Temptations, Trials, and Testings, Day １

“Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’? You will not surely die.” (Genesis 3:1b; 4a)

“When [the devil] lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44b)

“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

Before I was set free when I was 24, I continuously would fall to temptation. These temptations weren’t training opportunities because I was ensnared. After I was set free, there was a period of over 2 years where God hid me in Him, completely hidden from temptations, so that I could be strengthened and continue to heal beneath the shelter of His wings. Every day I grew stronger and stronger. Then came the testings of my freedom. These testings that came through temptations became opportunities to learn and train where I was given the choice to believe God and trust in His ways and stand in who He is (His goodness and faithfulness) and stand in the costly freedom that I had received. After learning to resist sexual temptation came testing in other areas and He taught me how to stand on TRUTH in times of hearing convincing lies. 

I want to ‘level-up’ in my journey as a disciple, so I take each lesson seriously, look deeply to see what God is looking to change in me, welcome it when it comes around again, to apply it to yet deeper levels. The most glorious thing is that HE is leading the whole thing. This is not a self-improvement track where I’m striving to perfect various areas of myself on my own self-determined schedule. It is a beautiful journey, where relationships and obstacles of life are used in this process of being made more and more into His image, perfectly timed, and I can rest and trust in the whole process because I know the One who is leading me is perfectly wise, perfectly good, perfectly loving.

Over the next 3 days, I will share 10 of my own experiences of temptations, trials, and testings over the past 7 years:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
Psalm 23:4-5

Age 27, Age 28

Read Psalm 71 aloud, and after reading, pray out the verses to God. Thank Him, express your amazement, express your desires.