Eight Principles to Use for Victory in Times of Temptations, Tests & Trials

By

Van Gale and Buddy Harrison

Contents

Introduction

Chapter One

Who's to Blame_for Temptations. Tests, and Trials?

Chapter Two

A Look at Some Basic Word Meanings

Chapter Three

The Words—Wisdom and Lust

Chapter Four

Some Principles to Use for Victory

Chapter Five

More Principles to Use_for Victory

Introduction

By

Buddy Harrison

A short time ago, I was in Wheaton, Illinois, in a meeting. We ministered there for several days and had a great time in the Lord. The Lord began to bless one of the brethren (Van Gale) there with some truths in a particular area. Van began to share some of the points in which God was beginning to deal with him. It registered with my heart as being truth, and great and worthwhile.

Van said, "I am going to teach on this subject right away, and I'll let you know about it." He sent me the cassette tape of his teaching session, and it blessed my heart so that it got me to DIGGING IN on the same subject. I began to take the principles that Van shared, and found some things on my own—with the help of the Holy Spirit. And as a result, through the teaching by the Holy Spirit of both Van Gale and myself, we have collaborated to share with you, Eight Principles to Use for Victory in Times of Temptations, Tests, & Trials. Understand, this is the negative side of the subject. There is a positive side where God proves His Word in our hearts, but we will deal with that some other time. It is our prayer that you will be both enlightened and blessed as much by studying this book as we have been in bringing it to you.

Chapter One

Who’s to Blame for Temptations, Tests, and Trials?

Van:

The Psalmist David said over and over again, that God would deliver him from all his difficulties. "He will deliver me from ALL my troubles." He doesn't qualify it by saying, "God wants me to be in my troubles."

You have heard this said before, "You can't expect God to deliver you from your troubles, but you can expect Him to help you through all your troubles." Well, that is a true statement— that is, half of it is true. You can expect God to see you through all of your troubles. If that is all that you are expecting from God, then that is what He will do for you. He will see you through your difficulties, and that is better than nothing. That is better than going under. He will see you through your troubles but the Word of God is very clear: not only does He want to see us through our difficulties and troubles, but HE WANTS TO DELIVER US OUT OF THEM. The Scriptures are just full of these words; "The Lord will deliver me out of all my troubles."

I know that this sets wrong with some teaching that some of you have been receiving. I have had that same kind of teaching. In fact, I have just recently read a book by a well known Charismatic teacher, and it is an excellent book, but towards the end of the book he talks about suffering, and how God wants us to suffer in order to teach us something. Some Christians are confused on this issue. They would come up to me and say, "Well, somebody said ..." and then they tell how I have been teaching them that God delivers us out of all our difficulties and troubles, but other teachers are saying, "Why do you want to get out of all your difficulties and troubles? Why don't you stay in them so that God can teach you something?" Now there were a couple of areas where I didn't have the immediate answer, so I said to them; "Well, I will just dig into the Scriptures, and see what the Lord says concerning this."

I began to put the Word into my "computer" so to speak, into my spirit, and let it roll around. Then along came the Buddy Harrison meeting. I got so blessed, and so excited during that week: I was just jammed full of the Word of God. I have said this before: "The Word of God is just like a hypo—POW! I mean, you put the Word of God in you and you can get high on the Word of God." That is what happened to me during that meeting in Wheaton, Illinois. I would go home after the services and I couldn't sleep, so I would spend an hour or two in the Word (one night I spent four hours and I finally got to bed at four o'clock in the morning). It was during this time that God took me to the 1st chapter of James, and He began to open this chapter to me. Night after night I would be in the 1st chapter of James: it was exploding inside me. It was in the area of temptations, tests and trials, that He was giving me new light.

I have heard folks say, "God has sent this testing on you to build your faith."

NO! It is coming against you because of your faith. It is coming to knock your faith out. You had better have faith when you find yourself getting into temptations, tests, and trials. There is only one thing that will build your faith, and that is the Word of God.

”... faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).

Buddy will share with you an incident in his life where satan came against him to steal, to kill, and to destroy him.

Buddy:

”The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).

I had an experience a short time ago, when David Ingles and I had been in Plainview, Texas in a meeting together. We were staying in the same motel and our rooms were right next door to each other with a door in between. Each night we would get to talking about the things of God, sharing the Word, and just fellowshipping together after each service. After the final service on a Sunday night, we stayed up a little too late, and we got to bed about two o'clock in the morning. We had to get up at five o'clock in order for David to catch a plane, and for me to drive back to Tulsa.

Since I only had about three hours sleep, the enemy tried to attack my body. It didn't last long, and didn't amount to anything: it never does. David caught his plane, and I got in my car (I had my trailer, in which I carry my sound equipment and my books, hooked up) and headed on down the road toward Oklahoma that early spring morning. I was zipping on down those back roads over there in the plains of Texas, having a big time, praising God, and singing, and just enjoying myself. But along about the time when the sun started to come up, and I got over there on that big Interstate 40, where those big divided highways have a median that dips down in between. The warmth of the sun came in on me, and all of a sudden I went to sleep. When I awoke it was a little surprising because I was lying over on my side, and I was going off the side of the center median.

You know any unexpected thing like that can always put a scare into you, if you are not living in the blessings of God. The flesh wants to react—"A-A-A-A-A-AH!" It was the sound of the tires going off of the pavement and onto the center median that awakened me, and I looked up just as I was fixing to head up the other side of that median towards the oncoming traffic. Within myself I knew that if I whipped that wheel I would flip both the trailer and the car. Without thinking, and from down inside of my spirit, these words jumped up into my mouth: "Well praise God! Glory! Glory! Glory! Praise God!"

I can't tell you how I got back up there. I don't know whether I turned the wheel or if God picked it up and put it back on the highway. I can only tell you this: "He delivered me out of all of my difficulties!"

