LEARNING DAILY

 

James 1:14-15, But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death.

 

I think of three of the men God used in the Bible and there is a common characteristic they shared. Solomon was perhaps the wisest man the world has ever known; he received wisdom from God. God gave Samson great strength by which he accomplished much. And, we know David was a godly man, a man after God’s own heart. But they each experienced moral failure (from an old set of notes from Community Bible Church).

 

The book of James warns the reader that temptations are going to come. When they come, we are warned that God does not tempt anyone to do evil. The word “temptation” refers to some difficulty or pressure that comes from the world we live in or it could come from Satan himself. God uses that temptation to try to prove our faith, and to develop perseverance and godly character so “that we may be perfect and complete , lacking nothing” (verse 4). A person who sins cannot avoid guilt by blaming God. Yes, God tests us but never with the intent of leading us into sin. He tests us in order to strengthen our faith.

 

Each of us is susceptible to the world’s and Satan’s temptations because we were born with a sin nature with its evil desires; in other writings I have called that the Kingdom of Self. If the evil desires are not put down immediately when they surface, one can be led to sin and even spiritual death. Yielding to temptation is sin. The temptation itself may be evil, but it is not sin. The notes in the David Jeremiah Study Bible state this: “Temptation is not just a single event but a process involving four stages: enticement [something that is used to attract or lure another], entrapment [caught in a trap through enticement], endorsement [another gives you approval for what has trapped you], and enslavement [when you become so trapped that you become a slave to it].” The [] are my definition of the words. Satan loves to take the everyday desires we have (those desires God has placed within us) and turn them into bait that lures us into desires that are ugly and evil. Each of us must be careful that we are not deceived into the ungodliness of these traps and falling and eventually failing in these traps.

 

James writes that we must face our trials with joy –not an easy choice to obey. Consider that these tests are for us to produce righteous fruit that God desires we have, and the trials are the only way we reach full maturity as we walk on the narrow way. Jesus said this would be a difficult way and He was right! The key to overcoming temptations is to not only resist them but changing one’s thought to think about what is pure and true and holy. Our beliefs, based on God’s Word, must not only be something talked about, they must be walked out in our lives.

 

That’s good teaching, Bob; be sure to walk in its truth!