Trials & Temptations

James 1:5–6 NKJV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

Pray

Confession of Faith

I am not moved by what I see or by what I feel. I am moved by what I believe. I believe the WORD of God! The victory is mine! I have it now! I can see it through the eyes of my faith!

Introduction

A young man came to me and said, i was having less issues before I came to Jesus Christ! This life is hard! So I listened and I am in agreement! Living in this world but not of this world is hard!

Trials and temptations are common to us all. We all suffer such trials and temptations as...

• We all deal with in some way or another pain • lust • disease • divorce

• loss • cheating • hurt • greed • accidents • death • sickness

• separation • disappointments • immorality • emptiness • anger

• loneliness • and lying

The reality many of us right now may be facing the worst trial ever in our life

Or someone listening to this is challenged with the worst temptation ever, the one that is overtaking you, the temptation that is or has lead you to sin

So the question is - Is there an escape?

Is there a way to overcome the trial?

Is there a way to overcome the temptation?

Is there a way that can give us victory and deliverance?

This is real world

but the bible tell us that

we need to ask God for Wisdom

We need to understand and rejoice in our current status

We need to remember the reward for enduring

James 1:5–8 NLT

5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

How can we conquer trials and temptations? First, we must ask wisdom of God.

Wisdom means far more than just knowledge, far more than just being intellectual about life or some area of life. Knowledge is the grasping of facts, and most people in the world have heads full of facts.

⇒ Just think of all the schools in the world: schools for children, schools for young people, schools for men and women, schools for tradesman.

⇒ Just think of the millions of farmers, scientists, business people, tradesmen, mechanics, contractors, physicians, and on and on.

Millions and millions of us are knowledgeable. People with heads full of knowledge are a dime a dozen.

But when dealing with the trials and temptations of life, something more than a head full of facts is needed.

Being a knowledgeable person is not enough in order to be a victorious and fulfilled person in life.

Much more is needed: wisdom is needed.

What is wisdom?

What does the Bible mean by wisdom? Wisdom is not having a head full of facts. It is not only seeing and knowing all about life, it is seeing and knowing what to do about life. Wisdom is not only seeing and knowing the truth, it is seeing and knowing what to do with the truth.

Wisdom grasps the great truths of life.

It sees the trials and temptations that surround life and death,

Wisdom sees God and man,

Wisdom sees time and eternity,

Wisdom sees good and evil

Wisdom sees the deep things of the universe and of God.

But wisdom not only grasps these facts, wisdom knows what to do about them, and it does it.

Wisdom not only understands the trials and temptations,

Wisdom understands what to do with them

Wisdom understands how to do it, and it does it.

Wisdom acts and conquers and gains the victory over the trials and temptations.

Now, when don’t have that kind of wisdom

When we don’t understand

When we don’t know how to conquer life issues

When we don’t know how to deal with some trial and temptation

The we must ask God!

James 1:5 NKJV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Asking wisdom of God is the way to conquer the trials and temptations of life. The bible tells us about promises made to us when we ask God for wisdom.

⇒ God will give us wisdom.

⇒ God will give us a liberal amount, an abundance of wisdom.

⇒ God will not scold us—for not knowing how to handle the trial of temptation.

God will not even question us for lacking wisdom and for not knowing what to do.

God loves us: we are His sons and daughters. He is our Father, and He wants to meet our every need. Therefore, God will hear our request and cry; God will give us the wisdom to conquer the trials and temptations of life.

Matthew 7:24–27 NLT

24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

James 3:17 NLT

17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.

Proverbs 3:13–14 NLT

13 Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. 14 For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold.

Back To Basics

We have a responsibility. We must do something, and whether or not God hears us depends upon our doing this one thing. If we do it, God hears us and gives us wisdom to conquer the trials and temptations.

If we do not do it, God cannot hear us.

Here is what we must do

When we ask God to give us wisdom to conquer some trial or temptation, we must ask in faith and not waver. We must believe that God loves us and that He really cares and will hear our cries and prayers and meet our every need. When we pray and cry out to God, we cannot doubt; that is, we cannot ask and then...

• We can’t ask God to fix it and then wonder if God really exists

• We can’t ask God to fix it and wonder if God is really going to hear

• We can’t ask God to fix it and wonder if God can really do what we ask

• We can’t ask God to fix it and wonder if we really know God well enough for Him to hear us

• We can’t ask God to fix it and wonder if the request is the will of God.

That doubting cannot be heard by God. God cannot answer the prayer of a doubting person.

If He did, then He would be rewarding doubt—rewarding those who do not believe or trust Him.

He would be rewarding those who doubt, ignore, neglect, question, and in many cases curse, deny, and fight against Him.

God cannot hear and answer a person who wavers in his faith.

We must believe that God is, that He exists and that He does love and care for us and that He will hear and answer us when we ask for wisdom to face the trials and temptations of life.

The bible tells us that any one who wavers is just like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed to and fro and that they won’t receive anything of the Lord.

Why? Because when you waver back and forth you are saying I don’t know the value of God's gifts.

If God gave you the wisdom or gave you the gift you not always use them the way they should be used.

If God gave the wisdom to you to conquer the trials and temptations of life, you might or might not use it. Which means you don’t value the wisdom or you don’t value the gift from God, and certainly not to the degree that you should.

Some people would misuse it—terribly misuse and abuse it.

That’s why if you waver in faith you will not receive anything from God.

When you wavers in faith you are a double-minded person, and and your unstable in all your ways.

When you wavers in faith your life is a series of ups and down, back and forth.

Your whole behavior is unstable and unreliable.

You become this person with two minds: you are not sure; you are uncertain; then you feel yes and then you feel no. You start and then you stop - You begin and then back up, then begin again. You believe , then you disbelieve ; you acts, then you distrusts ,You are unstable in your prayer and your life with God.

I belief God says as One of the Wise Women at UCF will let you know in no uncertain terms “Miss Me With That”

Back To Basics

Here is the deal, I believe This is the very reason so many of us receive so little from God. We either do not ask or else when we ask, we waver in believing that God will hear and answer us. As we face the trials and temptations of life, we must ask God for wisdom and believe that God will hear and show us the way and the power to conquer. When we pray believing, God will hear and answer us.

We need Jesus to do might works in our lives - Today Trust God - seek his wisdom and never waver

God Bless You and Keep you Is My Prayer