James 1:13 «“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.”»

God tests, but Satan tempts. We must, therefore, be careful not to misinterpret temptation as a test from God.

When God is taking us through a period of testing and appears to delay the answer to our prayers, Satan often comes with alternatives. His purpose is to tempt us to abandon our faith, lose patience, and seek a solution outside the will of God rather than wait upon Him.

Jesus Christ was led into the wilderness to be tested, while Satan came to tempt Him to turn stones into bread.

Job was also passing through a severe test, but Satan used his wife to tempt him when she told him to curse God and die.

In whatever situation we are being tested, Satan is always nearby, seeking an opportunity to tempt us into disobeying the Word of God. When he approached Jesus Christ in the wilderness, Jesus confronted and overcame him with the Word of God. The Word of God remains the antidote to every temptation that comes from the camp of the evil one.

If you do not have enough of the Word of God in you to counter Satan’s temptations, you may eventually fall prey to his evil devices.

Trials and temptations do not come from the same source. God tries us to bring us into His will and fulfil the purpose for which He created us. Satan, however, tempts us to draw us out of the will of God and ultimately make us his captives.

Joseph was sold into Egypt, but Satan came to tempt him out of the will of God for his life. Had Joseph yielded to the will of the devil by sleeping with Potiphar’s wife, he would not have passed through the process that eventually positioned him to become second in command in Egypt.

The Word of God that had been instilled in Joseph from his youth sustained him through both trials and temptation and enabled him to fulfil his destiny.

Many people who are being tested fall into temptation and then claim that God was the One who tempted them. God does not tempt anyone. It is the lust that you have not yet dealt with that makes you vulnerable and causes you to succumb to the temptation of the devil.

If you cannot overcome your lust during trials, that lust will expose you to temptation and rob you of the victory that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

God brings us through trials to deal with and destroy the power of lust within us. He tries and refines us as gold is refined in the furnace, bringing forth the beauty of His purpose in our lives.

Some Christians are passing through trials because they do not yet have the financial capacity to settle certain areas of their lives. In such moments, Satan often comes with alternatives. We must learn to recognise the voice of Satan in these situations because his suggestions will always contradict the promises and instructions of God.

Some Christians who travelled out of the country for greener pastures have fallen into the temptation of marrying a citizen to secure a green card, even though they were already married before they travelled.

This is an act of the wicked one to frustrate their destiny and bring them under his control.

If God wants you to stay abroad, He will provide a legitimate way for you to remain there, not by marrying a citizen. If God does not permit you to stay, return to your country to save yourself from the antics of your enemy, the devil. Do not trade your soul for something ephemeral.

Many Christians have compromised in this way and lost their salvation in the process while thinking that they are still on the way, not knowing that they have derailed and that their names have been deleted from the Book of Life.

They decided to turn stones into bread to secure their meals and provide food for unborn generations, only to discover later that such compromises would affect their spiritual lives.

Those who fall into the devil’s schemes by seeking the fruit of the womb outside the will of God have allowed themselves to become instruments through which Satan spreads his influence in the world.

Many who faced similar challenges in the Scriptures waited upon God and eventually received their promised children. Abraham, however, yielded to an alternative by sleeping with his wife’s maid, and the consequences of that decision have brought great sorrow and conflict.

Satan often comes during periods of trials, especially when we are most vulnerable to his devices. At such times, the shield of faith is essential, for it quenches the fiery darts of the enemy directed against the promises of God.

We must have faith in the Word of God, faith in the finished work of Christ, and faith in the character and faithfulness of God.

It is by putting on the whole armour of God that Christians are equipped to withstand the temptations of the devil. Peter was tempted at one of his most vulnerable moments, when his Master was taken away from him. If not for the intercession of Jesus Christ, the devil would have sifted him like wheat. Yet God supplied him with sufficient grace to see him through his journey of salvation.

Those who fall into the devices of the devil and are carried away by his schemes either lack the faith required to stand firm or have allowed themselves to be overcome by lust that they have failed to conquer.

During the hour of trials, the devil will bring temptation. It is those who stand firm and know the God whom they serve who will overcome.

The hour of temptation is coming upon every inhabitant of the earth, but God has promised to deliver His faithful children from that hour. Therefore, those who think they stand should stand firmly and remain watchful, lest they fall in the evil days.

Prayer: Father Lord, prevent me from the hour of temptation that is coming upon the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.