Sunday
October 13
1. A SPIRITUAL GROWTH FACTOR
a. Describe the secret of how James 1:2 can be fulfilled in us. Nehemiah 8:10.
“All trials that are received as educators will produce joy. The whole religious life will be uplifting, elevating, ennobling, fragrant with good words and works. The enemy is well pleased to have souls depressed, downcast, mourning and groaning; he wants just such impressions made as to the effect of our faith. But God designs that the mind shall take no low level. He desires every soul to triumph in the keeping power of the Redeemer.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, pp. 365, 366.
b. Why does God permit trials to come upon us? James 1:3; Romans 5:3.
“If we overcome our trials and get victory over the temptations of Satan, then we endure the trial of our faith, which is more precious than gold, and are stronger and better prepared to meet the next. But if we sink down and give way to the temptations of Satan, we shall grow weaker and get no reward for the trial and shall not be so well prepared for the next. In this way we shall grow weaker and weaker, until we are led captive by Satan at his will. We must have on the whole armor of God and be ready at any moment for a conflict with the powers of darkness.”—Early Writings, p. 46.
Monday
October 14
2. BETTER RESULTS THAN WE’VE IMAGINED
a. Explain the benefits of exercising patience. James 1:4; Luke 21:19.
“God is too wise and good to answer our prayers always at just the time and in just the manner we desire. He will do more and better for us than to accomplish all our wishes. And because we can trust His wisdom and love, we should not ask Him to concede to our will, but should seek to enter into and accomplish His purpose. Our desires and interests should be lost in His will. These experiences that test faith are for our benefit. By them it is made manifest whether our faith is true and sincere, resting on the word of God alone, or whether depending on circumstances, it is uncertain and changeable. Faith is strengthened by exercise. We must let patience have its perfect work, remembering that there are precious promises in the Scriptures for those who wait upon the Lord.”—The Ministry of Healing, p. 231.
b. How and why does James show us a bigger picture than the mere temporal view of power and prosperity in this corrupt world? James 1:9–11.
“At this time, before the great final crisis, as before the world’s first destruction, men are absorbed in the pleasures and the pursuits of sense. Engrossed with the seen and transitory, they have lost sight of the unseen and eternal. For the things that perish with the using, they are sacrificing imperishable riches. Their minds need to be uplifted, their views of life to be broadened. They need to be aroused from the lethargy of worldly dreaming.
“From the rise and fall of nations as made plain in the pages of Holy Writ, they need to learn how worthless is mere outward and worldly glory. Babylon, with all its power and its magnificence, the like of which our world has never since beheld—power and magnificence which to the people of that day seemed so stable and enduring—how completely has it passed away! As ‘the flower of the grass’ it has perished. So perishes all that has not God for its foundation. Only that which is bound up with His purpose and expresses His character can endure. His principles are the only steadfast things our world knows.”—Education, p. 183.
“Worldly treasure is fleeting. Only through Christ can we obtain eternal riches.”—The Review and Herald, December 10, 1901.
Tuesday
October 15
3. IN THE HEAT OF THE BATTLE
a. In facing temptation, what must we prayerfully do, and why? James 1:12.
“Put away all pretense and affectation. Act your simple, natural self. Be truthful in every thought and word and deed, and ‘in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.’ Ever remember that the moral nature needs to be braced with constant watchfulness and prayer. As long as you look to Christ, you are safe; but the moment you think of your sacrifices and difficulties, and begin to sympathize with and pet yourself, you lose your trust in God and are in great peril.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 522.
“We should move steadily forward, never losing heart or hope in the good work, whatever trials beset our path, whatever moral darkness may encompass us. Patience, faith, and love for duty are the lessons we must learn. Subduing self and looking to Jesus is an everyday work. The Lord will never forsake the soul that trusts in Him and seeks His aid. The crown of life is placed only upon the brow of the overcomer.”—Ibid., vol. 5, pp. 70, 71.
b. Why is it wrong to say that God sends trials and temptations? James 1:13.