Here is the picture of what satan was trying to do to me when I went off the side of that road. Satan had come as a thief to kill, to steal, and to destroy. He was trying to take my life, trying to rob my wife of a husband, and take from my children, a father.

Satan is the one who comes against us with temptings, testings, and trials.

Chapter Two

A Look at Some Basic Word Meanings

JAMES 1:2-3, 13-14

2    My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (TESTINGS, & TRIALS);

3    Knowing this, that the trying (TEMPTING, TESTING) of your faith worketh patience.

13    Let no man say when he is tempted (TESTED, & TRIED), I am tempted (TESTED & TRIED) of God: for God cannot be tempted (TESTED, & TRIED) with evil, Neither tempteth (TESTETH, & TRIETH) he any man:

14    But every man is tempted (TESTED & TRIED), when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

In this chapter and the next, we are going to look at some basic words and their meanings in the Greek. The Greek language is a very clear, precise language: more complete than the English language. One of the reasons Christ came when He did was because there was a complete language that could express in definite detail each thing that was involved in Jesus' coming to earth, dying, His resurrection, and prophecies of His second coming, etc. For example, in the English language we have only one word for love, but in the Greek we have agape, the God kind of love; storge and phileo for friendship and the soulish area, and eros for the fleshly or carnal love. You have to go back to the setting of the Scripture passage, and look at the particular Greek word that is used there, to find out what kind of love it is talking about.

TEMPTATION—

The Greek language was always explicit concerning the full meaning of each word that we have in the New Testament. W. E. Vine's Expository of New Testament Words[1] is considered a classic in the field of Greek dictionaries. If you have a question get one of these books, and you can go to the Greek and find out for yourself.

One of the words that we want to consider is the Greek meanings for the word temptation. Tempted is the same Greek word but it has three basic meanings: "to tempt, to test, and to try." And another possible meaning is to "prove." The full meaning of the word tempted is this; "tempted, tested, and tried." We will read verse 3 of that same chapter in James, as it would appear with the full Greek meaning: "Knowing this that the trying, tempting and testing of your faith worketh patience." What is tempted, tested, and tried?

YOUR FAITH: "... that the trying, tempting, and testing of your faith ..." It is a simple fact that the reason THE ENEMY COMES AGAINST YOU with temptations, tests, and trials is because YOU HAVE FAITH. There would be no reason for him to come against you, and tempt, test, and try you if you didn't have faith.

It is important for you to recognize this right now: the Word of God says that YOU HAVE THE MEASURE OF THE GOD KIND OF FAITH. (See Romans 12:3.) And we know that satan comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. He is coming to steal, and destroy your faith. If satan can do away with your faith he can keep you from accomplishing anything for God. He can keep you from blessing anybody, he can keep you from doing any feats whatsoever, if he can get you to fall into temptations, testings, and trials.

We have pointed out before: most people have thought that temptations, tests, and trials come to us to build our faith. That doesn't line up with God's Word. The Word of God says that the only way that you can get faith is by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. (See Romans 10:17.) When you understand the basic fact that the enemy brings temptations, tests, and trials against you to destroy your faith, you will know immediately that you need to take a stand against the works (temptations, tests and trials) of satan.

When temptations, tests, and trials come against most Christians, they say, "Well, maybe this is from God, and if it is, I don't want to fight it." A believer doesn't want to fight God: he wants to go with God, but when he has a situation come against him, he has a tendency to lie down and roll over, and say, "Ok, I'll go with it." When you do this, the enemy will walk in and make further inroads in your life. He will begin to destroy the things that God has already begun to do.

The full Greek translation of verses 13-14 says,

”Let no man say when he is tempted, tested, and tried, I am tempted, tested, and tried of God: for God cannot be tempted, tested or tried with evil neither tempteth, testesth or trieth he any man. But every man is tempted, tested, and tried, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. "

The people of "old" who lived by faith were tempted, tested, and tried. Now, that is not too hard to understand, but I must admit there was one area where I got into trouble concerning this word tempted. Hebrews 11:17 says, "By faith Abraham, when he was tempted, tested, and tried, offered up Isaac... . " This verse refers back to Genesis 22:1. I went back and read that particular Scripture: "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham and said unto him.... "

"DID GOD TEMPT ABRAHAM?" I asked myself. "If God tempted Abraham, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever: then what am I to do with James 1:13?" I struggled within myself, as I searched the Scriptures. "Let no man say when he is tempted, tested, and tried that I am tempted, tested, and tried of God.... " Yet, over in Genesis 22:1, it says that God tempted Abraham. Which way is it? How do I get these two Scripture verses to agree?"

Then—I discovered that the Hebrew word for tempt over in Genesis really is the word prove.

You say, "Well, what's so important about that?"

Well, the word tempt, back in Genesis doesn't mean "TEMPT, TEST, AND TRY. " It simply means "TO PROVE;" and how can you prove something unless it is already in existence? Abraham had made a covenant with God. God's Word was good: it wasn't a matter of God tempting, testing, and trying Abraham to see if he was going to come through the test and prove out all right. God knows all things, and He knew what Abraham would do. It was already fact—and GOD WAS PROVING THAT IT WAS SO.

The New Testament word temptation that means "to tempt, to test, and to try," comes from outside, and not from within. The enemy (satan) comes against your faith. God is not trying to do away with your faith: we just read in verse 13; "Let no man say when he is tempted, tested, and tried, I am tempted of God... "

PATIENCE & LONGSUFFERING—(There’s a difference.)

Another word that will help tie these things together is the word patience. In my thinking the word patience was the same as long-suffering. Not so! Brother Van will relate to you the trouble that he had with this word patience.

