You Can Resist Temptation

 James 1:13-15

13 And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. 14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.  

Let's Stop the Blame Game

By Karen Burkhart

Blaming others for our own sinful actions is a protective maneuver that goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden.  When confronted by God for eating the forbidden fruit, Adam responded with, "It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it" and then Eve followed his lead and added, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate it."  The truth is they each had the power to say no to the temptation but instead gave in to their fleshly appetites.  Two people who literally walked and talked with their Creator in the garden should have known that not even a thought could escape God's detection, but humans are remarkably skilled at deceiving ourselves to justify the evil we desire.  

Not much has changed since the Garden.  People are still blaming each other and the Devil for the temptations they face and choices they make.  Occasionally, desperate people even blame God.  Most of us know better than to think God actively entices or wills us to sin.  Still, we sometimes try to pass the buck with ideas like: "If God had prevented me from losing my job, I wouldn't have cheated on my taxes" or "If God hadn't made me this way, I never would have begun this affair." We may feel better about ourselves believing we aren't capable of being tempted or sinning without being externally set-up, but the fact remains: we don't need any "help" at all.  You see, everyone born after Adam and Eve was born with not just the capacity to sin but a nature of sin.  This means that sin comes naturally to us, and we can not be good on own own.  

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone (Mark 10:18).

All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one (Psalm 14:3).

Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

But thanks be to God; He is good and made a way through the death and resurrection of His Son to pass on His righteousness (goodness) to those who believe and place their hope of salvation in Him. Unfortunately, as long as we are on this side of heaven, we will continue to face temptation to sin.  In fact, no one is immune to temptation--not even Jesus.  Remember when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights? The difference between Jesus and us is that even in the face of that prolonged temptation Jesus never sinned.  From this we learn that being tempted isn't itself sin--it's how we respond to it that matters: will we squash it or allow it to grow?  Thankfully, God hasn't left us powerless in our war against our flesh. Though we will never be sinless, by God's grace, we can sin less.  

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Prayer Practice

Spoken Prayer – Dear Lord, I come to you today acknowledging that inside me are fleshly desires that are in opposition to You.  I confess that sometimes when temptation comes, I linger and cherish sinful thoughts instead of capturing them and making them obey You.  Please strengthen me against these temptations so I can live a life that is pleasing and glorifying to You.  In Jesus' name, Amen.