But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself. – John 12:4-6, NLT
Have you ever wondered why Judas was in charge of the money? After all Mathew used to be a tax collector and had plenty of experience handling money. Why Judas Iscariot?
I believe part of God’s refining process allows us opportunities to experience victory. Another way of saying it is the areas you feel the most temptation are the exact areas God wants to work on so you can experience victory and freedom. Please don’t misinterpret that to mean that God is tempting you though.
For example, let’s say you have a bit of an anger problem. Several times a week or month you find yourself in situations where you almost get into a fist fight. In this example I believe God is trying to work through your anger issues so you can experience victory and freedom in this area. Eventually God will start highlighting another area He wants to work on like pride, food issues, fear, greed, trust issues, or sexual sin.
So next time you’re facing that temptation again, take hope. It’s not another situation where you’ll probably fail, it’s actually just a new opportunity to experience victory and freedom!