Consider It Pure Joy: Thinking Through Trials

Aug 02, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Trials Come, Lead With Joy

Trials arrive uninvited – flat tires, health crises, relational tensions. But James insists the first response must be intentional leadership, not passive suffering. Joy isn’t denial of pain but confidence in a sovereign God who authors growth. This joy becomes the compass directing believers through storms, anchoring them to divine purpose even when emotions scream otherwise. Perseverance begins when we choose to see trials as classrooms, not catastrophes. [41:25]

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4, ESV)

Reflection: What current trial feels like it’s “happening to you”? How might shifting your perspective to “this is happening for me” change your next step?

Day 2: Let Perseverance Finish Its Work

Trials are soil where roots grow deeper. Like a farmer cultivating stubborn ground, God uses pressure to produce unshakable endurance. Perseverance isn’t passive waiting but active obedience – doing what God last instructed until He intervenes. Abandoning the process mid-test only delays maturity. Every trial has an expiration date, but the character forged lasts eternally. [48:37]

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. (Romans 5:3–4, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been tempted to quit “doing what God said” in your trial? What one action can you recommit to today?

Day 3: Ask for Skill, Not Just Answers

Wisdom isn’t theoretical knowledge but practical skill – like learning to swing a hammer through blistered hands. God gives believers the ability to apply truth to messy situations, but doubt paralyzes. Requesting wisdom requires trusting His tools over our instincts. Hesitation breeds instability; bold asking unlocks divine competence. [54:22]

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. (James 1:5–6, ESV)

Reflection: What specific situation demands “skillful” wisdom rather than quick fixes? How will you actively trust God’s method today?

Day 4: Temptation’s Hook in Your Weakness

Pressure reveals preexisting vulnerabilities. Like toothpaste squeezed from a tube, trials expose what’s already inside. Temptation targets these raw places, offering counterfeit relief. Blaming circumstances ignores the internal battle. Victory begins by naming personal weaknesses before the squeeze comes. [01:09:06]

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. (James 1:13–14, ESV)

Reflection: What specific desire makes you most vulnerable under pressure? What practical safeguard can you implement this week?

Day 5: Look Up When Life Squeezes

Human solutions orbit self-reliance or crowd-sourced advice. James redirects focus upward – every enduring gift originates in the unchanging Father. Trials become traps when we scavenge for answers horizontally. Stability comes not from analyzing the storm but fixing eyes on the Gift-Giver who walks on waves. [01:14:05]

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been searching “around” instead of “above” for solutions? What one aspect of God’s character anchors you today?

Sermon Summary

James opens with a very practical word: think. Faith does not get measured by what a person says first. Faith gets revealed when life gets read. James, the brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem church, writes like a man who knows how to make things plain. “Let us not make it hard for a man to be saved” fits the way James handles life. Do not just hear it. Do it.

James begins with trials because trials are coming. The word is “whenever,” not “if ever.” Trials come in all kinds of sizes, shapes, and colors. A flat tire counts. A crushing season counts too. The trial is the soil where the test gets administered and where temptation often shows up. God tests, but God never tempts. God’s test does not come to ruin a person. God’s test comes to reveal what is already there and to produce something deeper.

James says to “consider it pure joy,” which means thinking accurately, almost like an accountant adding up the pluses and minuses. Joy is not happiness. Joy is confidence in God’s sovereignty. The first thought in a trial cannot be, “This is happening to me.” James pushes the believer to think, “This is happening for me.” Nothing enters a life that has not first come through God’s hands.

The testing of faith produces perseverance. Perseverance means doing what God already said to do for as long as it takes until God does what only God can do. The temptation is usually the shortcut, the easy exit, the pressure relief valve. The devil loves pressure packed situations because pressure exposes what is already in a person. Like toothpaste squeezed from a tube, what comes out was already inside.

James also says wisdom must be requested. Wisdom is not just accumulated experience. Wisdom is skill, the ability to apply biblical truth to real life. God gives that skill generously and without finding fault. But the person who asks must not doubt the tool God puts in hand. If God gives a hammer, the answer is not to demand a screwdriver.

James finishes by locating every real solution above, not within. Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father who does not shift like shadows. The answer does not lie within a person. The failure does. The believer looks up and says, “Lord, give strength and perseverance to hang in there as long as necessary.”

