Tried and True: Faith Under Fire
IS THIS A TEST OR A TRAP?
Read: James 1:12–14
Intro: “If God loves me, why is life still this hard?” That’s not rebellion—it’s real. When trials hit and temptation pulls, it’s easy to wonder: “Is this a test from God—or a trap from the enemy?” Why does it feel like both? James 1:12–14 cuts through the confusion like a flashlight in a dark room. He shows us where temptation comes from, what it’s after, and how to endure with faith that wins. Here's the truth: You don’t have to stumble and fall. You don’t have to quit. You don’t have to blame God. You can resist. And you can walk out of this season crowned—not crushed. Let’s look at three truths from James when temptation hits hard.
- “The Trial Isn’t the Problem—Quitting Is.”
James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
James isn’t celebrating someone who avoids temptation, he’s blessing the one who sticks it out. The word “endure” means to remain, to hold your ground, to stay in the fight instead of tapping out.
Endurance is not just about gritting your teeth to survive. It’s about refusing to let go – even in the dark, even when it’s hard, even when quitting seems easier and more reasonable.
Charles Spurgeon – “By perseverance, the snail reached the ark.”
That’s the kind of faith James is after – not flashy, not instant – but slow, steady progress that refuses to quit. It’s holy stubbornness.
James says this kind of faith wins a crown of life—a reward now and later, for those who love the Lord enough to stay when it’s hard.
2 Timothy 2:12 “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him…”
illus: A man once found a cocoon and saw the butterfly struggling to get out. Wanting to help, he snipped the cocoon open to release it. But the butterfly emerged with swollen body and weak wings. It never flew. What the man didn’t know was that the struggle through the tight cocoon forces fluid from the body into the wings—giving it the strength to fly. Without the pressure, the butterfly remains grounded.
God doesn’t give you trials to crush you—but to shape you. The struggle builds the wings you will need later. If He pulls you out of the cocoon of the trial too soon, you will lose what the pain is producing.
Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
If you are under pressure right now, don’t see it as God abandoning you. It is His training ground. The wings are forming. Don’t rush what God is using to get you ready.
- “God Is for You, Not Against You.”
James 1:13 “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.”
James is drawing a bright red line: Don’t blame God when temptation comes knocking. He is not the source of your struggle.
The Lord may allow trials to test your faith and make you stronger—but He doesn’t set you up to fail.
Temptation may sneak in during your trial, but it’s not coming from God—it comes from the desires already inside of us.
Matt 15:18-19 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
Matt 26:41 “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
A.W. Tozer – “Satan makes sin look good; the flesh makes it feel good. Only the Spirit can make us see that it’s deadly.”
Remember Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden?
After they took the bait and ate the fruit, God came looking for them. He asked Adam, “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” (Gen 3:11).
Adam’s response? Classic blame game: “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Gen 3:12).
Translation: “It’s not my fault—You gave me this woman. She’s the problem.”
Then God turned to Eve, and she said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Gen 3:13).
Translation: “It’s not my fault—it’s the snake’s fault.”
From the very beginning, humanity has been pointing fingers—at each other and even at God—trying to dodge responsibility for our own choices.
But James is clear: God doesn’t tempt anyone. Temptation starts inside us.
The blame game didn’t work in Eden—and it doesn’t work today.
God isn’t waiting to trip you up—He’s waiting to walk you through.
2 Peter 2:9 “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations…”
- “The Bait Looks Good—Until It Hooks You.”
James 1:14 “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.”
This is personal. James says temptation comes when our own desires drag us away and bait us.
The language is vivid—drawn from the world of hunting and fishing. The trap is hidden under what looks good. The hook is camouflaged by desire.
Temptation begins in the heart—not in the environment.
It’s not just what’s “out there”—it’s what’s already stirring “in here.”
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things…”
illus: A fish bites because it wants the worm—it doesn’t see the hook. That’s how sin works. It looks like pleasure, but it ends in pain. Temptation is rarely obvious. It’s designed to look like something good…until it owns you.
Temptation knows your name, your weakness, your longings. But so does Jesus. Don’t face it alone. Don’t fight it with willpower—fight it with truth. Fight it with prayer.
Imagine Joseph—young, successful, good-looking—running the household of a powerful Egyptian. Everything he did prospered because “the Lord was with Joseph” (Gen 39:2). Then came the test.
One day, Potiphar’s wife decided Joseph was the prize she wanted. Day after day, she pressed him—like a lioness circling her prey—demanding, “Lie with me.” In other words, “Come to bed with me. Be my lover. Come on, no one has to know.”
She’s relentless, pressing him to compromise his integrity and his faith.
But Joseph didn’t take the bait. He didn’t flirt with sin. He didn’t toy with temptation. He stood his ground and said:
Gen 39:9 “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
When the trap was set, “he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside” (Gen 39:12).
He left his coat but kept his character. Because it is better to lose a garment than to lose your godliness. Temptation knocked at the door, and Joseph ran out the back! He chose the blessing of endurance over the pleasure of a moment.
Joseph knew temptation wasn’t just a moment of passion; it was a test of loyalty to God. It was a spiritual ambush—and he wasn’t about to fall for the trap.
Now contrast that with the young fool in Proverbs 5. He is overcome by the prospect of secret love. To him it’s exciting because it’s naughty.
He is seduced by the lips of the immoral woman, which “drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil” (Prov 5:3).
He’s drawn away by her words, enticed by her charm. But the sweetness is a lie. The text says: “But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword” (Prov 5:4).
The fool doesn’t see the hook hiding beneath the bait. He’s led astray “as an ox to the slaughter” (Prov 5:22).
Our text reminds us: Temptation doesn’t come from God. It comes from “his own desires” that draw him away and entice him.
Joseph fled temptation. The fool followed it. Joseph chose endurance; the fool chose excuses. Joseph received the crown of life; the fool received the chains of regret.
So, here’s the challenge: When temptation comes will you endure, or will you excuse? Because God promises the crown to those who stand firm—not to those who blame the bait.
Then there’s the Lord Jesus in the wilderness—alone, exhausted, and hungry after forty days of fasting.
That’s when the enemy slithered in with his shortcut: “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matt 4:3). Translation: “Take the easy way. Satisfy yourself now.”
But Jesus didn’t bite. He fired back with Scripture: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matt 4:4).
Jesus shows us that temptation often hits hardest when we’re tired, stressed, and vulnerable. That’s when the bait looks best.
But the crown of life isn’t handed to those who take the shortcut—it’s given to those who stand firm, trusting God even in the wilderness.
Conclusion:
James reminds us that temptation is real—but so is victory. God doesn’t set traps; He makes a way out. Trials are the training ground, not the end of the road. The crown of life is waiting for those who endure. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Keep fighting, because the finish line is worth it.
For Prayer Ministry:
- “Strength to Stay in the Fight”
If you feel like giving up is easier than enduring—if you’re tired, worn down, and the pressure just won’t let up—come and let’s pray together. Let’s ask God to fill you with strength to stay the course, to keep going even when it’s hard. Because endurance isn’t just surviving—it’s victory in the making.
- “Letting Go of Blame”
If you’ve found yourself blaming God, others, or even yourself for the temptations you face—come and pray. Let’s ask God to shift your perspective, to show you He’s for you, not against you. Let’s ask Him to free you from the blame game and open your eyes to His help and grace.
- “Eyes Open to the Hook”
If you’re struggling with temptations that look too good to resist—temptations that promise quick fixes but leave you feeling trapped—come and let’s pray. Let’s ask God to give you eyes to see the hook beneath the bait, and to trust Him for the strength to walk away from the trap.
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