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1. Why does God test people?
Experiments come from God, and God does experiments on a person not because God doesn't know what this person is like. Because God knows all hearts, John 2:25 doesn't need any witnesses. Because he knows what people are thinking. Acts 1:24 And they prayed and said, Lord, you know the hearts of all men.
Nor is it because God doesn't know what the result of the experiment will be, so it is necessary to find failure through the experiment. Because God is beyond time and space, he can tell stories from the beginning. Is 46: 10 I pointed out the last thing from the beginning, and I have made it clear what has not been completed since ancient times.
Then, since God knows everything, why should he test people?
(1). Although God knows whether we will fail, we don't know whether we will fail. You don't know what your real situation is without experiencing the experiment.
(2) The purpose of the experiment is not to know, but to teach us. Through the experiment, we can get exercise and make our life grow more. Job said, Job 23: 10 However, he knows my way. After he tried me, I was like pure gold. After the test, our faith is more precious. Peter 1. 1:7 Make your confidence more precious than gold that has stood the test of fire and can still be corrupted.
(3) It is because God wants to bless us. If the experiment is successful, we will get greater blessing from God. Jas 1: 12 Because he will get the crown of life after the experiment, which the Lord promised to those who love him. After Abraham's victory, God immediately appeared before him and blessed him as he had done.
(4) Leave us an example to learn. Faith can be imitated, and the Bible records many victory witnesses around us, such as clouds, which set an example for us. Although God knows that Abraham will win, the Bible cannot record Abraham's victory without testing him, so how can we imitate him?
2. In what ways does God test people?
(1). Test whether the Tao we hear will be applied and practiced.
John 6:6 He said this to test Philip. He knows what to do.
Jesus himself knew exactly what to do, but he kept silent on purpose. He raised the difficulty with Philip and saw what Philip would do. To test how much Philip knew about the previous teachings of the Lord Jesus.
(2) Test our love for God.
Gen 22: 1 After these things, God wanted to test Abraham, so he called to him and said, Abraham, and he said, Here I am.
We know that the first important thing is to love the Lord our God wholeheartedly, wholeheartedly and wholeheartedly. However, how can we know whether a person really loves God? He can't say' how do I love the Lord' himself. It is also unreliable for others to testify that' someone loves the Lord'. Even a person may be deceived by himself. However, through experiments, God can accurately let us see with our own eyes whether our love for God is true or false, and to what extent.
(3) Test our confidence.
Gradually decrease 1:7 Your confidence is more precious when it is tested than gold that can still deteriorate after fire tests.
Deuteronomy 8:2 Remember that the Lord your God led you for forty years in the wilderness, to test you, to test you, and to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.
God gives us a miserable environment to test our faith in God, because God is most happy that people believe in him. See if you can still believe that God is love and omnipotent in the experiment. When a person is safe and secure, it is difficult for us to see the true situation of his self-confidence. However, after a bitter test, true confidence and false confidence were immediately distinguished. Who can say that those who have come out of the Egyptian wilderness have no confidence in peacetime? Even after they have experienced grace and miracles, can they still praise God with gongs and drums and dance? Who can say they don't believe it? However, when God put them in experiments again and again, they were all exposed. So God swore in his anger, "They will never enter my rest". They can't go to rest because they don't believe it. Hebrews 3: 19 thus, they could not go to rest because of unbelief.
(4) Test how much we value the truth.
Deuteronomy 13:2-3 tells you that we will pursue other gods you have never known and serve them. Although all the signs and wonders he showed have come true, you should not listen to prophets or dreamers. Because this is the Lord your God testing you, you should know whether you are the Lord your God with all your heart.