Van:

Most of us do not have a good understanding of the word patience. In fact, we confuse patience with longsuffering. I got to thinking about this, and I will share my thoughts with you; then you can latch on to this and learn how to study the Scriptures for yourself. We read in Galatians 5:22; "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith." Some modern translators have used the word patience in this verse instead of the correct word of longsuffering, because they thought that longsuffering was a synonym for patience. And because of this, I thought that longsuffering and patience were used interchangeably. This caused me to think that the real definition of patience is "growing some." I thought of patience as a fruit of the Spirit. I said, "If patience is a fruit of the Spirit; how can something from the devil help the fruit of the Holy Spirit? If tempting, testing, and trying is from the enemy why does James 1:3 say, 'Knowing this, that the trying, testing and tempting, of your faith worketh patience'?" I knew something was wrong here, and I went to my W. E. Vine's Expository of New Testament Words. I discovered that patience and longsuffering are two different words, and that the translators who used the word patience instead of longsuffering in Galatians 5:22 were wrong.

Let's take a look at the definitions of these two words. Longsuffering: "That quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish. It is the opposite of anger, and is associated with mercy." (W. E. Vine) Longsuffering is a fruit of the Spirit. Longsuffering is where you bear with things when somebody blows off at you, and you don't blow back at him! That is not patience even though it sounds like patience to you.

TWO DEFINITIONS OF PATIENCE: W. E. Vine's definition of patience is, "The quality that does not surrender to circumstances or succumb under trial. It is the opposite of despondency, and is associated with hope." I also checked Webster's Dictionary, and his definition of patience is more like longsuffering. I do not reject Webster's definition, but somehow —it misses the mark in the context of the Scriptures. I believe W. E. Vine's definition, taken from the Greek, is right.

Our most recent translation of the Bible: The New International Version of the Bible doesn't use the word patience in the 1st chapter of James. It uses the word persevere.

"Consider it pure joy my brethren, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance, and perseverance must finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. "

It picks up in verse 12; "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial." In other words: he doesn't give in to the trial. He perseveres, he stands against it and does not receive it.

Webster's definition of persevere is, "To persist in anything undertaken to maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty or obstacles."

You do develop perseverance in the trials and testings that come against you; but you are not to give in to them. One way to receive trials and testings is by saying, "Oh, God must be trying to teach me something." Don't say that! You are to resist the devil. You are not to knuckle under to the trials and tests that satan brings against you. You are to persevere in temptations, tests, and trials.

Here is a good example of how someone persevered against the enemy, who was using Buddy to tempt, test, and try him. Buddy will tell you in his own words.

Buddy:

A number of years ago when I first married into the Hagin family, I was a very cold Christian. I wasn't living for God. When Candy, our oldest daughter was born, there was a particular incident that happened at birth concerning her health. Mrs. Hagin was reluctant to tell me at the time because she wanted to wait until Brother Hagin got home, and they would sit down together with me and tell me. The only trouble was that Brother Hagin was six weeks in getting home.

When they told me the news, I don't mind telling you, I blew up. I didn't appreciate that. In fact, it made me so angry, ticked, in other words I was wound up. I still had enough of that old fleshly, carnal nature in me that I still had some of my old vocabulary. I stood there cussing Brother Hagin. (If you don't know what cussing is—it is cursing.) I was just cussing him out, and he just sat there on the couch with his arms folded. "Get up!

Get up!" I said to him. "I am going to tear you up. I'm going to break every bone in your body. Get up! Get up!"

Brother Hagin just sat there and his lips were mumbling. I was so mad and upset, that I just kept insulting the man, and he just sat there and mumbled to himself. Brother Hagin wouldn't get up so I could hit him, and you know, I hated to hit a man who was sitting down, particularly if he was just going to sit there and mumble.

Finally, I left. I want you to know that I am not happy about that incident. I am simply using it to get a point across to you.

Years later, I said to him: "Hey Doc, do you remember the time I got upset with you, and I was standing there, ranting, and raving, and carrying on and I wanted to whip you?"

"Yep."

I said, "How in the world did you just sit there?"

He said, "Oh, I just kept sitting there saying, 'Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.'"

There was a man who was tempted, tested, and tried; and it all came about because of sin being operative in my life. At that moment the enemy was using me as a tool against Brother Hagin. If he had responded back to me, he would have hurt his daughter or even the entire family relationship. Because I was not living for God, I became a tool of satan, for the enemy to use to come against Brother Hagin. If I could have gotten him to step out of line with the Word of God, then I would have begun to destroy his faith to where it would not work. James 1:3-4 was at work in Brother Hagin's life:

"Knowing this, that the tempting, testing, and trying, of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

Chapter Three

The Words—Wisdom and Lust

JAMES 1:5-6

5    If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God... and it shall be given him.

6    But let him ask in faith....

As we continue our study of some important words and their clear, precise Greek meanings, we will look at two words in particular: wisdom and lust.

WISDOM—

There are two Greek words for wisdom. One is sophia and the other is phronesis. W. E. Vine tells us that sophia is the Greek word for wisdom that is used in the above Scripture verse. Sophia simply means "insight into the true nature of things." In other words it is the theoretical way of looking at things or the broader picture to learn what is going on or what is happening.

The second Greek word for wisdom is phronesis. Phronesis is the "ability to discern modes of action with the view to the end result." In other words, phronesis is the practical side of wisdom. You apply phronesis to a specific situation and you know how it is going to come out for you. Another way of saying this is, you are able to discern modes of action with a view of the end results.

The following is actually what he is telling us here in this first chapter of James. "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into different temptations, tests, and trials. Knowing that these temptations, tests, and trials are going to work patience or perseverance in your life. Now, if you don't know what is going on: if you don't know that the temptations, tests, and trials come from the world, the flesh, and the devil; if you don't know what is happening to you, then you should ask in faith, for wisdom (sophia) so you can have a broad picture of what is taking place."

How many times have you walked into a situation where it was just "sticky" and you were sitting there, questioning yourself, "What is going on here? What am I am going to do? How am I going to get out of here?"

