Over the past couple weeks we’ve learned that God will give us the wisdom to withstand the trials that we face along the journey toward maturity. Now we come to learning how to handle the spiritual-death-dealing process of temptation. The mature Christian is patient in trial. But we must understand that sometimes the trials we face on the inside are testing on the outside, and sometimes the testing on the outside become temptation on the inside. In light of all that we’ve learned about trials, it is important for us to know the truth about temptation.

 

James 1:13-18 has a lot to teach us about temptation. In this section of scripture we learn that the God is not the source of our temptation. Verse 13 reads “Let no one say when he is tempted," I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.

 

I think that before we move in to how to resist temptation we should know what the biblical view of temptations are! James use the Greek word peirazo and it comes from the root meaning to put someone to the test and is often used in the middle voice meaning that the action is being done to the person in mind. Here James stands firm in saying that when we are being temped God is not the one putting us to the test! What does this mean for us? Simple when we are caught in sin, don’t blame God for it! Yahweh’s character is such that He will not temp us with sin. Look at the last part of the verse ….and He Himself does not tempt anyone (James 1:13b).

 

This is reassuring for the believer, with all that Satan throws at us; God is not in the businesses of plying on more. This is because He is holy, let me say it like this; God is so Holy that He will not lead us into sinful places or situations. The source of our temptation lies within us. For us temptation is a result of our fallen nature that wages war within us. For many believers they only view temptation in the area of sex. This is because when they hear the word lust they think of sexual temptation only. Yet James provides us with the genealogy of temptation. He writes that there is the conception of sin (v.15a), which leads to the act of sin (v.15a); this leads to spiritual death (v.15b). And if we are truthful it sometimes leads to physical death as well.

 

Don’t become afraid because of this, James has provided us a God given solution for our temptations. Just as we can ask God for wisdom in our trials, we must remember the character of God in the mist of temptations. There is a statement that we say all the time, the question is do we fully mean it? “God is good!” This a true and powerful statement about the character of God. Because God is good, He will not change! He is the same yesterday today, and forever. So if James say God is not the cause of your temptation count on that! The next part of the solution is to remember the WORD of God. Sin in our lives has the power reproduces but so does the WORD of God! On this Jesus is the perfect example of use the Word of God to fight off the Devil (read Matt. 4:1-11). Also remember that the Word of God is so powerful within us, that if we feed our hearts and minds the Word we will live it and use it will dry up sin in our lives! The very last thing to remember is the plan of God for every believer (read Romans 8:1-11 Jer. 29:11-14). With that understanding you see that we are the first fruits in His plan, this means that we are special to God and that we mean a lot to Him. The solution to temptation is a steady focus on the Character, the Word and the Plan of God.

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