Key Takeaways

1. Think rightly before temptation hits [40:25] James makes thinking the first battlefield because feelings change, but God’s principles do not. A trial interpreted only by emotion will drag a person around. A trial interpreted through God’s sovereignty can be led through with clarity instead of panic. [40:25]
2. Trials produce, not merely take [53:15] The test of faith is not sent to strip a person bare for no reason. James says it produces perseverance, and perseverance becomes the ground for character and hope. A believer who sees only loss may miss the work God is forming underneath the pressure. [53:15]
3. Perseverance keeps obeying God [49:03] Perseverance is not heroic energy or religious grit. Perseverance keeps doing what God already said to do until God does what only God can do. The shortcut usually feels like relief, but obedience is the stable road through the trial. [49:03]
4. Wisdom is skillful obedience [54:22] James does not define wisdom as having a lot of information or years of experience. Wisdom is the ability to apply biblical truth to the exact situation at hand. God gives that skill generously, and he does not shame the person who finally asks for it. [54:22]
5. Temptation exposes inner desire [01:09:06] James refuses to let circumstances become an excuse for sin. Pressure may explain how a person got there, but pressure does not create what comes out. The squeeze reveals the desire already inside, which is why honest naming matters before the lure gets a hook in the heart.

## [69:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[20:04] - No Good Deeds Series Introduction
[32:20] - Faith Revealed By Life
[32:55] - James And Practical Faith
[35:46] - Applying The Word Through Communion
[36:13] - What Was I Thinking?
[40:25] - The Big Idea: Think In The Trial
[40:58] - Consider It Pure Joy
[45:32] - Trials, Tests, And Temptations
[48:08] - Testing Produces Perseverance
[53:48] - Proper Thinking Leads Perseverance
[54:22] - Wisdom As Biblical Skill
[60:16] - Asking Without Doubting
[66:01] - God Tests But Never Tempts
[73:27] - Every Good Gift Comes From Above
[74:57] - Naming The Current Trial
[77:00] - Communion And Response

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

James 1:2-4
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” [40:58]

James 1:5-6
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” [54:22]

James 1:13-14
“Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” [01:06:01]

James 1:17
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” [01:13:27]

Observation questions

In James 1:2-4, what does James say trials produce, and what is the end result if steadfastness finishes its work?
What different words or stages were used to describe what can happen in hard seasons: trial, test, and temptation? [45:09]
How was wisdom described: not just as information or experience, but as what kind of ability? [54:22]
According to James 1:13-14, where does temptation come from, and what picture was used to describe how desire gets exposed under pressure? [01:09:27]

Interpretation questions

James says to count trials as joy, not because pain is pleasant, but because joy rests in God’s sovereignty. How does that change the meaning of a hard situation? [43:25]
The testing of faith produces perseverance. Why is perseverance more than just gritting one’s teeth, and how does that help a believer know what faithfulness looks like in a long trial? [49:03]
James tells believers to ask God for wisdom without doubting. What does it look like to doubt the very answer God gives, and why does that leave a person unstable? [01:00:28]
James says temptation comes from one’s own desire, not from God. Why is it important to distinguish between an explanation for sin and an excuse for sin? [01:09:09]

Application questions

What is a present trial, test, or temptation that needs to be named honestly before God right now? What makes it hard to name plainly? [01:14:57]
When pressure rises, is the first instinct usually “This is happening to me” or “God can work through this for me”? What would it look like to change that first thought this week? [44:31]
Perseverance means continuing to do what God already said to do until God does what only God can do. In one current situation, what is the next act of obedience that already seems clear? [49:03]
Trials often create a desire for quick relief. What shortcuts or “pressure relief valves” tend to look attractive in stressful seasons? [01:06:35]
Pressure reveals what is already inside. When life squeezes hard, what usually comes out first: anger, fear, withdrawal, self-pity, control, escape, or something else? What might that reveal? [01:09:39]
God gives wisdom generously. Where is wisdom especially needed right now: in words, relationships, habits, decisions, or endurance? What would asking in faith look like in that area? [59:52]
Every good and perfect gift comes from above. In a hard season, what helps a believer stop looking within for the answer and start looking up to God for strength? [01:14:17]

Sermon Clips

49s

#PersevereKeepPraying

“``the biggest mindset change we need is when trials become tests or temptations, they're not sent to take anything from us, but to produce something within us. Perseverance. That God knows when it's time for us to increase our level of perseverance. And perseverance, this word literally in the Greek means, you keep doing exactly what God told you to do for as long as you have to do it until God does what only he can do. You keep doing what God told you to do for as long as you've got to do it till God does what only he can do. Period. Persevere, just keep doing what God told you to do for as long as you have to do it. So if God said pray, keep praying, keep praying, keep praying, keep praying, keep praying, keep praying.”

