The word praise means “worth commending.” The word honor means “worth promoting.” The word glory means “worth observing.” So, we can conclude that if we accept our temptations as examinations from God, we will determine, whether we pass or fail, who or Whom we are depending upon. With the exposé of His examination, we can make the necessary adjustments in our life to regain and remain situated IN Christ.
Once we have retained our position IN Christ, His presence appears in the midst of our difficulties. That presence brings us commendation, promotion, and observation (praise, honor, and glory) that can only be experienced when He appears, not me. The presence of the Lord Jesus in my life is clear evidence that I have decreased, and He has increased. What does it take for that to happen? One thing: a fiery trial of temptation. God has three purposes for fiery trials.
He uses fiery trials to empty us.
Peter knew a little bit about fiery trials, didn’t he? Remember the passage in Matthew where Peter was warming his hands by a what? You guessed it . . . a fire! It wasn’t long, before he was weeping bitterly because of his failed temptation that he would surely deny Christ, thrice.
But what truth from Christ preceded Peter’s first failed fiery trial? It was the revelation that Christ made to Peter indicating Satan desired access to Peter, “that he may sift you as wheat.” Jesus could have kept that potential fiery trial at bay, but instead Jesus responded with this, “I have prayed for you.” Great! Thanks a lot! He could stop it from happening. He could disallow it. He could empower Peter through it. But rather, He allows the sifting and instead accepts it as an opportunity to pray. What was the prayer? Very simple “that your faith fail not”!
That blows my mind! Jesus knew that Peter’s faith was in self and that Satan wanted access as a result of his vulnerability, and Jesus allowed it. Why would He allow a weaker brother to be sifted by fiery trials of temptation? Peter was full of himself and Christ needed Peter to be empty of self in order to fill him with the Spirit.
Though Satan wants to exploit us through temptation, God has greater intention for His examinations. It is to expose us, not to the world, but to ourselves. It is our neglect of our own personal examinations that leads Him to put us through private examinations. It is our rejection of the results from His private examinations that leads us to the humiliation of a public exploitation. Remember, if God doesn’t succeed in exposing us to us, the devil will eventually succeed in exploiting us to others.
After Jesus indicated that Peter was being prayed for, that his faith fail not, Jesus then said something very similar to what James repeated in our opening verse of this article. “When you are converted,” this is to say, when you have turned back to Christ. I guess Jesus knew that His prayer request WASN’T going to be answered, for He says, “when” you are turned back to me. I want you to “strengthen the brethren.” Aha! Now we see the cumulative power of restoration from the examination of temptation. Our conversion back to Christ will allow us to strengthen other believers to do the same. We can assist in the conversion of other believers back to Christ. Amen!
But, this was not the only time that Peter experienced a trial by a fire. The second time was after the resurrection of our Lord when Jesus was standing on the shore as Peter and his fishing buddies were fishing, sixty yards off the coast. Upon recognizing it was Jesus, Peter swam to the shore and was met by what? You guessed it . . . another fire! The first fire emptied him. The second fire would enlist him.
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