How to Deal with Trials & Temptations (#2 of 2)

Greg Laurie: You play a key role in your own temptation. Satan needs our cooperation. Listen, where there is no desire on our part, then there's no temptation.
Dave Palmer: Temptation is often everywhere we look. Well, today on a New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie says we can make the choice not to look.
Greg Laurie: It's not a sin to be tempted. It's a sin when you give in to the temptation. The sin is not in the bait, it's in the bite.
Dave Palmer: Some people bake a double batch of cookies and then wonder why they're tempted to eat sweets. Some make sure their new car has a supercharged mega Hemi turbo GT engine and wonder why the police seem to be handing out more speeding tickets. Well, today on a New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us take an honest look at temptation and how we often set ourselves up for the fall. We'll learn to recalibrate and set ourselves up for more success and more satisfaction.
Greg Laurie: James chapter one. This book was written to the Jewish people who were scattered all over the place. There was a time when Israel all ruled their own land and they had their kings like David and Solomon. Well, those times are over. Now the occupying force was Rome. They were effectively under the control of the Caesars and the various Roman governors and they were suffering and they were unhappy. So the book of James was written for suffering people. And maybe I'm talking to somebody right now that's suffering in life, then this book is for you. The book of James was written by the half brother of Jesus. So James, who knew Jesus very well, is the author of this book. Yet he never name drops. He doesn't even identify himself as having any connection to Jesus via the family. He just declares himself as a servant. Let's read about it. James 1 verse 1. James, a bond servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad, greetings, my brothers. Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work so that you may be complete and perfect, lacking nothing. Okay? So we need to make a choice to rejoice when we go through times of trial. We need to make a choice to rejoice. Look at verse two again. My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. Another translation says, count it pure, unmixed, complete, and total joy. Wait, what? When I'm going through a trial, I'm supposed to have total joy during that time? Well, what does that even mean? James is not saying that trials themselves are joy because usually they are not. Hebrews 12:11 says, no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. So when James is saying consider it joy, he's just saying, make a choice to rejoice. I know this is hard. I know you wish it wasn't happening. I know you wish it was over, but despite that, I'm going to choose to rejoice regardless of my emotions. See, that's very important. This is not a matter of feelings. This is a matter of the will. Uh the more we rejoice in our testings, the more we realize they're not liabilities but privileges, ultimately helpful, not harmful, no matter how severe they may appear. Example, Jesus Christ heading to the cross. His back has been ripped open by the Roman whip. He he's weakened by the beatings and blows to his face and having the beard ripped from his face. And yet we read as he's carrying that cross in Hebrews 12, for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame. Where was the joy? His people, the crowds were jeering him. His disciples were largely in hiding and yet there's Jesus carrying the cross. For the joy that was set before him, what that means is because of what Calvary would accomplish, he pressed on. The joy that was set before him was you. The joy that was set before him was me. It was us. It was the world that he would redeem, who would put their faith in him because he would die for our sins. And so that's what kept him going. Here's an example of people more like us, uh Paul and Silas, thrown into a dungeon for preaching the gospel. Yet we read at midnight Paul and Silas saying praises to God and the other prisoners were listening. Philippians 4 says, rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. You make a choice to rejoice. Point number two, trials happen to make us stronger in every way. Trials happen to make us stronger in every way. Look at verse three, knowing the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Now by the way, the word patience is probably not the best translation. I'm reading from the New King James version here. It comes from a Greek word that translates out to toughness or fortitude. Another translation uh uses the word endurance or staying power, okay? So trials come into our life to produce endurance and staying power. Trials make you stronger not weaker. A modern translation of James 3:4 goes as follows. So let it grow. And don't try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, you're ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete. I like that translation. Point number three, it's through trials we learn great wisdom. It's through trials we learn great wisdom. Go to verse five with me if you would. