How does temptation fit into God’s plans for my life?

Questions: How does temptation fit into God’s plans for my life?

Response:

James chapter one talks about being faithful to God in the midst of difficult circumstances.  Verses 2-8 say “count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (endurance, perseverance).”  Verses 12-18 say “blessed is the man who endures temptation: for when he has been approved he will receive the crown of life”. 

What of these words “trials” and “temptations”?  In the Greek, the same word, peirasmos, is used.  Its meaning is determined by the context.  In positive contexts it is translated “trials” or “tests”.  These are circumstances in which a believer has the opportunity to demonstrate faithfulness.  A school child takes tests.  These tests are not given by the teacher to trip up the student, to lead him astray or to harm him; they are given to examine the student’s knowledge and help him see where he is lacking in order that he might know where to improve. 

In negative contexts peirasmos is translated “temptations”. A trial might be a believing woman navigating a work relationship with a man she finds attractive but who is an unbeliever.  A temptation may also be present in which her desire for a romantic relationship morphs into a desire to grasp such satisfaction apart from God’s design.  For instance, the trial is having to work with a desirable but unsuitable man, whereas a temptation might be the desire to text said man, under the guise of dealing with work issues, but in reality, to gain some attention that she should not be seeking.

James clarifies that temptations do not come from God, they come from ourselves.  Trials are external – they are situations we find ourselves in, situations that may make staying faithful to God difficult.  Temptations are internal – they are our own desires for satisfaction apart from God’s goodness.  James 1:14,15 says “each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  Then, when desire has conceived it gives birth to sin and sin when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”  Temptation has to do with the quality of our desires.  A desire for a romantic relationship is good and God-given.  A desire for a romantic relationship outside the bonds of faith or sexual chastity is temptation leading to sin.

God gives trials or tests in order to mature us and he invites us to ask for wisdom if we are uncertain about what faithfulness should look like in a given situation but he does not tempt us.  Temptations come from within and show us where our desires need to be reshaped and so we ought to pay attention to them.  If I am tempted to pursue an unsuitable man I need to examine why.  Perhaps I have become convinced that I have a need that God can’t or won’t fill, that God is holding out on me etc. etc.  I need to address that desire and take it to God and to his word for repentance and reshaping.  Consistency in reshaping my desires through the application of biblical truths and communion with God will lead to diminished temptations and greater success in navigating trials.  Humility and vigilance is key.