Trial, Temptation and Discipline (Part 2)
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”Hebrews 12:5-6
Identifying trials, temptations, and disciplines from God helps us respond appropriately. As life is complicated and mysterious, do not oversimplify these three things as standalone cases as they may be intricately connected.
Firstly, trials are tests from God meant to strengthen our character and deepen our faith. “Blessed is the man who endures trial.” (James 1:12), The key to passing God's test is endurance or perseverance, which is essential to maturity. The essence of endurance is not passive, but an active and persistent effort to keep going against the pressure, in a way it builds a strong faith that we don't give up when we are faced with hardship. It's like an endurance athlete pushing on even in excruciating pain.
Secondly, when God tests us to bring out the best in us, Satan tempts us to bring out the worst. Temptation comes from Satan not from God, especially Satan targets our weaknesses and carnal desires, as he is the tempter who wants us to satisfy our fleshy desires, and if we yield to temptation, we sin against God, when sin is fully grown which brings death. (James 1:15) To resist temptation, the key word is “RUN!" Flee from temptation. The first condition is to submit to God. Only His grace can deliver us from temptation because self-will is hard to resist. Here is the spiritual law: Submit to the Lord, resist the devil, and he will flee. (James 4:7)
Lastly, God's discipline or "chastening" in Greek refers to the training and education of children. Parental love is expressed through discipline; to prevent further mistakes, it is necessary to discipline the children. When discerning whether it is God's discipline, it always comes with corrective nature. This is whether the Holy Spirit convicts us or others warn us, but often our disobedience overrides these voices. In my example yesterday, I mistook God's discipline for God's test, but I was stubborn and insensitive to the Holy Spirit and it took me a long time to come to that realization. God may not withdraw His discipline until we truly repent so the key to God’s discipline is “repentance.” The key verse instructs us not to despise or resent God's discipline, since it is not punishment but an act of love as we are His children. Discipline always leads to restoration.
It doesn't matter whether we are confronting trials, temptations, or God's discipline, His love and His purposes will prevail!
Blessing prayer: Give us grace to endure trials, run away from temptations, and humble ourselves before your discipline. In Jesus' name, Amen
