James 1:13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.

When people face a negative experience in their life, one of the first things they may say is, “God is…” (God is making me go through these trials, God is testing my faith, or God is withholding my blessing from me.) Let’s breakdown the reason for negative experiences in our lives.

If negative things are happening in our life, we must first evaluate ourselves. We must ask the questions, “Am I doing everything God told me to do?” and “Am I obeying God in every area in my life?” If not, this is the reason for the negative experience. We must repent, get back on track by obeying God, and learn from our mistakes.

For those who are living holy, the Bible says let no man say he is tempted by God and the blessing of the Lord makes you rich and adds no sorrow to it. God may allow some things to happen to grow us up spiritually but, He doesn’t cause them. God literally gives Satan just enough access in our lives to challenge our faith. During these challenging times, we have the choice to stand strong in faith or roll over and let Satan wreak havoc in our lives. Remember, God won’t allow more on us than we’re able to handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). If we’re going through it, He has equipped us to overcome this challenge. To get through these challenges we must do all the Holy Spirit instructs us to do (pray, read the Bible, fast, etc.). When the storm has passed we can look up and say we are stronger, wiser, better, and it drew us closer to God like never before.

Evaluate yourselves and know the cause of your storm.