
James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
He tests and refines us. What is the difference between a test and a temptation? A test is more like the act of tempering metal. The Greeks and Romans used tempering in the process of making swords for use in battle. They took a piece of steel and put it in fire until it became hot enough that you could see into it and determine if there were any black spots in it. The black spots that the heat revealed were areas in which the molecules were not close enough together; they were weak areas.
When spots were discovered, they would put the hot sword on a steel anvil and hit it with a steel mallet several times. They would strike the spots and, as they hit them, the molecules would come together. They would keep hitting the steel until they couldn't see any more spots. Then they would put the sword in cold water and the steel would harden. After that, they would put the sword back in the fire until it became hot and malleable again, and they would look for additional spots.
If they found any, they would continue with the process until the sword was perfected, and ready for battle.
You never trust a sword that has not been tempered. The process is similar to how God tests us. Tempering means testing for weakness to ensure strength. Keep in mind, God doesn't need the tempering process in order to see your true secret "spots". The tempering is for your sake. He allows you to go through trails and tests so you can recognize what is hindering your life.