Genesis 22:1
"And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am."
A strange statement is made in the verse above when it says, "that God did tempt Abraham,..."
When you think of temptation, you normally equate it with Satan and your flesh. We rarely, if ever, equate temptation with God. Yet, God tempted Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his only son.
You must understand that there is a difference between God tempting us and Satan tempting us. Satan tempts us to do wrong, while God tempts us to do right. Satan tempts our flesh, while God tempts our faith. Satan tempts us to destroy us, while God tempts us to build us. Satan's temptation always leads to heartache, while God's temptation always leads to fulfillment. Satan's temptation destroys our potential, while God's temptation increases our potential.
Temptation doesn't always have to deal with sin. In fact, God tells us that He will not tempt us with sin in James 1:13 when He says, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:" James 1:2 shows us that there are different types of temptations when He says, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;" So, you must understand that the Scriptures do not teach that God doesn't tempt us, but that He doesn't tempt us to do wrong.
So, what is the purpose of God's temptation? James 1:3-4 shows us that purpose when it says, "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." God's purpose for tempting us is to grow our patience and faith so that we can be a more complete Christian. The purpose of God's temptation is to get us to do more right than what we are doing now. God tempts us to step out on that which we normally would not do so that our influence and faith will reach more people for Him.
Friend, is God tempting you? You can always discern God's temptation because it has nothing to do with your flesh. You will find that when God tempts you, your flesh will want nothing to do with it. Abraham didn't want to sacrifice his only son, and that was how he was able to discern that it was God's temptation. When God tempts you, your flesh will immediately step in and tell you that you shouldn't do it because it is foolish. Yet, God's temptation is trying to grow your faith.
Furthermore, just like you must yield to the temptation of the flesh to sin, you must yield to God's temptation if you are going to grow your faith. You must always remember that God has never tempted you to hurt you, but his temptation will always bring greater joy and fulfillment. God's desire is that you will become a Christian who is "perfect and entire, wanting nothing." In other words, God is simply trying to make you the type of Christian who doesn't lack in any area of your life.
Yes, God can tempt you, and when He tempts you, you should yield to His temptation. God is trying to lure you into doing more good so He can bless you more. Certainly, it takes faith to trust God's temptation, but God has never led you to wrong in the past, and He certainly isn't going to start leading you to wrong today. I challenge you to accept God's temptation and see what great work He has in store for you.