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God. It gives to all liberally or generously and without reproach and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. Let not that man suppose he'll receive anything from the Lord, for he's a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Powerful verses. If you're lacking wisdom, ask God. If you don't know what to do, ask the Lord. Now through modern tech, we have access to more information than we've ever had in the history of the entire planet. Google it. Or you just say, hey Siri, what about this? Or hey Alexa, what about that? Or hey Google. You ask a question and you may get an answer. But our knowledge is a mile wide and an inch deep. The problem is we've acquired knowledge without wisdom. Through knowledge we've learned to travel faster than sound, but we show our lack of wisdom by going faster in the wrong direction. What we really need is wisdom. So what James is saying, if any of you lack wisdom, if you don't know what God's will is, ask him. I I pray so often, uh Lord, as we have this meeting. Our Lord, as we deal with this topic. Our Lord, as we plan for the future. You've told us in scripture, if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of you and you'll give it to them generously. Lord, would you give us your wisdom right now? Show us your will right now. Because there's so many choices in life, starting with Taco Bell. What's going on over there? I love Taco Bell, but I don't recognize the menu anymore, but I'm very happy to announce today the Enchirito is back. Okay. And you know why it's back? Because I've talked about it in my sermons and Taco Bell was listening. No, that's not the reason. I guess they did a poll. There were two items on the menu. How many of you like Taco Bell, by the way? Am I the only Not that many, just a few. Okay. How many of you think Del Taco's better? Okay. Get out. I am serious, get out. No, don't. But it isn't. All right, but anyway, back to Taco Bell. So they had two items that apparently were very popular, by the way, two of which I always ordered. One was the double decker taco. The double decker taco is your regular corn tortilla, you know, sort of fried with a flour tortilla because you can never have too many tortillas, right? And then the normal things inside. But the Enchirito, the Enchirito, sort of like an enchilada, but their version of it. And I always ordered it, then they stopped making it. And then they did a poll asking their fans out there, which one do you want us to bring back, the double decker taco or the Enchirito and the Enchirito one? So it's back. So go try one before they take it away from us again. But choices, these are silly choices, but there's big choices in life. We need God's wisdom on who we're going to marry. We need wisdom about the career path we're going to follow or the ministry we're going to pursue. But here's what the Bible says. God will answer this prayer, so ask for it in faith. When you ask God to give you his wisdom, you're praying according to the will of God. As James said, don't don't doubt what you're praying for or you're like a wave tossed back and forth. Pray believing God will give it to you.
Dave Palmer: Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.
Greg Laurie: You know, I've heard people describe a trip to Israel as seeing the Bible actually come to life. Hey everybody, Greg Laurie. And I've been to Israel many times and I've led a lot of tours and I have to say that's absolutely true. Listen, when you're walking on the same stones that Jesus himself walked on, well, that's something that's enriching to your faith. It's not just a travel experience, it actually energizes and enhances your study of the Bible. Think of it this way. It's a vacation with a purpose and we're going to be taking a tour of Israel April 6 to 15 2027. You can find out more at israel.harvest.org.
Dave Palmer: Step right into biblical history. Join Pastor Greg for a tour of the Holy Land April 6 through 15 2027. Get details at israel.harvest.org. And now Pastor Greg continues his message called How to Deal with Trials and Temptations.
Greg Laurie: God will enable us to endure and get through times of temptation. Again, God will enable us to endure and get through times of temptation. Let's read a bit more. James 1 verse 12. Blessed is the man who endures temptation. For when he has been approved, he'll receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him. 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. Don't miss this verse. Underline these words. Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and is enticed. Then when desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin. And sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. We'll stop there. So question, where does temptation come from? Of course, the devil's involved in it. But don't miss this. You play a key role in your own temptation. Satan needs our cooperation. Listen, where there is no desire on our part, then there's no temptation. And in these verses we have the five steps of temptation. Uh verse 14. Everyone is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires. So it starts with the temptation itself. Everyone is tempted. I know you think you're crazy because you were tempted to do a certain thing. But the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, there's no temptation taking you, but such as is common to man, which means other people have been tempted to do that too. Don't think you're the worst person on earth because a temptation came your way. It's not a sin to be tempted. It's a sin when you give in to the temptation. The sin is not in the bait, it's in the bite. If you see the bait, acknowledge the bait and don't bite, you have not sinned. It's when you take a nibble or worse, a full bite, that it happens. So everyone is tempted. It happens to the best of us. And there's always a way out. Number two. Okay, so first there's a temptation, but maybe now you're under its power. Verse 14, you're drawn away by your own desires. He decided to take it out for a test drive. That's what car dealers are always wanting you to do. Want to take it out for a spin? No, I don't want to buy this car. Come on. Just take it out for a drive. And then you'll be stuck in a car with me, peppering you with pressure. Or the free sample. We were at a farmer's market yesterday walking around. There was guy some soup. I walked right by him. I'm not really a big soup guy. Soup to me is like why? Uh good start, I guess. Sort of like