Joyce Meyer - Why Does God Allow Temptation?

Now, the Bible says in James 1:13 through 18, when you are tempted, which often comes during trials, when you're tempted, don't ever say, "I'm being tempted by God" because god tempts no one and he cannot tempt anyone with evil. God will allow us to go through testing but he will never tempt us to sin. Satan, however will.

"Let no one say when he's tempted, I'm tempted from God; because God is incapable of being tempted by what is evil and He himself tempts no one."

Verse 14, "But every person is tempted when he's drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, and passion)."

Okay now, I'm never tempted to go rob a bank. That is just not an issue for me. Robbing a bank is not a temptation. And so, there's nothing in me that the enemy can touch in that area but I am tempted to be impatient.

I am tempted when I don't feel good to get cranky. There are things that I am tempted to do but I never see those things unless I have a trial. I never see them. So, here's the reason why trials are good for us. We cannot change. We cannot get any better if we don't face what the problem is. You can't.

So, I just lived blindly for years that I was unhappy because it was everybody else's fault. It was Dave's fault 'cause he played too much golf. It was the kids' fault because they didn't help me. It was my dad's fault because he abused me. It was the devil's fault because he hated me. And I did not make any progress.

Please understand me, I made zero, zippo, no progress until I started saying, "I have a problem and I have to take responsibility for my behavior. And God, this is displeasing to You and thank You for letting me see it, now I'm asking You to help me deal with it and get this out of my life so I can be what You want me to be".

I mean, let me tell you, I get along so well with everybody when nobody's home. I mean, you would not believe how godly and peaceful I am when nobody's there. I mean, I got my books, I got my bible, I got control of the remote. I've got my coffee. I'm in good shape. But I tell ya, if I'm into my movie and Dave comes into the door and wants to talk I'm like, "Shhhhh! Do you have to talk right now"? Come on, is anybody understanding me in the building?

And so, one of the things we can say when this scenario happens, "I'm being tested, now I'm being tempted but if I get into the temptation..". We're all tempted. We're all gonna be tempted but if you're strong enough to learn, you can resist the temptation but if you're not then, boop! It's like jack in the box, boop! There it comes, you know?

"Well, if you wouldn't have, then I wouldn't have". Come on now. Oh, this is so good for us. Then we have to say, "God, I'm grateful that happened because it showed me what's in me that needs to be dealt with so God, just go after it and get it", amen? You're not sure. I've only got seconds left, come on, you can fake it. But the man who is patient and stands up under trial receives the victor's crown of life, amen?

Let's stop whining about all the things that we go through and let's just say, "You know what, God? You're greater than all of this. And, You know, I don't like the way this feels, and I don't like to be treated unfairly, and I don't like to be treated unjustly, but I want You to use this to make me a better person, and I want You to use this to make me stronger".

Listen, this is how you defeat the devil. We do not defeat the devil by never having problems and everything in our life turning up roses every day. We defeat the enemy by having to deal with some of the same things that people out in the world have to deal with but we respond in a totally different way and while we're having problems, we keep helping other people.

Don't have any time to sit home feel sorry for myself. There's too many people in the world that need to be helped. "God, I'm gonna gotta take care of your people - You take care of my problem".