Skip to main content

Passing the Test

"Blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive [the victor's] crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him." James 1:12

From Luke 4:13, We can observe that Jesus was tempted and tested in every possible way in the wilderness during the trial period of 40 days. He came out of the test victoriously in spite of being constantly subjected to tests.

In the same way, Joseph came out victoriously after being tempted by the woman. The woman had tried to seduce him time after time but he would not listen to her, yield to her or to be with her (Genesis 39:10).

I am wondering how did they come out victoriously?

It was not by luck or mere coincidence that they could come out unscathed from the trials. Here is what we could observe from the Bible -
  1. The Lord was with Joseph - Genesis 39:2, 3. Please read my other blog "Key to Fruitfulness" to understand how we can be assured that God's presence is with us.
  2. Joseph held himself accountable to God - Genesis 39:9. Having assurance that his God is living God and He is constantly with him. One of the key reasons for David's fall was lack of accountability. Please read "Fall of David - Man after God's own heart".
  3. Joseph was faithful to his earthly master - Many times we ignore the importance of being faithful to our earthly masters or authorities. But we can see from Joseph's case that it helped him to say "NO" to the temptation.
  4. Jesus was full of Holy Spirit - Luke 4:1.
  5. Jesus was controlled by Holy Spirit.
  6. Jesus was led by Holy Spirit.
  7. Jesus was well versed with the scriptures - With the understanding of the scriptures, He knows how to live (Luke 4:4), whom to worship (Luke 4:8) and how to relate to God (Luke 4:12).
We should realize that God allows us to go through only those tests and trials which we can bear. He trains us, equips us before allowing us to go through the test. Above all He provides the way of solution too. His desire is to build our character in the process and bring us out triumphantly.
"God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently." 1 Corinthians 10:13
Questions to Ponder:
  1. What is your attitude towards trails, tests and temptations?
  2. Who is controlling you?
  3. Whom are you accountable to?
  4. Are you feeding on God's word on a continual basis?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Lord is my Light and the Rock of salvation

Read Pslams 27:1 - 3 1 THE LORD is my Light and my Salvation--whom shall I fear or dread? The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, [even then] in this will I be confident. In this Psalm, the author sings with confidence "The Lord is my light and the rock of my salvation. Whom shall I fear, whom shall I fear". Important fact to note is the confidence with which he sings. Many times, we go through our days without confidence and peace that we observe in the psalmist. The author goes to the extent of declaring that he will not be afraid even if an enemy encamps around him or a war comes up. There is a promise in the Bible, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything with prayers and thanksgiving submit your requests to God and the ...
2 comments
Read more

A life that lost it's focus

"Saul died for his trespass against the Lord [in sparing Amalek], for his unfaithfulness in not keeping God's word, and also for consulting [a medium with] a spirit of the dead to inquire pleadingly of it, And inquired not so of the Lord [in earnest penitence] ..." 1 Chronicles 10:13,14 Saul, the first king of Israel, began his walk very well. It was the ideal start any one could look for - with all the favor from God and Prophet Samuel, being the tallest one among the people, being the first king of Israel. But along the way, he lost the focus and the end was a miserable and sad one. I am sure you will agree with me that it is how you finish, is more important than how you start . It is definitely an advantage to start well, but finishing is more crucial. The above verse made me think on why Saul's end was a sad one? What are the lessons that I could learn from him? He disobeyed the specific command to destroy the Amalekites Not keeping God's word - In general...
Post a Comment
Read more

Walking before God

"I beseech You, O Lord, [earnestly] remember now how I have walked before You in faithfulness and truth and with a whole heart [entirely devoted to You] and have done what is good in Your sight..." 2 Kings 20:3 In Faithfulness - Do not turn away from God depending on the situation. We are to remain faithful to Him no matter what the circumstances may be. Our faithfulness to God should not depend on our feelings. It should be based on our Faith in Him. In Truth - Not having any hypocrisy, being honest and open before the Lord. Walking in Truth before God becomes easy if we realize that He is our heavenly father. We don't have to wear a mask of holiness in approaching God. We are encouraged to approach God just as we are. With whole heart - Devote yourself to God alone. We are to follow in the footsteps of Jesus as He is our role model. God is pleased with 100% devotion to Him. Nobody can serve two masters effectively. We read from the Bible in Luke 16:13 "No ser...
Post a Comment
Read more