage, close the book, and move on with the rest of your day. But taking just a little bit more time to delve a little deeper in a passage will be worth the time and effort exponentially.

For tips on how to study God's Word, click here.

Dear Lord, please help me to not just read the Bible, but please help me to actually study Your Word. Help me to hear what You are speaking to me through Your Word. Help me to learn and to grow.