I

Your many experiences of failure, of weakness, your many periods of negativity, can all be said to be God's trials. This is because everything comes from God, and all things and events are in His hands. Whether you fail or whether you are weak and you stumble, it all rests on God and is within His grasp. From God's perspective, this is a trial of you, and if you cannot recognize that, it will become temptation. There are two kinds of states that people should recognize: One comes from the Holy Spirit, and the likely source of the other is Satan. One is a state in which the Holy Spirit illuminates you and allows you to know yourself, to hate and feel remorse for yourself and to be able to have genuine love for God, to set your heart on satisfying Him. The other is a state in which you know yourself, but you're negative and weak. It could be said that this is God's refinement, and also that it is Satan's temptation.

II

If you recognize that this is God's salvation of you and if you feel that you are now deeply indebted to Him—and that from now on you'll try to make amends, stop dwelling in such depravity, and eat and drink God's words properly—and if you always consider yourself to be no good, and have a heart of longing, then this is God's trial. After the suffering has ended and you are once again moving forward, God will still lead, illuminate, enlighten, and nourish you. But if you do not recognize it and you are negative, abandoning yourself to despair, if you think in this way, then it means Satan's temptation has come upon you. When Job underwent trials, God and Satan were betting with each other, and God allowed Satan to afflict Job. Even though it was God trying Job, it was actually Satan that came upon him. For Satan, it was tempting Job, but Job was on God's side. If that had not been the case, then Job would have fallen into temptation. As soon as people fall into temptation, they fall into danger. Undergoing refinement can be said to be a trial from God, but if you're not in a good state, it can be said to be temptation from Satan.

from The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Those Who Are to Be Made Perfect Must Undergo Refinement