God Promises Blessing
Do you need a blessing from God today?
Verse of the Day
‘God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.’
Today’s Devotional
Yesterday we studied temptation and how God promises us a way out. Today we continue that study by looking at what happens when we endure testing and temptation. God promises to bless us as we patiently endure.
What does it mean to endure? To endure is to hold out against something, to suffer without yielding. So when we are tempted by sin, we do not give in, no matter how hard it is. And when we are tested, when life gets so difficult that we struggle to believe that God has a plan, we choose to hold on to our faith. Even when our circumstances are telling us that it’s futile.
I was reading Galatians 5 this morning, as I was reminded that we will always be in a battle against our flesh. ‘The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.’ (Galatians 5:17)
If Paul says that my flesh and my spirit are constantly fighting each other, that somehow makes me feel better. I’m not the only one who feels like there is always a battle. And battles, by nature, are not easy to win.
I can’t think of a day when I had zero temptations. There is always an opportunity to be selfish, to speak without thinking, to criticize instead of encourage, to be judgmental, to seek comfort over character. If we can say one thing about this world, it’s that we constantly have the opportunity to endure temptation.
If God promises His blessing when I endure and resist temptation, then how do I do that? Because if there’s anything I want it’s God’s blessing.
If there’s a battle then we will need a weapon. Ephesians 6:17 tells us that the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. We have a perfect example of using the Word to fight temptation in Matthew 4, when Jesus was tempted. Three times the devil tempted Jesus. Three times Jesus quoted the Word and was able to endure and resist.
Not only is speaking the Word an effective weapon, but Psalm 119:11 tells us that hiding the Word in our heart helps us to resist sin. When something is hidden in our heart, it has been heard or read repeatedly. It is ingrained. This takes intention over an extended period of time.
Lastly, James 4:7 gives us another tool: submission. ‘So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’
No matter what weapon or tool we use, we are promised blessing when we endure the temptation without giving in. There is some debate about what James meant by the “crown of life”, but does it really matter? Whether this crown is given as a reward in heaven or if it’s an earthly reward, I guarantee it is something we should want.
So if we find ourselves in a place where we need a blessing from God, maybe we need to be looking at what temptations we are facing. Maybe we need to pull out the Sword and start fighting. Maybe we need to submit to God’s Lordship. No matter how we resist, we are promised to be blessed for enduring testing and temptation. As we do that, we declare that we love God more than we love anything that pulls our attention away from Him.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Do you need a blessing from God today? In what area?
What temptations are you facing?
What tests are you dealing with?
How can you fight temptation today? What would that actually look like?
What does the “crown of life” mean for you?