53s

#LookUpNotWithin

“Here's the last place you ever wanna look for a solution when you're in the midst of a trial that becomes a test of the temptation. Do not look within. That's so that's so new age y and I mean, the answer lies within you. No. No, it doesn't. No. No. The complete utter failure that's about to happen lies within me. Like within me, Paul said, there's nothing good. don't look around you. Because where does every good and perfect gift come from? You gotta look above you. It comes from heaven. It it comes like it comes down from the father of of the heavenly lights who doesn't change like shifting shadows. He's there. And he proved it. He sent his perfect son and his perfect spirit. One to die for you, one to live in you. Why would you look anywhere else? Look up.”

52s

#TrialsProduceHope

“Do what I told you to do. I'm gonna show up and do what only I can do. And when we don't, yeah, we back out of the situation too soon, you're coming back to it again because God has a plan for you that you would be mature and complete lacking nothing. You're gonna lack nothing. And see, James can confidently say that because he knows that the testings of your faith produces. It's not about taking. That might be the most important change of mind that you have. That God does not allow things to come into your life to take something from you. It's to produce something within you, and that which he produces becomes something so profound character and hope. So you know what? Hang in there.”

71s

#PressureRevealsWhatsInside

“But each person is tempted when they're dragged away by their own evil desire. It isn't what's happening to you, it's what's going on within you. That's why we gotta think differently. I would never have done that had it not been for this. You're blaming the circumstances. Now, you can use the circumstances to explain how you got there. But when you use that as an excuse for what you did while you were there, that doesn't work. You see, if you go and buy a tube of toothpaste and you pop that cap off and you squeeze it, toothpaste comes out of it. Right. Right. Because that's what's in it. And when we're in pressure packed situations and the cap of life comes off and we get squeezed, what comes out of you has already been in you. You don't get to blame the squeeze, the pressure. It's already in there. It's the evil desire that resides within every human being.”

47s

#ThinkRightNotFeel

“We gotta get our head around the reality of life is going to be full of trials. Some that God leads us right into, and he's going to test who we are because he wants to reveal to you. Sometimes he wants to remove, you know, like you're heating up gold and you wanna pull the slag off the top, but God doesn't test to ruin. Okay? And God never tempts. So you better understand the difference between what is a test and what is a temptation. And how do you do that? By thinking rightly. You're never gonna feel your way through this. Okay? And that's the power of this entire book, but certainly chapter one. So today's big idea is what we think in the trial will determine how we respond to the temptation.”

48s

#LookToGodForStrength

“Don't look around. There is a certain point where advice and don't question that helps. But when push comes to shove, there's only one direction to look. Lord, you are my strength. You are my refuge in an hour of need. I don't know how I got here, but you do. If you would, please do me a favor. Get me out of here. If not, give me the strength and perseverance to hang in as long as I need to hang in there. Amen. You told me you can't do that? Because I know where the solution's coming from. Because every good and perfect gift comes from above. Comes from above.”

53s

#UnshakableConfidenceInGod

“Because if you don't have joy, confidence, okay, in the sovereignty of God regardless of the circumstances of your life, okay, you're never going to be able to interpret what's going on around you and hopeful and maybe to you. You've got to have that cognitive mindset that says, nothing enters my life that didn't first come through his hands. I'm gonna live with unshakable confidence in the power, plan and purposes of God for my life regardless of my circumstances. If he's bringing me to it, he's gonna bring me through it. He sees more in me than I see in myself. He would not let this happen because he's never gonna test me so that I fail. He's gonna test me to prove that I can pass. He's gonna reveal that there's more in me than I could ever pass. In fact, he thinks more of me than I think of myself. Well, praise God Almighty. That's your first thought.”

