Endure

Focus: James 1:12 - KJV

12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Job 2:7-10

Trials and temptations are the instruments of the enemy aimed at causing separation between man and God. The enemy knows that God has no pleasure in those who deny Him and therefore with temptations, he taunts man with discomfort to make him assume God is wicked and not available to save as He has always made known to man. For instance, the Lord has said that man shall not live by bread alone. When the enemy saw that the Christ was hungry out of long fasting, he made it look like with all the fasting exercise, what was in it for Christ? So, tempting Him, he offered Christ bread in denial of God but in obedience to his voice. In the case of Job, the enemy had afflicted him sore to the extent that the wife sought an easy way out of the union but Job refused to sin against God despite all. For as long as each of these endured the temptation, they came out victorious. Truth is, the devil lacks power to do anything except we give in to him. When Christ was crucified, dead and buried, he presented a loser’s option to Peter and by extension a chunk of others to return to the fishing business and lay aside the witnessing Christ had ordained them to do. This was meant to cause a separation from God. But God is faithful that has called us. Rather than let the enemy succeed in causing a permanent separation, He reached out to the erring disciples to redirect their focus. In the end, they returned to His embrace.

Like Peter and his folks, God is always trying to redirect our focus unto Himself when the enemy comes with his wiles and devices in the form of temptations. If we also will yield to the voice of God to turn around from our frolic, He accepts us back. Like Job, no matter the extent of affliction by the enemy, if only we can hold on to God by enduring the hardship to the end, we shall remain in the Lord’s embrace having clear victory over the devil and receiving the crown of life in the very end.

SOLUTION: Temptation is never palatable when it is administered but God will not allow us to be tempted beyond our endurance levels. Hence, learn to endure no matter what. Stick with the promises of love and soon and very soon you will have the victory. Temptations don’t last forever. The strong does.

May the Lord see us through in every temptation brought our ways in the name of Jesus. May we never fall into temptation in the name of Jesus Christ. May the power of God sustain us and carry us through whenever temptations come in Jesus mighty name.