salad, but no, you know. So he says, try a sample. No, that's okay, I'm good. No, try it. Okay. How much is it? Like see? It was really good soup, very hearty soup. And so I bought a bag of soup. I don't need I went to Gelson's. Look, I bought a bag of soup, a frozen bag. Like why? It was good. Why did I buy it? The free sample got me. So the devil says, hey, sorry to compare the soup to something evil. It was actually good, but here's a free sample. Just take a taste. Let the thought run through your mind a little bit. Just play with this a little bit. You don't have to do it. Of course, you would never do it, but just start here. The here's the problem. What makes temptation difficult for many people is they don't want to discourage it completely. So now you're almost hooked. Verse 14, a man is drawn away by his own desires and is enticed. So you're really close now. Here's a temptation. You say no, you take it for a test drive, you take the free sample, you're moving it around in your mind, and now it's becoming more appealing and you find yourself giving into it, but you haven't done it yet. You can still pull away. No. You keep going. The hook is now set. Verse 15, and when desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin. So you act on that evil thought and now boom, the sins happen. Okay, now there's sometimes a little pleasure, but short-lived, right? The Bible talks about the pleasures of sin for a season. For a moment, oh, this is fun. But then the guilt kicks in. Then the remorse kicks in. Depending on what you did, the consequences kick in. That dead feeling one gets when they're separated from God in fellowship. Thankfully, we can repent and be forgiven of our sin, but this is what James is warning about. Someone say, well, hey, it's not my fault. It's God's fault. He gave me more than I can handle. No, he didn't. Go back to James 1:13. Let no one say when he is tempted, I'm tempted by God. God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone. Well, this person, it's their fault. Yeah, that's what Adam said in the Garden of Eden. You have to take responsible for your own actions. Okay, question. When does temptation usually come? This might surprise you. Answer. Often after times of great blessing. Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by his cousin John. The father spoke from heaven and said, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. And the Holy Spirit came upon the Lord in the form of a dove. That was a blessed moment. Immediately after this, the Bible says he went into the wilderness to be tested and tempted by the devil for 40 days immediately. So a lot of times right after the blessing, it comes. So it could be after church. Oh, wasn't that great? Man, I love that. A great time of worship message. Eh, but everything else was great. But then all of a sudden, you're tempted. I mean, maybe it's just like you get mad cuz someone pulled in front of you, laying on the horn. You idiot. Oh, wait. Or or maybe you get into an argument with your spouse or or maybe you go and do something you should not do. The temptations will hit you after you have been blessed. All right, so let's sum this all up. Number one, we're going to go through times of trial, but they'll make us stronger, not weaker. Good news. Trials like storms have a beginning, a middle, and an end. You might be in a trial right now, but the clouds may open and the sun may come out tomorrow morning. So take heart. Whatever you're going through isn't going to last forever. Number two. Make a choice to rejoice in your times of trial. It is nothing to do with how you feel. You choose to give thanks to God. Third, God will guide you and give you the wisdom you need in life. Ask him for it. Fourth and lastly, temptations will come, but there's always a way out. And again, the reminder that if you're being tempted and if you're being tested, that would be an indication you're on the right track spiritually. So let me loop back to something I said earlier. Jesus, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and now is set down at the right hand of God. Why did Jesus die on the cross? He died for the sin of the world. He did not come to this earth to be a good example. He came to this earth to be our suffering savior. He came to lay his life down in our place and absorb the wrath of God in our place. And then he rose again from the dead three days later. And that same Jesus who suffered and died stands at the door of our lives and he knocks and says, I will hear his voice and open the door, he'll come in. Maybe I'm talking to somebody right now who is going through a time of suffering and and you feel like you're all alone. Well, you don't have to be. God can enter into your problems with you, enter into your suffering with you. He can even step in and heal you or or change your circumstances if he chooses to do it. But you don't want to go through these things alone. You need Jesus. And Jesus says to his followers, I'll never leave you or forsake you. And that's what's so wonderful about being a Christian is I'm not alone in life anymore. God walks with me each and every day and he'll walk with you as well. But you have to ask him into your life. He will not force himself into your heart or into your life. He he stands at that door again and knocks you have to hear his voice and open the door. Will you open that door to Christ? If you've never asked Jesus to come into your life, you can do it right now. And if you need to do that, let's do it as we close in prayer. Let's pray together. Father, speak to the heart of every person here. And if there's anyone here that does not yet know you, let this be the moment they believe, the moment they're forgiven of their sin, the moment that they transfer their future from hell to heaven and start living a life with hope. Speak to them, we pray. Amen.