53s

#LeadDontBeDragged

“It's to lead. Don't allow your circumstances to drag you around. You take the lead. It's a word that's used for capable, competent leaders, generals who who take the lead on situations and circumstances. So you can't in other words, do not approach what's happening in your life passively. Don't allow it to just happen to you. This is happening to me. Stop that thought. What are you gonna do now? How are you gonna lead? How are gonna lead your way through it? Sometimes you gotta learn to lead your way around it. But if you're not thinking rightly, you're never gonna lead powerfully. So the first thing James tells us in this entire letter is the most practical thing you and I got to learn how to do is to think rightly.”

60s

#KeepDoingUntilGodActs

“So you may as well hang in there now. Start thinking rightly about what's happening, That this is ordained by a sovereign God, that he must see within me the ability to keep doing what he's told me to previously do, knowing full well that he's going to show up and do what only he can do. And in the midst of that, there's gonna be some testings that will reveal to me. There's a whole lot more to me than I originally thought. But I also have to understand the devil's going to come and tempt me because he wants to destroy me in the midst of this. Correct. Take yourself back to Christ in the wilderness. Think about forty days with no food and with no water. Think about the vulnerability of inadequacy of natural resources that you need in your life. And just know, when you're there, the devil's going to come and offer you multiple shortcuts to alleviate the situation and the pressure and the pain and the suffering. And God would say to you, don't do that.”

50s

#WisdomIsApplyingTruth

“Most people would tell you that wisdom is the sum total of the accumulative information and experiences that you've had, you put together and you live your life based on that. That's that's not biblical wisdom. I don't know what that is, to be quite honest with you. Maybe the sum total of experience. Wisdom biblically is skill. It's ability. It's the ability to pull apply biblical information. This has nothing to do with the sum total of anything other than your ability to apply it. Right? Because Jesus in Luke two fifty two grew in wisdom, stature and favor with man. Did he have to grow in knowledge? No. In him all the fullness of deity lived in bodily form, he knew everything. What did he have to grow in as a human being? The ability to properly apply that.”

79s

#IdentifyYourWeakness

“And what we have to do is logically think about those properly. Think about it. As soon as the trial starts, can feel the pressure. Where's my weakness? Where's my vulnerabilities? What's my gap? Call it out because that's where it's coming from. Okay? Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to something. Isn't that nasty? Sin. And when it's full grown, it gives birth to death. a terrible spiral. Right? Don't be deceived my dear brothers and sisters. Don't be. You gotta consider the conditions that you find yourself in, so you don't make matters worse. You gotta think about where are you? What's going on? What's my weakness, think, think, think, think, think. What do we usually do when the pressure gets on? Feel, feel, feel, feel, feel. Think. Think. Think. What's the first thing I think? This is great. Pure joy. The sovereign God of heaven has trusted me with this experience. I know I'm gonna pass the test because he doesn't test me to fail me. He tests to prove to me. But I also know one thing, the devil ain't far behind. He's coming. I know what my weakness is. I know what Tori's coming on. He's gonna knock on that door and I gotta decide what am I gonna do with it.”

54s

#PrepareResistTemptation

“If you're in the trial phase, get ready for the test because God's doing it to prove something to you. If you're in the test phase, get ready for the temptation because the devil's gonna try and destroy you. He wants you to fail. God knows you're gonna pass. Don't cooperate with evil. Write it down. Don't put your name, you can even just put a buzzword. This is between you and the Lord. This is you saying, you know what? I'm not gonna be just a hearer of God's word today. I'm actually gonna put this the practice. I know the first thing I gotta do when I feel a trial coming is to start thinking rightly. Thank God for it because he's in it with me. Get prepared for the test that I know I'm gonna pass. And by gosh, keep your head on the swivel because the temptation's coming. What was yours? What is yours? Name it,”

45s

#FeelingsAreNotFinal

“Because most times, as you'll see today, what we generally use to make the significant decisions of our life is feelings. Now, feelings are imperative and feelings are important and are not to be denied, they're not to be suppressed, they're just not to be relied on because they change. God's principles don't. Even Jesus had to grow in wisdom, stature and favor with man. Luke two fifty two. So it's not unheard of that we would have to do the very same thing. And it's imperative, as James is gonna tell us today, that when you're facing trials that most often become tests, if you don't think rightly, you will fail at the temptation.”