Well, the Word of God is telling you that if you will ask Him for wisdom (sophia) He will give it to you. He will not leave you hanging in mid-air so that you won't know what is going on. He will not leave you without the understanding and the knowledge as to what to do or how to do it.

BUT—There is a very important qualification. You have to ASK HIM IN FAITH. "If any of you lack wisdom (sophia) let him ask of God ... But LET HIM ASK IN FAITH" (James l:5-6a).

You are asking for a broader picture of what is going on. And you may pray like this: "Father, give me an understanding of what is happening here." You are asking because you are in a test, you are in a trial, you are having difficulties, and you've got to get some "smarts" in order to find out what is happening.

Verse 4 says:

"But let patience (perseverance) have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

You are not supposed to lack anything, friend. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." You should be in a position where Jesus your shepherd guides you so perfectly that you don't have any wants. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Another translation says: "Let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing. "

If you suddenly find yourself in temptations, tests, and trials; and you are having difficulties; things aren't working out: what is the first thing that you say?

If you say, "I just don't understand it. How could this have happened to me?"

Well, if you do this, you are lacking wisdom. Don't sit there lacking wisdom: get it as fast as you can. The wisdom that you will get is a broader understanding as to what is happening. God doesn't want you in a state of wonderment. That is the worst state that a person can be in. Get out of wonderment and into wisdom.

Getting the broad picture of what is happening is so important to you. Many times you have gotten into situations where (as the old saying goes) you didn't know "come-here" from "sic-um!" You didn't know how to react, and you were afraid to take any kind of action until you received some wisdom. If you will ask for wisdom—in faith, He will give it to you.

The broad picture of what was happening when I went off the side of the road was this: satan had come as a thief, to kill, and to destroy. He was trying to tear up my car and trailer, to take my life, and to rob my wife and children of a husband and father. If I had not understood what was going on at that moment, I would not have known that I had the right to ask God for wisdom.

You have the same right. You too can ask God, in faith, for wisdom.

Van: LUST—

The last word that we are going to look at before we get into our Eight Principles to Use For Victory in Times of Temptations, Tests, and Trials, is the word lust. You are going to have to really put on your receivers in order to get this.

"Let no man say when he is tempted, tested, and tried, I am tempted, tested and tried of God: for God cannot be tempted, tested, and tried, with evil, neither tempteth, testeth or trieth he any man. But every man is tempted, tested, and tried, 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" (James 1:13-15).

Most people have a very narrow concept of the definition of lust. We categorize lust to sexual things: pornography, sexual deviation, etc. That is partially true, but it has a much broader meaning. It is any strong desire of any kind. The desires do not have to be base or immoral. They may be refined in character but are evil if they are inconsistent with the will of God.

Somebody asks, "What is the will of God?"

Doing the Word of God! If what you are desiring is inconsistent with God's Word, then it is evil, and lust is involved: the lusts of the flesh.

Here is an example of when my desire was not consistent with the Word of God. It was June 1975, and there were three families including my own who were going to drive together to the Kenneth Hagin Campmeeting in Detroit, Michigan. Kenneth Copeland was going to speak at 2:00 p.m., and since it was approximately a six-hour drive from Wheaton, Illinois to Detroit, we had to get up early in the morning. We met (the three families) at one of our homes at 5:00 a.m. We all got out of our cars to ask God's blessing upon our trip. We all joined hands, and prayed something like this: "Heavenly Father, just bless our trip. Give us a safe journey, and permit us to stay together and not be scattered, so we can get to the Campmeeting on time. We thank you now, Heavenly Father, because we are going to have a safe trip, and because we are all going to stay together as a group." Then we all praised the Lord, and thanked Him for answering our prayer. The reason for asking that "we not be scattered," was because I was the only one who knew the way. Of course they could have found their own way but it would have taken them much longer to do so.

We headed down the Illinois toll way, on south to Indiana, made the bend on the south side of Chicago, heading east to Indiana; and had just started on the highway that goes up toward Detroit, when we got into some heavy traffic. As I watched in my rear-view mirror, I noticed a couple of cars had gotten between our cars. They were back there somewhere, and I got to thinking, "Oh, what happens if they get lost? They don't know the way. I had better pull over on the side of the road, then they will see my car and they won't get lost. I'll just pull over on the side and I will tell them the approximate location of the campmeeting."

Just as I was about to pull over, the Lord spoke to me. It wasn't an audible voice, but I heard it right down in my spirit. "Make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof."

I didn't understand fully, but I knew that the Lord was telling me not to pull over, and I thought, "What's the problem?"

We began to talk back and forth, and the Lord said, "How did you pray before you left?"

"Well, we prayed that we would stay together and arrive up there safe."

"Don't you think that I can get you there that way?"

"Yea, I guess you can!"

"Well, just keep right on going."

I just brushed the concern off then and I didn't worry any more. The Lord was going to get us there safely, but I was still puzzled. "What does my pulling off the road have to do with lust? " I mulled on this the rest of the way to Detroit. I decided that as soon as I got to the campmeeting, I would pull out my Bible and find that Scripture verse.

Of course we arrived at the campmeeting safe and sound. Kenneth Copeland was preaching. We walked in and sat down, but I couldn't listen to Kenneth Copeland. I had to find out what my actions had to do with lusts of the flesh. I looked up the word lust in my concordance, and found the passage that I was looking for in Romans 13:14; "... make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." As I sat there, the Lord began to talk to me. Reflecting upon the events that had taken place, He showed me that my flesh wanted provision, just in case God was not able or willing to answer our prayer. One of the lusts of the flesh is the desire to make such a provision. You see—my flesh was crying out for protection: "What if God doesn't want to answer our prayer? Maybe it's not God's will to answer that prayer. This is a heavy traffic situation. I know He can do it, but will He do it? Maybe He wants us to get lost for some reason." The moment that thought had entered my mind my whole being reacted to it, and it had to be taken care of. There was a strong desire to pull over on the side of the road, and make provision, "just in case God wasn't able to come through."