In other scriptures, it tells us that if a prophet's prediction fails and his signs and miracles fail, he is a false prophet, and we need not be afraid of him. Deuteronomy 18:22 A prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, and if what he says is not realized, it is invalid. The Lord did not command this, but the prophet said it without authorization. Don't be afraid of him. But we must never think that if a prophet's prediction can be realized and miracles can happen, then he must be a real prophet. No! This passage says that even if everything can be realized, he may still be a false prophet. It can be fulfilled because God wants to test us to see whether we love God or the little benefits that miracles bring us. Is it by faith or by eye? Therefore, whether a prophet is a true prophet or a false prophet depends not on whether his prophecy is fulfilled, but on whether his lessons are in line with the truth. This requires us to always be very serious about the truth and interpret the scriptures very rigorously.
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The source of trial also comes from God, and its purpose is good and positive, which can help us grow. Therefore, trials and experiments come from God. What's the difference between them? Trials, as the name implies, refer to experiments like fire. Therefore, all trials in the Bible must be related to suffering. The scope of the test is much larger than the trial, and the trial is only part of the test. Therefore, all experiments can also be described as experiments. Jas 1:2-3 My brothers, you should consider it a great joy to fall into all kinds of trials. Knowing your faith will produce patience when tested. In this verse, there is both the word "trial" and the word "test". The second section said it was an experiment, and then the third section said that the same thing became an experiment. For example, God makes a person suffer from a very painful disease. We can say that he is experiencing the test of God, or that God is testing him. On the other hand, however, not all experiments can be called experiments. For example, God uses miracles to make a person recover from a serious illness. Of course, we can't say that God is testing this man, but it is possible that God is testing him to see if he will be weak, proud and so on in this comfortable situation. 2chr 32:3 1 There was only one thing, that is, the king of Babylon sent messengers to Hezekiah to see the wonders that had happened in the land. God left him in this matter to test him and know what was on his mind. Therefore, a good situation will also test people.
Although trials have to go through hardships, they are even as painful as fire. However, we need not be afraid, because this fire is in the hands of God. Rev.2 10 Don't be afraid of what you are going to suffer. The devil will put some of you in prison so that you can be judged. You will suffer for ten days. Loyal to your death, I will give you the crown of life. The winner who passes the test will be awarded the crown of life. After trying, you can also make your life more pure. Job 23: 10 After he tried me, I was like pure gold.
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Temptation comes from the devil, and the devil has another name' tempter'. So the purpose of temptation is malicious. The devil wants people to sin in temptation, or to blame and abandon God. There are two types of temptation:
1. The first temptation is the devil's idea of giving crime to people:
Matt 4:3 And the tempter came to him and said to him, If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become food.
We have many criminal thoughts in today's daily life, and we think they are just our own initiative. In fact, many of them are lured by the devil. Without the temptation of the devil, it is indeed possible for people to actively have the idea of committing crimes because their bodies are inside, but the idea of committing crimes will be greatly reduced. Before the Lord Jesus began to preach, the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness to accept the devil's three temptations to the Lord Jesus, all of which belonged to the first temptation. The devil gave the Lord Jesus some thoughts that go against the truth. If Jesus is not alert enough to accept these temptations, he may fail like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. However, the Lord Jesus completely won the victory with the word of God.
Jas1:14-15 but everyone is tempted, but he is tempted by his own selfish desires. When lust is conceived, sin comes into being. When sin grows, it produces death.