Dave Palmer: Today on a New Beginning, an important prayer from Pastor Greg Laurie for those who want to make a change in their relationship with the Lord. Pastor Greg, maybe somebody would like to do that right now. Could you help them with that?
Greg Laurie: Sure, I'd love to. I would like to just pray a prayer and I would ask you to pray it after me. You might even pray it out loud. Pray these words. Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, but I also know that you are the savior because you died on the cross for my sin and you rose again from the dead. Jesus, come into my life and forgive me of every sin I've ever committed. I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for hearing this prayer. Thank you for answering this prayer, Lord. And I pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen. If you just pray that prayer and meant it, I want you to know on the authority of scripture, God Almighty has heard your prayer and he will answer this prayer. You are now a newly minted child of God. So congratulations. You've made the right decision and welcome to the family of God. I want to send you a special gift because of that prayer you've just prayed. It's called the New Believer's Bible. So the New Believer's Bible is the New Testament in the New Living Translation with hundreds of notes that I wrote that will encourage you in this commitment you are making to follow Christ. There's some other materials included as well in what we call the New Believer's Growth Pack. But let me get this New Believer's Bible into your hands as quickly as possible. Here's Dave to tell you more.
Dave Palmer: Yeah, we'll be glad to send it all your way free of any charge if you've prayed along with Pastor Greg today. Just ask for the New Believer's Bible when you call us at 1-800-821-3300. You can reach us anytime 24/7 at 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click know God.
Guest (Male): You know, Pastor Greg, we're on the air with these studies every day, every week, every month, month in and month out.
Greg Laurie: Yes.
Dave Palmer: And we're so thankful there are a group of people that let us hear from them month in and month out. There are harvest partners. The special friends of this ministry that invest each month so that these daily studies can continue. I know you've met some harvest partners on occasion and you let them know how much they're appreciated, right?
Greg Laurie: Absolutely. And people often will say, hey, we listen to your radio broadcast and we're a harvest partner. Oh man, thank you so much. I so appreciate that because that says to me that this is someone that believes in what we are doing. They believe in it enough to invest in it. You know, Jesus said, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. If you want to know what a person's priorities are, just look at how they spend their money. So I think when a Christian invests in the kingdom, and by that I mean when they give it to their church and they tithe, and every Christian should do that, by the way, or they have ministries that bless them like A New Beginning and others, and they bring an offering to that ministry, that that says something about that person. And here's the thing that people don't often realize. When you give financially to the work of the kingdom, you are laying up for yourself treasures in heaven. Jesus said, lay up for yourself treasures in heaven when either moth or rust can corrupt nor thieves break in and steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. So do your giving while you're living, then you're knowing where it's going. So we have a program called Harvest Partners and these are simply folks that have committed to give to us on a regular basis, on a monthly basis. And thus we can depend on those gifts. Now you maybe only can give a little, it matters. Others can give a little more, others could even give a lot. Whatever you can do, we appreciate it because we want to reach unexpected people in unexpected places with an unexpected message. And the amazing thing about radio is you just never know who you're going to reach. People turning the dial on their car radio. People just looking for something to listen to, a change of pace. And maybe they land on our program and they're thinking, well, what is this all about? And we've seen so many who did not really even know what we were about to tune in and then end up hearing the gospel and coming to Christ. So we want to continue reaching these folks. So help us to do that and become a harvest partner today.
Dave Palmer: Yeah, and we can help you with all the details quickly when you call 1-800-821-3300. We're here 24/7 to talk with you. Again, the number 1-800-821-3300. Or just go online to harvest.org. Well, next time Pastor Greg has an important insight on the power of the tongue. Good counsel on choosing our words wisely. Join us here on a New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.