**Daily Devotional** **September 7** *2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. - James 1:2-3 (KJV)* Many have taken this verse and said that it means that God is the one who puts problems and temptations on us, but that is not so. In this same chapter, James goes on to say that we are never tempted by God (James 1:13-14), making it clear that God does not ever tempt us with evil. What this is saying is that we should rejoice when we are tempted, and problems come our way, as God will see us through the temptation, and we will be even stronger for it. The bible tells us that all who live godly for Christ, will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12), so all us Christians can expect to be persecuted. The great news is that Jesus has promised that He will never leave us, or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), so we know that we will overcome any persecution by the devil. The fact that we do suffer persecution will only cause us to learn to be more patient, and by exercising our faith to overcome persecution, it will make our faith even stronger. Throughout history, the church has shown its greatest growth during times of persecution and oppression, so that shows that what the devil means for harm, God can just use it for good. This has always been the case, as God’s wisdom is so superior to any man’s wisdom (1 Corinthians 3:19), that He can always use any circumstances to bring glory to Himself. Praise God for giving us this wisdom, in our born again spirits (1 Corinthians 2:16), so that we may understand the spiritual world better. Thank you Lord. Devotional by Pastor Joe W. Green, www.infinite-faith.com