By Stephen Wolemonwu

Jeremiah 38:1-13; James 1:1-15

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” James 1:12:

Introduction
Saying the truth most times brings trouble, but trouble will not last forever, and God crowns those who endure. Two men, separated by over 600 years, preached the same sermon with their lives. One lived it, one explained it. Jeremiah went into a miry pit because he told the truth. James tells us why every believer must at some point go into a pit for telling the truth. When we are faced with these challenges; God uses vessels; sometimes vessels that are not familiar to bring us out.

Could it be that the reason your faith has never brought you into conflict is because you have not yet spoken the whole truth? Remember, our Lord Jesus did not suffer because He deceived; He suffered because He declared, ‘I am the Truth.’ And the Truth is never silent, never convenient, never safe. It confronts, exposes, and demands a response. To follow Christ is not merely to believe quietly, but to proclaim boldly, even when the cost is great.

•The Cause Of Our Trials: Our Faithfulness to the Truth
Scripture: Jer 38:1-4, James 1:2-3
Why was Jeremiah hated? Was it because he was immoral? No. Was it because he was rebellious? No. Jeremiah did not fall into the cistern because of sin, but because he spoke the Word of God faithfully. He stood before kings and princes and declared what God had said: ‘Surrender, and you will live.’ And the princes cried out, ‘Let this man be put to death, for thus he has spoken the truth!’ (Jeremiah 38:4).

Truth always offends power. Truth unsettles the comfortable. Truth exposes the hidden. James calls it ‘diverse temptations’—trials that come not because we are faithless, but because we are faithful. Your faith is not just what you believe in silence; your faith is the truth you dare to speak aloud. And make no mistake because the devil does not fight you for what you don’t believe. He fights you for the truth you proclaim, because truth is dangerous to darkness.

So, like Jeremiah, do not be surprised when your faith draws opposition. Do not be shaken when your obedience brings trials. For the cistern was not Jeremiah’s defeat, but his testimony. And every trial you face for the sake of truth becomes a witness that your faith is alive, unshaken, and unstoppable.”

A man who sells pure honey in a market where everyone dilutes theirs will be hated not because his honey is bad, but because his pure honey exposes the fake ones. Your pure life, your refusal to lie, to bribe, to join gossip, to compromise – it convicts others.

Don’t be surprised when standing for truth at work, in family meetings, or even in church; brings you persecution. It is not a sign that God has left you; it is a sign that you are carrying His Word faithfully.

• The Character Of Our Trials: Temporal, Not Terminal
(Jer 38:6-10; James 1:4, 11-12)

Note two things: First, it was a cistern, not a grave. It had no water at that moment, but it was built to hold water again. Your trial has boundaries. It is a cistern, not an endless abyss. No challenge or trial lasts forever—it is temporary. Jeremiah’s pit was deep, miry, without water, and death seemed certain—but it was not his final destination. In verse 10, the king himself commanded, ‘Take thirty men… and lift Jeremiah out.’ James 1:11 reminds us that like the flower of grass, trials fade. They have an expiry date. And in verse 4, James declares, ‘Let patience have her perfect work.’ God did not prevent the pit, but He provided a deliverer in the pit.

• Venerable Stephen Wolemonwu is the Rector Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State (08035413812)