These two bibles are the most important scriptures, telling us how to overcome this temptation. The Bible uses the metaphor of women's pregnancy and childbirth to explain the relationship between temptation and crime. We know that a woman is pregnant because she married another man. In this metaphor, lust is like a woman (because she can get pregnant), and the temptation given by the devil is like a man. Selfishness, as long as we live in the world, it is impossible not to have selfish desires. Temptation, as long as the devil is not destroyed, it is impossible not to let the devil tempt people. Therefore, it is necessary to be tempted by the devil, which is not a sin, because even the Lord Jesus is tempted by the devil. The devil's job is to seduce people, but the Lord Jesus did not accept the temptation sent by the devil, so he did not commit a crime. Some believers don't understand this, because they often have the idea of committing crimes, are extremely distressed, and even feel that they have believed in the Lord for many years. Why is this always the case? So I want to know if I'm saved. It's always terrible to believe in yourself. In fact, don't be afraid, these criminal thoughts and ideas are impossible for anyone. If a' spiritual person' claims that he doesn't, I advise you not to trust him and stay away from such a person. We can't stop birds from flying over our heads, but we have a responsibility not to let them nest over our heads. The meaning of this passage in James is that we have no right to stop hooligans from whistling at your window in public places downstairs, but we must control our daughter not to go downstairs with him. In this way, there will be no pregnancy and crime. The devil can only tempt people to commit crimes through temptation, and it has no right to force people to commit crimes. From Genesis, we can see that the devil just tried his best to persuade Eve to pick the fruit and eat it. It has no right to pick the fruit first and then force it into Eve's mouth. So is the devil's temptation to Jesus. He can only try his best to trick Jesus into jumping off the top of the temple, but he has no right to push the Lord Jesus off the top of the temple. Therefore, as long as the Lord Jesus does not accept the temptation it gives him, he has no choice. The devil's temptation is to convey the concept of crime to us with words rather than hands.
2. The second temptation is the environment that the devil gives people suffering:
Oh, my god 10: 13 all the temptations you encounter are unbearable for human beings. God is faithful and will not tempt you more than you can bear. When I am tempted, I will always open a way for you to bear.
People like to get benefits, but they don't like to lose. After believing in the Lord, I will naturally think,' Since God loves me, he will give me benefits and protect me everywhere'. At this time, once in trouble, especially in big trouble, the first thing that comes to mind is what happened to God? Why didn't he help me? The devil knows very well how strongly the human body is attached to the body and eager for enjoyment. When testing Job, Satan said something similar to God. Job 1:9- 1 1 Satan answered the Lord, "Is it because Job fears God? Didn't you fence him, his home and everything he owned? You bless him for what his hands have done. His wealth has also increased. You reached out and destroyed everything about him. He will abandon you to your face. " However, this time the devil was wrong. Job's self-confidence distinguishes him from most people who like physical enjoyment. Job will not only thank God for his gift, but also thank God for his receipt. In this way, Job overcame the temptation of the devil. Therefore, overcoming this temptation depends on solid confidence.
Some people may ask, "God's trial makes people suffer, and so does the devil's temptation. Then, when we suffer, how do I know whether this suffering is the devil's temptation or God's trial? " ?
In fact, we don't have to distinguish at all. Because without God's permission, the temptation given by the devil will never come to us. Due to limited energy, I won't go into details. In short, from the devil's temptation to Job, we can see that the devil's temptation only dares to bring human suffering to the extreme within the scope allowed by God, but the devil never dares to go beyond the scope allowed by God. Don't say the devil treats God's children. Even in the gospels, we see that even if the devil is attached to a group of dirty pigs, he must get God's approval, otherwise, they have no right to hurt any pigs. Therefore, when the devil's temptation is recognized by God, this kind of suffering becomes God's judgment on us at the same time. For example, the fact that Job suffered can be said to be both the devil's temptation to Job and God's trial to Job. Although it's the same thing, it's just that the devil means evil. I hope Job will blame God or even abandon God in the temptation, while God means kindness. I hope Job will overcome the devil and bless Job.
Blessed is the man who endures temptation. Because after his trial, he will get the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him.
This is also clearly stated in the Bible. As I said before, blessed are those who endure "temptation" (from Satan), and then I said that those who pass "temptation" (from God) will be crowned with life. No one wants to be tempted by the devil, and God will not easily allow the devil to tempt us. However, if you want to overcome the temptation of the devil, you must first encounter temptation. Therefore, according to the degree of our life, God will consider whether to allow us to encounter such temptation, and to what extent, if so. If God allows us to encounter temptation, he will definitely give us a way out in temptation and will definitely make us endure it. Moreover, the people who God allows to be tempted are often those who love God very much. God wants them to overcome the temptation of the devil and get a special reward.