Deliver Us: Temptation, Trials, and Victory (Episode 23)
Key Takeaways
- •God never tempts anyone (James 1:13); we're drawn away by our own desires and an enemy who wants to steal, kill, and destroy.
- •God does not lead us toward sin - but He does sometimes lead us into trials, and never abandons us in them.
- •The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness; His temptation, not His baptism, launched His ministry.
- •Trials reveal the condition of our hearts and how strong God has actually made us.
"Rounding third and headed for home" in the Lord's Prayer, Pastor Brady reaches "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" - a line that puzzled him as a boy. Does God lead us toward sin unless we talk Him out of it?
God Tempts No One
James, the brother of Jesus, answers directly: "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone." Instead, each of us is dragged away and enticed by our own desire - which, left unchecked, gives birth to sin, and sin to death. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy; anything drawing us away from God's presence, peace, and purpose is a temptation.
"When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone."
Led Into the Wilderness
Here's the hard truth: God doesn't lead us toward sin, but He does lead us into trials. Right after Jesus was baptized - the heavens open, the voice declares "This is my Son" - the Holy Spirit led Him into the desert to be tempted. It wasn't the baptism that launched Jesus' ministry; it was the wilderness. As a mentor once told Brady, sometimes the best thing you can do is let your children struggle - walk beside them, but don't take the weight away, so they learn.
What Trials Reveal
No one knew David was a giant-slayer until Goliath. Temptation and trial reveal two things: the condition of our heart, and how powerful God has actually made us - not in our own strength, but because He formed us into a force. Pastor Brady speaks openly here about the trial he and Pam have walked since their world changed the previous summer - a season of real suffering in which, he testifies, God never left them. And God remains faithful: He always provides a way to stand and overcome.
Temptation is common; being neutralized by it is not inevitable. The God who is faithful in the middle of your testing will make a way through - and the ministry, the strength, the best that's ahead may be born on the other side of the trial.
Get Updates
Subscribe to receive new messages and ministry updates.
Related Articles
Hidden Heroes: Cimarron Hills Food Pantry
In Cimarron Hills, Pastor Scott Maxon and Colorado Freedom Church make sure no neighbor goes hungry - one Sunday, one family at a time.
Hidden Heroes: Good Morgans
In the Arkansas River Valley, Good Morgans keeps people moving - so a broken-down car never means a lost job or a missed appointment.