Hello, ePrayer Circle’s Tribe,

In life, we are often faced with challenges that test our faith and strength. These challenges come in various forms, including temptations and trials. I have a personal testimony of facing temptations to share as well as the fascinating story of Joseph’s challenges with trials from the bible. Let’s talk about it. 

It is important to understand the difference between temptations and trials and how our perspectives can shape our responses.

Temptations are those things that entice us to sin, leading us away from God’s will. In the Bible, it is written in James 1:14, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” These temptations can be difficult to overcome, but through faith and reliance on God, we can resist them. 

1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

I remember a time when I was caught in the grip of a powerful addiction to smoking cigarettes. At first, New Port then Virginia Slims.  They were my constant companions, with a pack and a half disappearing into thin air each day.

My addiction was so intense that I would search frantically through couch cushions, hoping to scrape together enough change for another pack. The consequences of my habit were all around me – burnt car seats, clothes permeated with the smell of smoke, and a saucer dish pressed into service as an ashtray. Smoking is a nasty habit. 

Despite all this, I couldn’t wait for work breaks to join my fellow smokers, a tight-knit group bonded by our shared habit. Come rain, shine, or snow, we’d huddle together, puffing away. We were convinced that gaining even a single pound of weight would be the end of us, so we relied on cigarettes and coffee for breakfast and cigarettes and cola for lunch.

Then, the company introduced a program to help employees quit smoking, citing reduced insurance premiums as an incentive. Some of us managed to quit, but I found it incredibly difficult. The “No Smoking” signs that popped up everywhere only made things worse. I stopped smoking at work.

Despite my efforts and prayers, I couldn’t break free. My husband, a smoker himself, said that if I could wait to smoke until after work, then I could quit altogether. But the temptation was too strong, especially with the smell of smoke and familiar triggers all around me.

Everything changed when I discovered I was pregnant. It was unexpected, and I was overjoyed, but also filled with concern. I had a heart-to-heart talk with God. I was 35, and this was my first and later to be my only child. I sat on the edge of the bed and told God, all I wanted was for my baby to be healthy.

I wanted to stop smoking but could not and repented being weak. Then, I gathered every cigarette in the house and flushed them down the bathroom toilet as I had done so many times before but from that moment on, I never touched another cigarette, and the cravings vanished.

My husband, supportive during my pregnancy, did not smoke in the house or around me, resumed regular smoking habits after our daughter was born. I remained steadfast. Even now, 30 years later, I have no desire to smoke. I never picked up a cigarette.

I have been around smokers but I did not and do not remember that I was a smoker. There are no triggers. It was a miraculous transformation, a change in perspective that only God could orchestrate. His power is truly beyond comprehension, and I am forever grateful for His intervention in my life. I could not do it on my own. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV  “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

On the other hand, trials are sent to us by God to strengthen our faith and character.

Jeremiah 17:10 KJV “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”

In 1 Peter 1:6-7KJV, it is written, “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” These trials may be challenging, but they are ultimately for our good.

In the book of Genesis in the King James Bible, the story of Joseph is a powerful testament to God’s sovereignty and His plan for our lives. As a young boy, Joseph was given a dream by God that he would one day rule over his family.

However, his brothers, consumed by jealousy, plotted to kill him. Instead, they sold him into slavery. Despite being a slave, Joseph maintained an excellent spirit and found favor with his master.

However, he was falsely accused of making advances towards his master’s wife and was thrown into prison. Even in prison, Joseph’s character shone through, and he was given the ability to interpret dreams.

When Pharaoh had a troubling dream that no one else could interpret, Joseph was called upon. He revealed that the dream foretold seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. Impressed by Joseph’s wisdom, Pharaoh appointed him as governor over all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself.

Years later, during the famine, Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt seeking food and work. They did not recognize Joseph, but he recognized them. Despite the wrongs they had done to him, Joseph treated his brothers with kindness and generosity. He knew that his trials had been part of God’s plan to prepare him for a greater purpose.

Through Joseph’s story, we learn that God can use even the most difficult circumstances to shape us into the people He wants us to be. Joseph’s trials and hardships developed in him a wise mind, a kind heart, and the ability to rule over and care for all people, rich and poor alike.

It is important to walk in agreement with God’s will and His Word. In 1 Samuel 15:23 KJV, it is written, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” When we rebel against God’s will, we are walking in sin. Instead, we should seek to align our perspectives with God’s and walk in agreement with His Word.

Ultimately, our perspectives determine how we respond to temptations and trials. If we align our perspectives with God’s will and His Word, we can overcome temptations and embrace trials with faith and perseverance. This leads to repentance and ultimately, a closer walk with God.

May the Peace of God Be With You,

Keywords: Perspectives, overcoming temptations, trials, Jesus Christ,  Joseph, Bible, Genesis, trials, character development, dreams, slavery, forgiveness, perseverance, God’s plan, redemption

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John 3:16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Romans 10:9-10  9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation

John 3:5-6  5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is the Spirit. 

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