God was saying to me, "Van, don't make any provision for your flesh. Your flesh is crying out to be satisfied: to be protected, and you're not sure that I am the one who can get the job done. You are making secondary plans to take care of the problem. Van, did you pray that you would arrive safely? Do I answer prayer or don't I?”

I said, "God, you do answer prayer."

"Well then, I'm going to do it. I am a God that is willing to answer your prayers."

I sat there in that chair at the campmeeting—absolutely dumbfounded, as I realized how narrow was the picture that I had of lust. Now, I have a broader picture. Lust covers a larger area than sexual deviation or pornography. Lust has to do with any time my flesh desires satisfaction counter to the Word of God. If my desires run counter to the Word of God, then the lusts of the flesh are involved.

Buddy has a good example of fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. Buddy:

Any strong desire that rises up inside of you that is inconsistent with the Word of God is lust.

How many times have we come along and said, "We are working for God. We are believing for the blessings of God. We are doing all these things, and we get held-up when we go to stand on God's Word?

God's Word declares, "My God shall supply your every need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." You take Philippians 4:19, and you say, "I'm standing on the Word of God. He is going to supply my every need." Then you start looking for a banker. I have gone through that four times in twenty months! I know whereof I speak.

The first temptation, test, and trial that I faced was an $8,000 test. I was defeated in my mind when I said, "I am going to have to borrow the money. That's the only way that I am going to do it." I kept saying that, and kept saying that, and that was exactly what I had to do. That tempting, testing, and trial came to me and my old flesh got to hollering, and carrying on, and clamoring on, and putting up such a squak that I thought, "That is the only way that it will happen." The moment you zero in and say, "That is the only way... . " then that is the only way that it can be.

Now it was a struggle to get that $8,000 dude paid. And I had no sooner faced up to that $8,000 test, when a $16,000 one came along. But I remembered what had happened before, and I held fast to the Word of God. I said, "God's Word is so. God's Word will work. He supplies my every need." I stood steady, and I kept talking the Word of God, and within six weeks time, I kept my regular cash flow and that extra $16,000 that I needed came in. I had faced the same temptings, tests, and trials, but I did not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. The old flesh cried out. It would have been easier to take a loan and just have those monthly payments.

Now please don't get under condemnation because of what I am telling you. Jesus didn't come into the world to condemn, and I am not condemning anybody for borrowing money. I am endeavoring to get a principle and a truth across to you, that you can begin to appropriate in your life as you grow in these things.

If you have determined to stand on God's Word and you prayed, and you have believed that you have received from the divine hand of God, and then if your old flesh puts up a squawk, and you turn and go another direction, you have just fulfilled the lust of the flesh.

If you have already said ahead of time, "I am going to borrow the money." Fine: don't get under condemnation.

A UNIQUE PICTURE—

In this first chapter of James, we have a unique picture: A picture of conception and of birth. We look at two verses in particular. One verse gives us a NEGATIVE PICTURE, and the other gives us a POSITIVE PICTURE.

We will look at the NEGATIVE PICTURE first:

"Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death"

(James 1:15).

The simple basic facts are that there is the sperm that is involved and the womb. But maybe you can relate to it better if you look at the picture from the standpoint of a farmer: the seed, and the soil. It takes both the seed and the soil. The seed that we are talking about here, is the temptations, tests, and trials, and the soil is your flesh. If you allow the temptations, tests, and the trials, to conceive in your flesh, it will bring forth sin. You have conception and birth. "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin and death. "

Verse 18, gives us the POSITIVE PICTURE. "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." He begat us with the word of truth. The WORD OF TRUTH IS THE GOOD SEED, AND THE GOOD SEED OF THE WORD IS PLANTED IN YOUR HEART (SPIRIT).

This comes down to a very basic thing: God always works from the inside out, and satan always works from the outside in. Which ever you allow to conceive will give birth. If you KEEP

THE WORD OF GOD IN YOUR HEART, IT WILL PRODUCE LIFE. If you allow temptations, tests, and trials to come against your flesh, you will conceive in your flesh, and when lust has conceived, it will bring forth sin and death.

Chapter Four

Some Principles to Use for Victory

JAMES 1:2

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations, TESTINGS, AND TRIALS.

In the previous chapters we studied several key words found in our Scripture passages (in the book of James and others), concerning their true or full meanings in the Greek language. By doing this, we have laid the foundation for you to have a clearer understanding of temptations, tests, and trials: where they come from, why they come against us, and what to do about them. In chapters four and five we will take a closer look at the Eight Principles to Use for Victory When Temptations, Tests, and Trials Come Against Us.

Principle number one: COUNT IT ALL JOY—

Many Christian have gotten out of line with the Word of God, and pushed the blessings of God to the extreme, and they teach that you should thank God for everything that happens to you. No! The basic impact that God is trying to get across to us is that we should give Him honor and glory for the things that He has done for us, but we do not give Him glory for the things that He doesn't do. We just recognize that the temptations, tests, and trials come from the enemy, and we begin to deal with them at that point. We count it all joy, and we start rejoicing because He delivers us out of every temptation, test, and trial that satan brings against us. Paul said,

"There hath no temptation, test, or trial taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted, tested, or tried above that ye are able; but will with the temptation, test, or trial also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (I Corinthians 10:13).

You can see all the way through the Word of God, He doesn't deliver you out of only a few temptations, tests, or trials; He delivers you out of ALL OF THEM. You have to have the Word of God, and you have to know that you can count it all joy. You count it all joy because you know that you are going to be delivered out of all of them because you are standing on the Word of God. The Word of God is everlasting or eternal whereas temptations, tests, and trials are temporal: they only last for a little while because God is delivering you out of them.

When you have hidden the Word of God in your heart it will be an automatic thing down inside you. That joy will rise up when you are worshipping and walking with God on a daily basis.

