A trial is an occasion on which a person or thing is tested to find out how well they perform or how suitable they are.
Temptation, on the other hand, is the act of provoking someone to do wrong, especially by promising a reward as an enticement. It means to attract, allure, or beguile.
Biblically, trials are allowed by God, and they are described as tools for spiritual growth. They are designed to refine your character, build endurance, and prove whether your faith in God is genuine or merely based on what God can do for you or what you can obtain from Him.
You will agree with me that nobody wants to be loved merely because of what people can get from them.
Always remember that the end result of trials is to bring out the best in you. Sometimes, trials are referred to as the refining fire. They are designed to remove impurities from your life so that you become a vessel of honour.
2 Timothy 2:20-21 says:
“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”
Trials also build character. They teach perseverance, which in turn leads to spiritual growth.
Romans 5:3-5 says:
“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
God corrects a child whom He loves, and He does so in a loving way.
Most times, trials are situations beyond your control that test your trust in God. A good example can be found in Job 1:6-12. In spite of all the trials and challenges he faced, Job did not curse God as Satan expected. The end result was Job’s grand restoration (Job 42:12-17).
Trials are not meant for your destruction, nor do they mean that God hates you.
Consider Joseph. The end result of Joseph’s trials led to the preservation of an entire people and the fulfilment of the promise God had given to His friend Abraham.
For every trial, God always provides a way out.
God knows your capacity; therefore, you will not be tried beyond your ability.
Trials are like examinations in school. After a term, semester, or session of learning, you are required to sit for an examination. Is it because the lecturers or teachers hate you? Of course not. You are tested to determine whether you have assimilated what you have been taught so that you can move on to a higher level.
That is exactly what trials are meant to accomplish.
The word trial is also used for products and procedures. Even drugs undergo trials to determine their effectiveness and safety before they are approved for use. Likewise, medical procedures are subjected to trials before being adopted widely.
Temptation, on the other hand, is an enticement to sin or do evil, either through external pressures or internal desires.
God does not entice anyone to sin.
Sometimes, the words trial and temptation are used interchangeably, but you need to understand that whenever sin is involved or the result is sin, God has no part in it.
As explained earlier, temptation is the provocation to do evil. You may be enticed, and there may even appear to be a reward attached to it. However, the devil, who is the author of such temptations, has nothing good to offer.
He is a liar and will eventually leave you to face the consequences of your actions.
The Bible says that he comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. There is absolutely nothing good that comes from following his path.
We have a saying in my place that literally means, “The devil will give you a chicken and collect a human being in return.”
Sit down and think.
That desire to destroy another person, what will you truly gain from it?
Will another person’s failure make you succeed?
Will it bring more money into your life?
What do you gain by hating another human being?
Why do you delight in causing others to suffer?
Then, when the consequences of your actions begin to manifest, you turn around and say that God is tempting you.
God has nothing to do with it.
The Bible says in James 1:13-15:
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
Beloved, learn to distinguish between God’s refining process and the enemy’s enticement to sin.
Trials are intended to strengthen you, mature you, and draw you closer to God.
Temptations are designed to separate you from God, lead you into sin, and ultimately bring destruction.
When you find yourself in a trial, hold on to God because He is working something good in you.
When you face temptation, flee from it and run to God for strength, because there is nothing good at the end of sin.
May the Lord grant us understanding and the grace to stand firm in every trial while overcoming every temptation that comes our way.
SHALOM.