30s

#ConsiderItPureJoy

“That's your first thought. When the trial starts, you've got to go to his sovereignty. You gotta think what's the first thought. Is this happening to me? No, it's not happening for you. It's it's happening not to you, but for you. Because God's got something in store for you. So consider it pure joy, unadulterated, unfiltered, not polluted, right from his hands, joy.”

40s

#PerseveranceBuildsCharacter

“And you can look at every character because he's trying to develop something character, Christ like character, because that Christ like character begins to give you hope. Because if you get through a trial that became a test and a temptation, you're gonna have a lot more character the next time one comes, aren't you? Because you're gonna be able to look back and lean back into your previous experience and say, you know what? Perseverance worked. It literally worked. All I had to do was keep doing what God told me to do. He didn't ask you to change your circumstances, didn't ask you to change your situation. He simply asked you to do what he previously told you to do for as long as you have to do it till he enters in and does what only he can do.”

46s

#ApplyTruthGainUnderstanding

“awakening, to be honest with you, is that biblical information rightly applied leads to understanding. Biblical information rightly applied leads to understanding. And understanding in the Greek New Testament is like that word synthesis. It's like that's when the light goes on. That's when all of a sudden you begin to have epiphanies and awakenings like, oh my God, like the Bible said, pray without ceasing. I prayed without ceasing, and I got through the situation. Bing. So what do you do the next time you find yourself in a situation? Please tell me you would pray without ceasing. Right? Because you applied that and you have an understanding because you've had an experience with it.”

55s

#NoExcusesPrepare

“He knows you're looking for a worm or you're looking for a small goldfish. He knows what what you're gonna eat, and he lures you. And what we need is a mindset. And that's why we can't we gotta think correctly. There's no excuse. No excuse even when there's a real solid explanation. No excuse even when there's a solid explanation. That might very well be the overall theme of this entire letter. No excuse even though you got a legitimate explanation. Because now you know it's coming. Trial, test, temp. Trial, test, temp. Trial, test, tempt. It's coming. What's your weakness? Where's the area of weakness? Be prepared because that's where the enticement's going to come. He's not I'm telling you, never gonna be enticed to rob a bank. That is not happening.”

48s

#WeighProsAndCons

“Consider the pluses and the minuses. Right? Consider the benefits and the drawbacks. You've got to be a person who literally thinks about things, that you're capable of evaluating situations, the benefits and the cons, the pros and the cons, the pluses and the minuses. You can't just allow yourself to feel your way through the trials of life, because your feelings can deceive you, as we all know. And feelings aren't bad, don't get me wrong. God made us be people who feel because it gives us gives us the type of evidence and information we need at times to help figure out what situation we're in and why we're in it. But you at the end of the day, it comes down to you gotta think.”

61s

#PressureBreedsTemptation

“It's awful. I'm telling you. But God is so good. And are you not tempted in the midst of that to take shortcuts? Absolutely. Like, I'll tell you this straight up, pornography is the devil's favorite weapon against men who are under pressure. I'll prove it in a second, but that's the bottom line. Because he knows you're under so much pressure in other areas that all we just need to escape from a for a moment and drugs and alcohol and all kinds of other things. These are all pressure relief valves. And when you I'm telling you, every time you're tempted, I would be willing to bet you're living a life that is either completely under pressure or you're not living for the Lord. Right? So he's gonna put you in a situation to teach you that, but the temptation still comes from being finding yourself in a pressure packed situation where all you really want is a normal desire fulfilled, but you look to fulfill it in an inordinate way. Look at Christ in the wilderness.”

28s

#DoLifeTogether

“And you know what you're gonna do? You're gonna keep coming back to the same situation over and over and over again till you learn to persevere. What's the perseverance for you in that situation? God says, do not do life alone. It's not good for man to be alone. That Christ displayed the example of doing life together with other people at all shapes and sizes. From large group gatherings all the way down to meeting one guy at night, Nicodemus, and everything in between.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Crossland Community Church This sermon · AI assistant

What is the first thought during a trial?

How does James distinguish trial test and temptation?

Why must believers ask God for wisdom?