“We should not try to lessen our guilt by excusing sin. We must accept God’s estimate of sin, and that is heavy indeed. Calvary alone can reveal the terrible enormity of sin. . . .
“Temptation is enticement to sin, and this does not proceed from God, but from Satan and from the evil of our own hearts. ‘God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempteth no man.’ James 1:13, R.V.
“Satan seeks to bring us into temptation, that the evil of our characters may be revealed before men and angels, that he may claim us as his own. . . . The enemy leads us into sin, and then he accuses us before the heavenly universe as unworthy of the love of God.”—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, pp. 116, 117.
c. When the accuser attacks our blemished character, how does the Lord defend us? Zechariah 3:1–4; 1 John 1:9–2:1.
Wednesday
October 16
4. GOD’S STRENGTH IN OUR FRAILTY
a. Explain the phrase in the Lord’s prayer, “Lead us not into temptation.” Matthew 6:13 (first part); Isaiah 30:21.
“[God] permits us to encounter obstacles, persecution, and hardships, not as a curse, but as the greatest blessing of our lives. Every temptation resisted, every trial bravely borne, gives us a new experience and advances us in the work of character building. The soul that through divine power resists temptation reveals to the world and to the heavenly universe the efficiency of the grace of Christ.
“But while we are not to be dismayed by trial, bitter though it be, we should pray that God will not permit us to be brought where we shall be drawn away by the desires of our own evil hearts. In offering the prayer that Christ has given, we surrender ourselves to the guidance of God, asking Him to lead us in safe paths. We cannot offer this prayer in sincerity, and yet decide to walk in any way of our own choosing. We shall wait for His hand to lead us. . . .
“It is not safe for us to linger to contemplate the advantages to be reaped through yielding to Satan’s suggestions. Sin means dishonor and disaster to every soul that indulges in it; but it is blinding and deceiving in its nature, and it will entice us with flattering presentations. If we venture on Satan’s ground we have no assurance of protection from his power. So far as in us lies, we should close every avenue by which the tempter may find access to us.
“The prayer, ‘Bring us not into temptation,’ is itself a promise.”—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, pp. 117, 118.
b. What appeal and assurance does God make to us regarding temptation? James 1:14–16; 1 Corinthians 10:13.
“What is temptation? It is the means by which those who claim to be the children of God are tested and tried. We read that God tempted Abraham, that He tempted the children of Israel. This means that He permitted circumstances to occur to test their faith and lead them to look to Him for help. God permits temptation to come to His people today that they may realize that He is their helper. If they draw nigh to Him when they are tempted, He strengthens them to meet the temptation.”—In Heavenly Places, p. 251.
Thursday
October 17
5. TRIALS IN PERSPECTIVE
a. To abide in Christ and thereby be delivered from temptations, what must we always choose? Luke 4:8; Philippians 1:21.
“The tempter can never compel us to do evil. He cannot control minds unless they are yielded to his control. The will must consent, faith must let go its hold upon Christ, before Satan can exercise his power upon us. But every sinful desire we cherish affords him a foothold. Every point in which we fail of meeting the divine standard is an open door by which he can enter to tempt and destroy us. And every failure or defeat on our part gives occasion for him to reproach Christ.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 125.
b. What should motivate us to press onward to victory in Christ? Philippians 4:13; Revelation 2:10 (last part); 3:21.
“He who is imbued with the Spirit of Christ abides in Christ. The blow that is aimed at him falls upon the Saviour, who surrounds him with His presence. Whatever comes to him comes from Christ. He has no need to resist evil, for Christ is his defense. Nothing can touch him except by our Lord’s permission, and ‘all things’ that are permitted ‘work together for good to them that love God.’ Romans 8:28.”—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 71.
“The crown of life is placed only upon the brow of the overcomer. There is, for everyone, earnest, solemn work for God while life lasts.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 71.
Friday
October 18
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What do I need to recall the next time a difficult trial comes my way?
2. What must I realize about the manner in which God answers prayer?
3. From where do trials and temptations come, and why?
4. What happens whenever we resist temptation?
5. How am I to abide more completely in Christ?