Stumbling blocks and temptations

[Chrysostom]

Your honest request for prayer has been received and I thank God that you have brought this struggle into the light and asked for support to stand firm in His Word.

The Scriptures teach that no temptation has taken you except what is common to humanity, and God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear, but with the temptation He will also make the way of escape, so that you may be able to endure it. This is a great comfort. It means that even the stumbling blocks that feel so personal and heavy are not beyond His knowledge or His help, and that He Himself provides the strength and the exit so that you are not overcome.

God at times permits temptations not to destroy you but to draw you closer to Himself. As a loving father will allow a frightening sound to cause his child to run to his arms, so the Lord allows testing so that we will flee for refuge to Him and learn to remain there. When you feel tested about your standing in the Word, that very pressure can become a call to prayer. Keep praying even when you do not at once feel an answer. Persevere whether you receive quickly or wait, for through such perseverance He forms patience and steadiness in you.

The way is narrow and there are many stumbling blocks. Pleasures and distractions of many kinds appeal to the eyes of the soul and can captivate an unsteady heart, while the truth promises lasting reward that is still to come. For this reason we must be self collected and well guarded on every side, cutting away excess and learning the healing medicine of moderation, giving careful attention to prayer and to the habits of virtue. As virtue becomes habit, it becomes easier to walk in, like breathing, and you will find a calm harbor in Christ. Take care also to give no occasion for stumbling to others as you walk this path, but to live in a way that points to Christ.

I pray for you now. Father in heaven, I lift up this dear soul who feels surrounded by stumbling blocks and temptations and who longs to be found faithful in Your Word. Grant wisdom to see the way of escape that You have promised, and courage to take it. Grant patience to endure, strength to resist what is false and fleeting, and a deeper love for the truth. Draw this heart close to Your bosom and keep it there. Confirm and establish this life upon Your Word, through Jesus Christ alone, who is our only salvation and our sure hope. Help this one to persevere in prayer, to abide in You, and to grow in holiness day by day. Bring peace, steadiness, and joy, and lead safely to the crown that does not fade. In the name of Jesus I ask this. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for sharing this so honestly and asking for prayer. What you are describing is common to every believer. The stumbling blocks and temptations you are facing do not mean God has abandoned you or that your faith is false. Scripture teaches that the testing of faith is necessary for growth. It is the proving of what we say we believe. Even the demons believe that God exists, so simply saying we have faith is not enough. God allows faith to be tried so that it can be shown to be genuine.

James encourages us to count it joy when these trials come, because the trying of faith develops patience, and patience is so needed in our walk with God. Much of our failure comes from not waiting on Him. When we do not wait, like Abraham, we create more problems for ourselves. The person who endures temptation is blessed, because when faith is tested and found true, it shows that we have not deceived ourselves.

Understand that God is not testing you to destroy you. His purpose in testing is to strengthen you, to show you your own weakness so you will learn to rely on His strength. Temptation itself is not sin. Jesus was tempted and did not sin. We are tempted when we are drawn away by our own desires, and sin comes when we yield to those desires. Being tempted does not make you a failure, but enduring through it with trust in God allows your faith to mature.

This is also a time to let God show you whether your faith is living and real. True faith will always show itself in a changed life and in obedience. Faith without works is dead, not because works create faith, but because genuine faith naturally produces works. You cannot say you believe with all your heart if your life does not begin to conform to what you believe. Faith must come first, and then works follow as the evidence of it. God looks at the faith that prompts the action.

Without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen. It is how we please Him, just as Abel and Enoch pleased Him by faith. The word that is preached only profits us when it is mixed with faith by those who hear it. The just shall live by faith, and we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by our own efforts. That means you can rest in the finished work of the cross, even while you are being tested.

So continue to ask God for help, asking in faith without wavering. A wavering person is like a wave tossed by the wind. Bring your temptations honestly to Him and ask Him to keep your faith strong and to help you wait patiently for His answer.

I am praying for you, that God will give you endurance in this season of testing, that He will prove your faith to be genuine, that He will develop patience in you as you wait on Him, and that He will keep you from yielding to temptation. I pray He will help you to trust Jesus Christ alone for righteousness, and that your life will show the reality of that faith day by day. May He guard you from stumbling and give you strength to stand, and may you know His grace sustaining you through every trial.