Character of God – Stephen Trammell

Real Temptation (2)

“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” James 1:13-14 (NIV) God is holy and God is love. The nature of God will not allow temptation to be an instrument of heaven. God cannot be tempted by evil because God is holy. As John MacArthur affirms, “God is aware of evil but untouched by it, like a sunbeam shining on a dump is untouched by the trash.” God is not the originator of temptation. God does not tempt anyone because God is love. In His love, God does not initiate temptation, but God will allow temptation to come into a person’s life. The temptation provides the opportunity to choose the righteous path and to bring honor to God through the proper response. When we choose to give in to temptation, we believe that it is the best option at that moment. Satan’s goal is to get us to doubt God’s Word and to doubt God’s best. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’” Gen 3:1 (NIV) God cannot be tempted by evil. God does not tempt anyone. How will you choose to respond to the temptation that God allows into your path? Will you take God at His Word and trust Him? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Omnipotence

“I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.” Psalms 63:2 (NIV) God is all-powerful. There is nothing God cannot do. Someone once asked me, “Can God make a rock so large that even He cannot lift it?” My response is that God would not make a rock that He could not lift because that would go against God’s nature and character. Weigh this reality, God is omnipotent. There is nothing God cannot handle. There is nothing God cannot solve. There is nothing God cannot remedy. “You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.” Psalms 77:14 (NIV) “Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” Romans 4:20-21 (NIV) “‘Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.’” Luke 1:36-37 (NIV) What giant are you facing? Do you believe that God is more powerful than your giant? Moses placed his trust in the power of God as he stood between the approaching Egyptian Army and the Red Sea. David placed his trust in God’s power as he stood before the towering giant, Goliath. Daniel rested in God’s power as he read between the lions. You can trust in God’s power to sustain you in seasons of uncertainty and deliver through seasons of adversity. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor