When Trials Become Temptations...

When I first embarked on this blogging journey, my main desire was to share lessons the Lord had taught me.  In so doing, I was hoping to fill a void that was created when I stepped down from several ministry positions due to circumstances beyond my control.   I admit, my view was narrow, but having never blogged before, I'm not sure I really knew what the whole package would entail...

These past 22 months, I have been able to see just how far my words could go.  I never imagined that my blog posts would be read literally all around the world. The enormous responsibility to rightly handle the Word of Truth was not taken lightly by me.

I have learned that Spiritual Warfare will increase when the audience is as widespread as blogging platforms afford.

Of late, the spiritual attacks seem to be increasing for me.  I am becoming weary and thoughts of  giving up on blogging have been entertained.

As the trials have increased, I am unfortunately allowing Satan to hurl accusations.  "You are a poor representative of Christ.  You hypocrite! You Pharisee!"

What's worse is I have adopted an attitude that I am being punished by God and deserve the trials I am going through.  Where is that coming from?!?!?

I think I shocked myself the first time I uttered those words under my breath during testings and trials.

I am spiritually spiraling, becoming too focused on the things I'm not doing, but should be and on the things I am doing that I shouldn't be rather than focusing on the Grace of God to work in and through me to do His good pleasure.

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, 

I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do. And if I do what I do not want, 

it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.…

Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?  Thanks be to God, 

who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Romans 7:19-20; 24-25

Instead of remembering what Christ has done for me; that He died for my sins past, present and future, that He always provides a way out from temptation, and that when I confess my sins, He is righteous and just to forgive my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness, I am allowing my trials to turn into temptations.

For me, my trials are coming in the form of nuisances, multiple nuisances.  It seems that the little trials in life are the very ones that turn into temptations.  Temptations unfortunately that I succumb to...

Hissy fits, murmuring, complaining, anger, blaming others and worst of all I find myself angry at God for the testing...

Whether trials are a result of a spiritual attack OR chastisement, NOTHING touches us without our Heavenly Father's Divine appointment, His Divine Love...

The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job?

Job 1:8a

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Hebrews 12:6

A couple of weeks ago, I was pouring my heart out to the Lord in anguish over my besetting sins and my spiritual state, even doubting my own Salvation.  Afterward, I read from Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Devotional and THIS is how the Lord answered my cry!

"Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?"
— Luke 24:38

When is the Christian most liable to sleep? Is it not when his temporal circumstances are prosperous? Have you not found it so? When you had daily troubles to take to the throne of grace, were you not more wakeful than you are now? Easy roads make sleepy travelers. Another dangerous time is when all goes pleasantly in spiritual matters. Christian went not to sleep when lions were in the way, or when he was wading through the river, or when fighting with Apollyon, but when he had climbed half way up the Hill Difficulty, and came to a delightful arbour, he sat down, and forthwith fell asleep, to his great sorrow and loss. The enchanted ground is a place of balmy breezes, laden with fragrant odours and soft influences, all tending to lull pilgrims to sleep. Remember Bunyan's description: "Then they came to an arbour, warm, and promising much refreshing to the weary pilgrims; for it was finely wrought above head, beautified with greens, and furnished with benches and settles. It had also in it a soft couch, where the weary might lean." "The arbour was called the Slothful's Friend, and was made on purpose to allure, if it might be, some of the pilgrims to take up their rest there when weary." Depend upon it, it is in easy places that men shut their eyes and wander into the dreamy land of forgetfulness. Old Erskine wisely remarked, "I like a roaring devil better than a sleeping devil." There is no temptation half so dangerous as not being tempted. The distressed soul does not sleep; it is after we enter into peaceful confidence and full assurance that we are in danger of slumbering. The disciples fell asleep after they had seen Jesus transfigured on the mountain top. Take heed, joyous Christian, good frames are near neighbours to temptations: be as happy as you will, only be watchful.

Charles Spurgeon

The Lord met me right where I was at!  He was not punishing me.  He was loving me!!

And then in the next night's evening's devotion, The Lord continued to reassure me...

We are all as an unclean thing."
Isaiah 64:6

The believer is a new creature, he belongs to a holy generation and a peculiar people--the Spirit of God is in him, and in all respects he is far removed from the natural man; but for all that the Christian is a sinner still. He is so from the imperfection of his nature, and will continue so to the end of his earthly life. The black fingers of sin leave smuts upon our fairest robes. Sin mars our repentance, ere the great Potter has finished it, upon the wheel. Selfishness defiles our tears, and unbelief tampers with our faith. The best thing we ever did apart from the merit of Jesus only swelled the number of our sins; for when we have been most pure in our own sight, yet, like the heavens, we are not pure in God's sight; and as he charged his angels with folly, much more must he charge us with it, even in our most angelic frames of mind. The song which thrills to heaven, and seeks to emulate seraphic strains, hath human discords in it. The prayer which moves the arm of God is still a bruised and battered prayer, and only moves that arm because the sinless One, the great Mediator, has stepped in to take away the sin of our supplication. The most golden faith or the purest degree of sanctification to which a Christian ever attained on earth, has still so much alloy in it as to be only worthy of the flames, in itself considered. Every night we look in the glass we see a sinner, and had need confess, "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." Oh, how precious the blood of Christ to such hearts as ours! How priceless a gift is his perfect righteousness! And how bright the hope of perfect holiness hereafter! Even now, though sin dwells in us, its power is broken. It has no dominion; it is a broken-backed snake; we are in bitter conflict with it, but it is with a vanquished foe that we have to deal. Yet a little while and we shall enter victoriously into the city where nothing defileth.


Even though I felt so wretched, My Lord and Savior comforted me through the words of those devotions, reminding me that everything that touches me comes through His loving hands, to draw me closer to Him.

If you could have saw my face as I began to read and hear God speaking reassurances to me that I am still and always will be His beloved child.   I felt profound awe and complete joyous relief!  My God heard the cry of my heart and indeed showed me a way out of my temptation;  the temptation of focusing on self rather than on the Grace of God.

I felt as though I had entered into the very presence of God, a sinner, clothed in white, cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb.

Who has not in moments of meditation and prayer caught a glimpse of opening gates?    

Who has not in the secret place of holy communion felt the rush of some white surging wave of emotion - a foretaste of the joy of the blessed?

The Lost Art of Meditation

Had I not spent time in the valley of trials and temptations, I would not have experienced the mountaintop joy of blessed communion with my Lord and Savior.


Heavenly Father,

  Help me to not allow trials to become temptations, but instead to continuously seek your Divine Presence and Mercy to walk in the way of obedience by the Grace of God.  Help me to consider it pure joy whenever I face trials of many kinds, and to know that the testing of my faith produces perseverance, and that perseverance will finish its work so that I may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

  Holy Spirit work in me to create moments every day where I can catch a glimpse of opening gates, you seated on Your Throne, beckoning me, "Come here my child.  I will never leave you nor forsake you".

  I love you Lord God.

In Jesus Precious Name,

Amen

Have you had moments in prayer where you have caught a glimpse of opening gates?  I'd love to hear about it.

High King of heaven, my victory won, 

May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Sun! 

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, 

Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all. 

Be Thou My Vision

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