Temptations and Transformations

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

— James 1:2–4

A Personal Anecdote

Everyone goes through seasons when life feels heavier than expected — moments when temptations, discouragements, and difficult circumstances collide all at once. Times when things go "south," when life hits. In my case (just to name a few) — I was almost homeless in a new town, survived a traumatic near-death experience, lost my work laptop to thieves I know (quite painful), and was dealing with a poor academic treatment from a lecturer, which will undoubtedly affect me eternally. It felt like being hit by one curveball after the other.

In my frustration, I turned to God for clarity. I asked Him why He would allow such things to come my way. What is the real essence of temptations? Why all these. Just why, Lord? The interesting part is that I was reading the book of Job at the time, so in a negligible way, I could relate to his experience. I also asked God "What His hopes were in letting these happen" — "What He expects me to learn."

The good news is that, in His abundant mercy, He taught me essence of all these experiences. My prayer is that, through this blog, you too will begin to see temptations, trials, and hard times as God sees them— and as I have begun to see them. May God help us!

The True essence of Trials, Temptations, and Tribulations.

1. A Journey to Godliness:

"If your numerous troubles, temptations, and hardships do not produce increasing levels of Godliness in you, then you've wasted them." A wasted temptation is one in which the believer fails to become more like God. A wasted trial or hardship is one in which the believer makes no progress in their relationship with Him. God's hope, in the face of our adversities, is that we become increasingly like Him. Difficulty is the Lord's school for Spiritual Maturity. Just like true gold can only be refined through the fire, a man can only be refined through adversity.

Every time you give in to that Temptation to cheat, or to watch pornography, you forfeit new heights of Spiritual growth. Every time you complain to God and ask endless questions, you lose a part of His likeness.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

— James 1:2–4

"When next you're sick, broken, or tempted to sin, you should thank God for counting you worthy to be more like Him (By God's grace, I've been doing so. Please do same)." If you overcome, you grow. Heaven rejoices. If you give in to your sin or bow to your circumstance, You shrink. Heaven weeps. Hell rejoices. Make God happy by saying "No" to sin! And remember, "If your numerous troubles, temptations, and hardships do not produce increasing levels of Godliness in you, then you've wasted them."

2. A Path to Perfection

If you admire spiritual growth and elevation, then be ready to face and overcome hard times. Learn to say "NO" to the devil's schemes in a practical way. Learn spiritual resilience. We must be like King David — who was greatly distressed — but found strength in the LORD his God (1 Sam 30:6), and like Joseph, who walked his way from Shepard boy to Governor through the corridors of sufferings, rejections, hatred, and victory upon victory over temptations of all kinds.

But beyond these heroes of old is the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, Redeemer, and Hope. Hebrews 2:20 clearly states that "God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation." This tells us that, the Lord Jesus, God's own son, was made into what He is through suffering. Oh listen, He was Jesus, equal to God, yet had to suffer and suffer. God had the power to make him perfect, but chose not to. Not through the outpouring of the Spirit from onhigh, nor prayer, nor good works, nor signs and miracles performed, no words, but through Suffering. Who then do we think we are? There are no two ways to Perfection!

Recall — Matthew 5:48 (So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect). You see, God requires us, His beloved children, to be Perfect. God's pass mark is nothing but a 100%. Nothing else is pleasing to him. You Must be perfect, and it's settled. But How then can we be perfect? → By Following the model of our Lord Jesus — Suffering! Every believer has a "rendez-vous" with tears, pain, sweat, and blood, like the Lord Jesus on that lonely cross. God's will is that you and I suffer various sufferings while in this earthly tent, so that we perfect our salvation and Hope in Him. However, yours might not be physical beatings, but other painful events. You might fail and exam, lose a loved one, get tempted repeatedly to commit a particular sin, loose a precious item to thieves like I did, and so on. The goal is — Whatever suffering or temptation you go through, count it a blessing. Endure it, emerge victorious, and grow in perfection like the Lord Jesus.

Additionally, we can't talk about suffering without mentioning the Apostle Paul, God's own bondservant. He says "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, \"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.\" Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:8–10

Proclaim this like he did: "For when I am weak (tempted, afflicted, overwhelmed, sick, broken), then I am strong!"

3. A Qualification for Christian Service

Listen, God has big plans for you! And he wants you to be a light to many — a source of hope and truth to the nations. He has numerous battles in store for you. But how do you conquer men, talkless of nations, when you have failed to conquer your own problems? Who will give nations to Spiritual babies? God wants you to earn His trust. Show him that you can faithfully manage your own life in all Purity, honesty, and truth. Pass His numerous exams. Graduate. Earn his accolades.

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

— Luke 16:10

True Christian service, Spiritual responsibilities, and long-lasting appointments can only survive on the foundation of spiritual maturity. If you keep falling for cheap temptations, don't expect to be God's general tomorrow. You've defined your rank. Be ready to remain a common officer. Recall — "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work." — 2 Tim 2:20–22.

All Christian service must be preceded by personal private Victories. "But David said to Saul, \"Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a sheep from the flock, I went out after it and attacked it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth; and when it rose up against me, I grabbed it by its mane and struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.\" — 1 Samuel 17:34-36. Where is your Lion? Where is your bear? Where are your victories over temptations in Money, fame, the opposite sex, and troubles of all kinds? Or are you just living in some utopia?

Your past hardships, temptations, and trials have been God's attempt to strengthen and elevate you to newer heights of His Glory. Newer heights of Spiritual greatness. Even if you wasted them, there's a lot more ahead. God is merciful. He loves you, and wants you to get tempted. He desires that your Faith in him be solidified, but the outcome depends on you. If you give in to sin like evildoers do, then you fail God, but If you resist, you grow. Our trials and temptations never leave us the same. They always Transform us — either making us more like God or less like Him. And it all depends on our attitude to them.

The Believers Responsibility During Difficult Moments

Seek God!

There's nothing more pleasant to God than seeing His children hold on to Him when life hits. Of what good is the Christian life, if we don't go through the fire? God has promised to be there with us through the thick and thin, so why abandon Him? Why turn to alcohol and other forms of cheap escapes? Isn't that deepening the sore? Isn't that adding petrol to the fire? Our first responsibility during hard times is to Seek God earnestly through Bible reading, Meditation, Prayer, and Fellowship with the body of Christ (The church). In doing so, we give no room for despair and discouragement, which masterpieces of the devil. Staying close to God in hard times will keep us far away from sin, and staying far from God will keep us Close to sin. Why betray the only One who promised to be there through the fire?

My friend, God's wish is that you see perilous moments like He does. He is our heavenly Father. He loves us, and wants the best for us. Face your temptations. Make his strength perfect in your weaknesses. Make his strength perfect in that long-secret battle with pornography and all other ungodly addictions. He's been waiting for too long. Emerge and Shine! Come Forth! Be a Hero of the Kingdom! Make yourself useful in God's hands. Make the heavens rejoice!!