How To Turn Temptation Into Victory | Jonathan Cahn Sermon

When Trials Become Triumph: Turning Temptation Into Victory

When everything rises against your faith and you still stand firm—that’s when you discover if your faith is real. Anyone can believe when life is easy. But when storms hit, when hatred comes your way and you still choose to love—that’s when faith shows its true power.

The hardest seasons, the ones we dread, often bring the greatest change. Many of us came to salvation not during comfort, but in crisis. Scripture says, “It was good that I was afflicted,” because affliction produces transformation, repentance, and strength. Even the word “crisis” in Greek means decision. Every trial is designed to shape you, to make you more like Christ.

Paul called affliction “light and momentary” compared to the eternal weight of glory it produces. That means when you face temptation, when everything seems hopeless, when God feels silent—it’s not meaningless. It’s a test of faith. And faith, Peter says, is more precious than gold. Gold is tested by fire; faith is tested by opposition, stress, and resistance.

Think of muscles: without resistance, they grow weak. The same is true of faith, hope, love, and joy. Without testing, they stay shallow. But when your faith is opposed, it grows stronger. When love is tested by those who are hard to love, it deepens. When joy is tested in sorrow, it becomes genuine.

God allows trials not to destroy you but to refine you. Even the enemy, unknowingly, becomes a tool in God’s hands—like a harsh teacher whose tests only push you closer to your destiny. That’s why James says, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, for they will receive the crown of life.”

Temptation itself is a test. The angels are watching, God is watching, and heaven is cheering you on: Stand firm. Resist. Hold on. The blessing doesn’t come to those who never struggle—it comes to those who keep pressing forward even when it hurts.

And here’s the promise: God will never allow you to be tested beyond what you can bear. Every temptation comes with a way of escape. That means if you’re facing it—you are already able, through Christ, to overcome it.

Like Corrie Ten Boom giving thanks for fleas in a concentration camp—only to later realize those very fleas kept the guards away and saved her life—sometimes you won’t see the reason in the moment. But one day, you will.

So don’t give up. Don’t get discouraged. Your test is not the end; it’s the doorway to glory. Believe the victory before you see it, because in Christ, it is already won.