James 1:12-15
Trauma is awful, disturbing, horrible, overwhelming, painful, terrible, tragic, unbearable, and unsettling. We may recognize this for what it is when it comes to cases that we deem emergencies such as the loss of property and health scares. However, trauma goes far beyond just that, trauma is another word for being tempted, and the trials of life that we all go through.
Trauma begins the second that we are birthed into this world. Do you know that it is traumatic for a newborn to experience living outside of his or her Mother’s womb and now having to depend on being cared for outside of this environment that met all of his or her needs?
As newborn babes in CHRIST JESUS though we much like a Mother is excited about the birth of their precious bundle of joy. We are elated in our being birthed into the Kingdom of our FATHER who is GOD Almighty. We get to spend eternity in HIS presence, in the presence of CHRIST JESUS our MESSIAH, and in the presence of Holy Spirit. We get to live with Adam and Eve, Moses, Caleb, Joseph, King David, Abraham, all of the disciples and apostles as well as many of the Champions written about in the Old Testament and New Testament that are too numerous to name. We get to live with family and friends who believed in JESUS that went to sleep in CHRIST JESUS before we did. This is exciting, we know at that very moment that we are forgiven of our sins. And this exhilaration lasts for a good while until it no longer does.
This is traumatic, we are unprepared for what comes next which are the old desires that we once had while still yet sinners, the same company that we once kept while still sinners. The places that we still like to go to when we were still sinners. We may find ourselves beginning again to speak as we all once did while we were sinners. The reason for this is that we are not aware through our true self our spirit man is perfect and that we have perfection living within us who is The FATHER and JESUS. We are unaware without proper teaching of how we may escape the trappings that are formed from sin.
Just as a newborn baby must learn how to survive in their new environment, we too must learn how to survive in this sinful world and how to speak our heavenly language as well as how to speak not to but with our FATHER, our SAVIOR JESUS, and Holy Spirit. Salvation is just the beginning of our being Born-Again we all should be baptized in Holy Spirit who is our Comforter and Teacher. Who, will give to us knowledge, understanding, wisdom, power, and strength from day to day. Without Holy Spirit, though we are saved in CHRIST JESUS and we will have the assurance of going to heaven, we will continue to experience trauma basically in the same manner as we did without receiving our free gift of salvation from The FATHER through JESUS The CHRIST.
When we experience moments of temptation yet do not give in to them then we will be blessed because we remained true to our faith in JESUS. Yes, this is what temptations aim to do, it is to come and try to destroy the love and faith that we have for CHRIST JESUS. Our faith will always be tested until we fall asleep in CHRIST JESUS but there will be times when we will give in to temptations and there will be times when we will be victorious over those temptations. Know this because many of us are not aware of this fact, temptations are actually a testing of our faith. It will show us just how strong or weak we are in various areas of our life. However, each time we overcome a temptation our DADDY will reward us with a glorious life and with a crown of life. As for me, I like to think that each time we overcome temptation, each time we prove to ourselves that we are strong in our faith over something our crown will be bedazzled with more precious gems and will be lengthened in height upward. Our glorious life and the receiving of a crown of life is a promise to us all who demonstrate our love for JESUS through being obedient to what we know in the Word of GOD.
Warning! never blame GOD because we are being tempted. GOD cannot be tempted by evil and wickedness so it is true to say that because it is not of HIM and that HE cannot be tempted that HE cannot tempt us. We are like our FATHER we cannot give out what is not in us. Temptation is not in GOD our FATHER nor is it in JESUS or Holy Spirit.
Temptations come to us from hell and it tantalizes our flesh. Hell delivers to us what it knows we have already experienced. It can be an outburst of anger, being a thief, immoral sex, alcohol and or drug use, or other various pleasures which are numerous. These temptations are known as our own desires for example; when a person is unruly towards us, is our first indication to react and give it right back, or are we proactive being loving, smiling, and speaking kindly? Another example that I can think of is this; do we participate in negative gossip about people, circumstances, and situations instead of gossiping positively about people, circumstances, and situations? Temptations are meant to drag us down and off through traps. Our evil desires that we give into and most often are done quickly without thought but rather through instinct cause us to sin and when sin is finished with us it leaves us dead.
Remember, that we are overcomers and have victory through CHRIST JESUS. Always, when being tempted s-l-o-w down and think before you react and speak. What works for me when people are unruly towards me is that I recall that JESUS died for that person just as HE did for me and that HE did so because HE loves that person just as HE loves me. That JESUS desires that the person comes to HIM and takes the free gift offered called Salvation. And, before you know it I am smiling and saying encouraging words to the person. No, I am not preaching because at that moment I know that the person will not hear me. Most likely, the person may not have heard me respond out of love for him or her. But there is the possibility that later at some point GOD will bring to that person’s remembrance what happened between us and possibly feel remorse for acting as she or he did. But if I reacted in the manner in which the individual had then GOD will not get the glory and I will have been an embarrassment especially if it is known that I am a CHRISTian.
Be ready loved ones, some of us do not experience temptations daily or several times a week. Be encouraged because if you fail the test the testing of your faith will be presented to you again and again until you pass that test. Once you pass the test you will never be tempted in that area again. I have failed many times until I came to the knowledge of knowing that though I am being tempted that it also is a testing of my faith. I stopped thinking about the temptation/trauma and began to think about passing that test and I think that each time that I pass the test I hear angels singing. HALLELUJAH if I am correct but if not I know that when I realize that I pass the test I feel good.
I have a testimony that I will like to share with you for me it was incredibly traumatic. I lost my home and all of my possessions to a fire. I sat there and watched my home go up in smoke. I could have easily through my tears given into temptation and questioned GOD as to why. But I rose above that and began to praise GOD that my family escaped, that I escaped, that HE is GOD Almighty and will help me because HE is my Provider. I continued to praise GOD amid this trauma that hit me in my gut and left me limp. It took time before I found a home and furnished it and purchased clothes and shoes and everything else needed. For over a year I felt the sensation of being overwhelmed and unsettled. To my surprise, people from everywhere that heard about what happened to me began to financially help me and donated their substances. To this day, over nine years later, those that I have access to I will reach out to them because I am still grateful for their help. I believe that had I given into the temptation to blame GOD for this trauma that I was experiencing which was of no fault of my own or my family, I would have not experienced all the many blessings that came my way from those who were near as well as those that were at one time far from me. As well as from strangers to me but known by my family and friends, they too donated to me. To GOD be all the glory! For every lesson learned through those traumas/temptations.
AMFBeM © TM