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.
Luke 6:20-29
Temptation is hurtful while it lasts but for them that love God, and will rather endure it to the end and not faint, it is that eyes are yet to see nor ears heard neither has it come to the thoughts of men what the Lord has reserved for them. Interestingly, the Lord simply says they are blessed without revealing the nature of the blessing. Some people are easy tools in the hands of the devil for the tempting and scourging of believers. They assume they are doing good and excelling not knowing that as agents of the devil, they are only making broader their passage to the final abode of their master, which is the lake of fire. But then, consider the kind of bliss that awaits the one who endures temptation and waits for his Lord: the more the enemy tries to make him fall and he stands, the enemy is angrier and loses his peace, while the tormented rests on upon the peace of his God.
Numerous examples we can draw from scriptures. Let us start with our example Jesus Christ: He was tempted and tormented with crucifixion, the joy of the satanic instrument that took Him there (being Judas Iscariot), was short-lived. Yet at the end of it all, Christ was given a name above all names, which name has remained everlasting amongst men. Haman was full of hatred for Mordecai. He did all things possible to break the man, Mordecai to no avail, to the extent that every time he saw Mordecai, his heart sunk. Meanwhile, Mordecai never lost sleep because of his torment for once. In the end, Mordecai was promoted, Haman deposed and even assassinated. Should we recount Joseph’s ordeals, Daniel’s torments, the torture of the three Hebrew men or the imprisonment of the early Christians in the hands of tormentors, just for loving Christ?
The Lord has an assurance for us that if we will stand our grounds in faith and refuse to faint in the face of tribulations and temptation, He will be with us through it all and will someday, make our enemies our footstool. When? We may not be able to tell in the immediate, but one thing is certain, the word of God will never go unfulfilled. Since He says we are blessed, then blessed we are if indeed we will not allow the enemy to win. If our Lord was made to undergo temptation and the servant is not greater than the master, for us to be loyal servants of the master, then we must be ready to endure to the end, the wickedness of the wicked, without avenging ourselves so as not to have their semblance. The counsel of God is to do unto others as we would want to be done to and not based on what they do to us. It is only then that we be the true sons of the father.
SOLUTION: No matter the torment, temptation or affliction, never lose hope and never give up; for all things work together for good for them that love God, who are the called according to His purpose. Keep the faith: you will have the last laugh.
Please pray:
· Give thanks to God who has only thoughts of good and not of evil for you, and who is poised to bring you to an expected end
· Pray that God will appoint things for your tormentors that will shift their mind from you like He did for David against Saul when the latter had need to go to war with the Philistines
· Ask God to give you the resilience to withstand, without failing, every temptation that the enemy brings your way
· Ask God to make your blessing for withstanding temptation to be exceedingly great and overflowing
· Ask God for your daily bread for today
If you are blessed by this post, kindly share with your contacts, as well as others, that they may be blessed also. Thank you and may God bless you abundantly as you do so, in Jesus’ name
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