Many Christians have lost their joy. The Psalmist David once lost his joy, and he said, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation . . . " (Psalm 51:12). I will quickly say to you, if you have lost your joy you can get it back by rejoicing. REJOICE! When Paul wrote the Epistle to the Philippians, he was in the worst of prisons (Nero's). His back was bleeding and his feet were in stocks, and he wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. ” Now, Paul had a pretty good sized temptation, test, and trial, I would say. Start rejoicing! Let praise go from your lips. Be sure that you understand that the temptation, test, or trial is from satan, and he uses it to come against your faith. You don't praise God for what the enemy is doing: YOU PRAISE GOD WHEN YOU ARE IN THAT SITUATION, not because you are in the situation, but because He is going to deliver you. You praise God because He is going to be glorified, and because His salvation is working for you.

Sometimes satan will attack you when you misuse your body. Van has an example of this.

Van:

Let that joy flow when you find yourself in temptations, tests, trials or difficulties. That will out-fox the ole' enemy! I remember when I damaged my knee. It was a horrible injury. My whole family laid hands on it, and I started praising God: "Thank you Lord, that I have a good knee." Oh, did it hurt! "Thank you Lord, that I have a good knee. Hallelujah!" Every time a shot of pain went through that knee, I used that to trigger my praise. After a while the devil got tired of hearing it. He finally figured out that every time that shot of pain came I was praising God, and he didn't want to hear the praise so he stopped the pain. In a short time that pain was gone and my knee was absolutely well! The doctor had said that I would never be active in sports again. Well, praise God! I go up in the hills and ski down them. I have a good knee—but I want to point out, whenever pain came I let that trigger praise. I counted it all joy. REJOICE!

Principle number two: ASK GOD FOR WISDOM—

'IF ANY OF YOU LACK WISDOM, LET HIM ASK OF GOD, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (James 1:5).

You will remember that the word wisdom that is used in this Scripture verse, is the word sophia (in the Greek). And it means "a broad picture." You have the right to ask God for a broad picture or wisdom in order that you will know what is going on, why it is happening to you, etc. Let's suppose that you are on the platform of an auditorium, and the electricity is suddenly cut off. If you try to get off of the platform you are liable to trip over a chair, an organ or something. You could even fall down the steps because you are in the dark. Because you are in the dark— darkness hinders you; but the moment the lights come on again, light and knowledge is produced. You know where you are and what you are doing, and you can act upon your knowledge. It is the same when you are in a situation where temptations, tests, and trials come against you. You are confused and you are in the dark, but you have the right to ask God for wisdom (sophia) or the broader picture of what is going on and what to do about it. God wants to give it to you, He wants you to see what the enemy is doing, but you have to do something. You have to ask God for wisdom and believe that you receive it (in faith). You may say, "Well, He will give it to people like Brother Kenneth Hagin or some pastors and teachers."

Read it again. "... God ... giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." That word shall is the strongest assertion that you can make in the English language, yet he says, "Wisdom SHALL be given to him." All you have to do is ask and wisdom SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO YOU. Christian, you don't have to wander around in the dark, when temptations, tests, and trials come against you, and mumble, "What's happening to me? What is going on? I just don't understand." Just ask God, in faith, for wisdom and He will give it to you.

Principle number three: STAY SINGLE-MINDED—

"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:6-8).

Once you ask God in faith for wisdom, He will give it to you, but you have to stick with it. Don't get to wavering like the waves of the sea. Some Christians ask God in faith for wisdom, and He will tell them very clearly what to do or how to handle the situation. They will start out full of confidence and they will say, "Thank you Lord, I know how to handle this situation." They believe that they are on their way. Then all of a sudden, things will go wrong again. The first thing that they will say is, "Did I hear the Lord wrong? Did I miss the Lord?" That is the enemy coming against them.

Don't waver or be led into double-mindedness. Either you heard the Lord or you didn't, and that verse told you that if you ask in faith, He will give it to you.

Being double-minded can be so frustrating. I have counseled with different people who were undecided as to what to do. Van has an example to share concerning this.

Van:

I was counseling with a man, and I said, "Ok, now, we are going to join hands and pray. We are going to ask God to tell you what to do, and as soon as you hear from God, let me know."

We joined hands and I bound the powers of satan so that he couldn't come against the man's mind. I bound the man's own fleshly nature to keep his own selfish desires from entering his mind. That meant that only the will of God could get into his mind. We sat there and talked, and God spoke clearly to the man. All of a sudden he said, "God told me to stay where I am." Well, praise God! Then as we walked out to the car after an early morning breakfast he said, "I know what I am supposed to do! I am supposed to stay where I am."

That same man called me four times that day. "Van, I don't know if that decision we came to this morning is right." That is double-mindedness. "For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." Once you have heard from God, you've got to stick with it, and stay single-minded. The Amplified Version of the Bible says:

"Only it must be in faith that he asks, with no wavering—no hesitating, no doubting. For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea, that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind. For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything (he asks for) from the Lord, (for being as he is) a man of two minds—hesitating, dubious, irresolute—(he is) unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything (he thinks, feels, decides)" (James 1:6-8).

When we say, "double-minded" we are talking about dealing with something that has to do with the flesh. As far as we are concerned the word flesh means "carnal." There is the outward man and the inward man. The inward man is spiritual, and the outward man is carnal.

"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:5-6).

Don't be trying to mind the things of the flesh. Mind the things of the spirit. You will stay in a state of confusion or doublemindedness as long as you keep jumping back and forth.

Principle number four: PERSEVERE—

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, tests and trials: for when he is tempted, tested and tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him" (James 1:12).

Actually you can look at perseverance in verse four, as well as the above verse, ("But let PATIENCE have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."); but verse twelve has a different way of putting perseverance. The word endureth means "persevereth." To persevere means to "hang in there." Don't let temptations, tests, or trials roll over you. Regardless of the obstacles or difficulties that are coming against you, don't stop what you are doing. Hang in there and you will receive a crown of life.

How many times have you won a victory and you went away rejoicing? Buddy will share a time such as this with you.

Buddy:

I used to have a real difficult time with my temper. I had never conquered it. I wasn't victorious over it, and I could blow up. So, when somebody didn't do me right, I got mad at them and I would lay into them as the old saying goes, "just fight at the drop of a hat." If somebody would say, "Let's go." I was ready to go after it, and I had such a temper that I would blow up over any little thing.

I remember the first time that I really won any kind of real victory over my temper. I hadn't been working for Brother Kenneth Hagin very long (I know you thought I was perfect when I went to work for him, but I wasn't!), and I had won the victory that day. I had an opportunity to just explode, but I kept my cool—I mean, I just kept the lid on. I didn't explode! I didn't say anything! I just stood there and that was different for me! I was rejoicing and I was happy.

Brother Hagin and I started down the road to a meeting in Oklahoma City, and I said, "Hey, Doc! I won a real battle today. I won out. I was victorious! I overtook that one! Glory to God!"

About that time we saw a dog that had been hit by a car, and Brother Hagin looked at him and said, "Yep! Yep! You know the old flesh is about like that dog back there. If you keep running over it, sooner or later you will kill it." That is what you have to do to the flesh, and you will be happy when you PERSEVERE and you win out. I don't mind telling you that when I won out over losing my temper, that temptations, tests and trials jumped up to me constantly. I was constantly faced with some kind of situation because of that, but I won and happy was I! Happy is the man that perseveres in temptations, tests, and trials. "But let patience (PERSEVERANCE) have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (James 1:4). "To persevere is to persist in anything undertaken to maintain a purpose in spite of trials, testings, troubles, difficulties, and obstacles: to continue steadfast." (W. E. Vine)

Chapter Five

More Principles to Use for Victory

We come now to the last four, but no less important, Principles To Use For Victory When Temptings, Testings, And Trials Come Upon Us.

Principle number five: DON'T SAY, "IT'S FROM GOD."—

"Let no man say when he is tempted, tested, and tried, I am tempted, tested, and tried of God: for God cannot be tempted, tested or tried with evil, neither tempteth, testeth or trieth he any man" (James 1:13).

Don't say that God is doing these things to you. This Scripture verse is very clear, folks. God does not tempt, test or try any man. This is a major principle: IT IS A COMMANDMENT.

Here is what will happen to you if you don't obey this principle. If temptations, tests, and trials come against you and you say, "Oh, it must be from God. He must be trying to teach me something. I'll just learn all I can." Right there you blocked the power of God, and the enemy will take advantage of you, and beat you over the head, and all the while you will be sitting there in wonderment, trying to learn something. If you think that they come from God so that He can teach you something, you cannot resist the devil. But when you know that they are not from God but from satan, then at that point you can resist him in the name of Jesus. (See James 4:7.)

Satan brings temptations, tests, and trials against you to destroy your faith: to render you inoperative, and to keep you from acting and doing what God has called you to do. He wants to keep you from being in manifestation what God has called you to be. No child of God wants to fight God, he wants to go with God. He wants the blessings of God. That's why you have to wake up and recognize that when you get into unbelief, and you think that the difficulties are from God, you are wrong. Then you won't say, "They come from God."

Principle number six: DON'T BE DRAWN AWAY BY THE LUSTS OF THE FLESH—

"But every man is tempted, tested, and tried, 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" (James 1:1415).

The broader picture of lust is your old selfish nature demanding to be satisfied and protected counter to what the Word of God says. Rather we should mortify the deeds of the body as Paul tells us in Romans 8:13; "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." Remember, lust is any strong desire that is inconsistent with the will of God or the Word of God. There is a way to illustrate this, but we have to be very careful. So, read this carefully: God never brings condemnation, and I want to say this in the right way because I do not want you to come into condemnation. You always operate in faith at your particular level. People grow into different levels of faith, and we all operate on the level that we have grown in our faith. When I first went with Brother Hagin, I found this out from him. At that time, we could run the whole office of the Kenneth Hagin Evangelistic Association on $1,500 a month. That included paying my salary, the building, the utilities, and everything that we had to do. One day I said, "Hey Doc, how about agreeing with me for $2,000 this month?"

He said, "All right."

I said, "By the way, what have you been believing for?" "Nothing!"

"What do you mean?" I said. "You are the head honcho: I mean you are the main man, you are supposed to be believing for something."

"No." He said, "I turned that over to you. I expect you to believe for it."

First of all, I didn't know that I had $1,500. faith! That came as a revelation that I was even that high, because in my own thinking, $50 would have been good. In my thinking, I was riding Brother Hagin's faith. He was believing God: he was exercising his faith: it was his organization, and it was going along. I in nowise realized that I had to believe for the finances, and it was a shock to me. Well, over a 10-year period, and until I left the association, I had to believe for $100,000 a month. It was working—but it was a growing thing. It grew as our faith grew.

Satan will try to destroy your faith or take away from it by presenting temptations, tests and trials. The same is true when it comes to healing. You see, different people are at different levels when it comes to believing God for healing. Some people can believe God for getting rid of headaches, and some can believe God and get rid of cancer. The problem is most people flunk the test. They wait until it is a do or die situation, and some of them have never gotten to the level of believing God for those things. They have only a short period to believe God in the situation, and to grow up in faith, and they just can't do it.

The lust of the flesh is always a secondary plan apart from the Word of God. There is nothing wrong in taking medicine. It is not the ultimate or the best. It is not on the high level that God wants you, but not everybody is at that level. And some Christians are going to have to take medicine until they reach that higher level of faith. We have no right to condemn or put a Christian down because of this. There is danger and this is where you have to bring things down to a fine point. If a Christian knows the Word of God and he has reached the level of exercising his faith to where he can believe God for the healing of a headache (for it to be taken away, and be removed from his body, symptom and all), and the enemy comes against him with a headache, but the pain is bad, and he decides to take an aspirin. There is nothing wrong in him taking an aspirin. That is what he has decided to do to begin with. He will be operating on the faith level of taking the aspirin: his faith is in the aspirin. If this is where you are, bless God, go ahead and take the aspirin and don't let anybody condemn you over it.

However where the problem or the lust of the flesh comes in, is when you have said "I believe I have received healing for this headache, I'm healed, I'm whole, and I don't have a headache. I have received from the mighty hand of God." and thirty minutes later, you say, "I believe that I'll just go ahead and take an aspirin. It won't hurt anything." That is your old flesh hollering out, and crying out for a secondary plan to come in. It is saying that God's Word is not powerful enough to take the headache away. Paul said, "There is nothing evil within itself." The aspirin itself is not evil. It is the attitude of the heart. If you believed God for healing the headache, and then you come along and say that you will take the aspirin, then you're saying that God's Word isn't good or powerful enough. God watches over His word to perform it, and if you do this, you are calling Him "a liar," and you wonder why you can't get the blessings of God.

Some people say, "I'm believing God for the healing of my body, I believe that I receive the healing power of God. Should I take my medicine?"

If you are at this faith level, and you know that God has healed you (You believe that in your heart.), the medicine isn't going to cure you. Don't be drawn away by the lusts of your own flesh.

The lusts of the flesh is also the secondary plan that you will find in the business and financial realm. Some Christians have cultivated their faith to where they can pay their way as they go, but there are some who have not reached that level. They have just started out, and they had a past life, and they owe big bills. They are already living with the circumstances, and they are going to exercise their faith to come out of that. There is nothing wrong with borrowing money, if that is where your faith level is operating. But—if you come along and say, "I believe that I receive from God. He supplies my every need, and I won't borrow any money:" then if the old flesh starts hollering, "Yeah, but how is the money going to come in?" and the clamor, pressure, and fear will produce a certain element that drives you to sin, then you have succumbed to the lusts of the flesh.

Principle number seven: RECEIVE THE WORD—

"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21).

Receive the Word of God when you find yourself in all kinds of difficulties and troubles. Did you have a terrible day at the office? Did everything go wrong for you? Did you head for home and relax and put your feet up on the sofa and turn on the TV to relax? If you did, you received the word of men instead of the Word of God. That's the worst thing that you can do when you are in the middle of a temptation, test or trial. That is the time that you need to get your nose into the Scriptures and get God's Word on the inside of you. Get the good seed, the good sperm, down inside of you, and it will fall on the soil of your heart: it will spring up into life everlasting, and will bring you out of your difficulties. God will not force His Word upon you. That's why the Bible says "Study to shew thyself approved unto God . . . " (II Timothy 2:15). We have to put forth the effort to receive the Word of God. The Word is there but we have to receive it. We haven't received it even after we have read it many times.

You say, "What do you mean, we haven't really received it?"

Until you believe it in your heart, and say it with your mouth, you haven't really received it. Faith is in your heart and in your mouth. "Receive the Word."

Principle number eight: DO THE WORD—

"But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves:" (James 1:22).

We come now to the last principle: "Do the Word." It is not sufficient just to come home after a tough day and start reading the Word of God, and getting it down on the inside of you. That is the first step, but the next step is DO THE WORD.

You ask, "What do you mean, 'Do the Word'?"

I mean act the Word. Do exactly what the Word says for you to do. You talk the Word. You act the Word. Notice that last phrase: "... deceiving your ownselves" It isn't the devil that is deceiving you. Bless your sweet heart, if you receive the Word but you don't do the Word, you have deceived yourself. Don't go blaming anybody else. There are many Christians who are selfdeceived or self-deluded. They did it to themselves. You can stand there and blame the devil all you wish, and magnify, and glorify him, but you did it.

There you have it! Eight Principles to Use For Victory When Temptings, Testings, And Trials Come Against You:

1:    Count it all joy: REJOICE! (James 1:2)

2:    Ask God for wisdom (sophia). (James 1:5)

3:    Stay single-minded. (James 1:6-8)

4:    Persevere. (James 1:12)

5:    Don't say, "It's from God." (James 1:13)

6:    Don't be drawn away by the lusts of the flesh. (James 1:14-15)

7:    Receive the Word of God. (James 1:21)

8:    DO THE WORD! (James 1:22)

Buddy Harrison

Van Gale

How many times have you been in a situation that looked so hopeless and hurt so bad you began to think God either did not care or did not know you even existed? "Why, Lord, did this happen to me? What have I done? I’m serving you the best I know how" and still nothing. Every person that has ever seriously attempted to live his life for God has found himself in this situation one time or another. Far too many fine Christian people live most of their lives on this earth either in, going in, or coming out of this kind of misery and never have the slightest idea why. The terrible part is God usually gets the blame for the whole thing and satan gets off scott free. This just should not be so!

Buddy Harrison and Van Gale were only the instruments used in writing the book you are about to read. The Holy Spirit of God is the author. Read it thoroughly. Check and double check every scripture. Learn these eight principles as well as you know your own name and address. THEY WORK! Make your own check list of these eight steps and carry it with you. See to it that you never leave out one single principle every time you are faced with any temptation, test or trial. It’s time for Romans 8:37 to become a reality in your life. This book will help you come to that greatly desired place of victory in Jesus that our precious Redeemer so wants us all to enjoy.

JESUS IS LORD,

[1] The Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words by W. E. Vine 17th edition 1966; published by Fleming H. Revel Company USA.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Who's to Blame_for Temptations. Tests, and Trials?

A Look at Some Basic Word Meanings

The Words—Wisdom and Lust

Some Principles to Use for Victory

More Principles to Use_for Victory

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