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.” James 1:13 NAS

We all struggle with it…the dreaded “T” word …temptation!   No one is immune from the lure of the bait! It’s out there waiting, enticing us to take the bait.  And we have a choice to make.

Angie writes in Day Two:

“Sin doesn’t just happen, it’s a process.  Our desires tempt us and we have to make a choice. Are we going to turn from temptation or walk toward it? When we turn away, we employ the power of the resurrection to claim our new life in Christ, having been freed from the bondage of sin.  When we walk toward it, which we all do in thought or action on a daily basis, we’ve given birth to sin, which brings forth death.”

Temptation comes from evil desires within us.  It’s that sin nature that sets it off.  It all begins with an evil thought, and then it becomes sin when we dwell on that thought, and then the thought turns into an act.  It has a snowballing effect, and the sin grows more destructive the more we let it have its way.

People who live for God often wonder why they still have temptations.  We ask ourselves, “God, why are you tempting me?”  However, God does not tempt anyone.  God allows Satan to tempt us in order to refine our faith and help us grow in our dependence on Jesus Christ.  The good news is that we can resist temptation to sin by turning to God for strength and choosing to obey His Word.

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. James 1:12 NAS

So how do escape temptation?  We may never escape it, but we can overcome it, by staying in God’s Word.  God’s Word gives us the power to deny temptation!  Jesus understands what we are going through when we experience temptation in our lives, because of His own experience with temptation.

Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:18 NIV

Jesus has experienced everything we experience, and He has compassion on us when we are suffering pain and temptation.  Jesus understands our struggles, because He faced them as a human being Himself.  This is such a comforting thought to me, and I hope it brings you much peace as well.

Living a life of worship helps us to endure trials and temptations.

Angie writes in Day 5:  “Our faith is strengthened by an evolving relationship with the Word of God, which helps us grow in grace and wisdom as it deepens in our hearts.”

It’s only by a true act of worship in the Word of God that helps us overcome temptations that fall in our path. We must read God’s Word and act on it.

We can read God’s Word all day long, but unless we soak it into our hearts and apply it to our lives, it’s not doing us any good.  That’s the purpose of our summer review of this awesome book of James.  These are real live issues that we all struggle with, and we need to get a handle on it.  We must choose to live a life of faith and worship!

Let’s chat!

Is there one or more temptation in your life that burdens you time and time again? Some of them may be a temptation to do wrong, others may be temptation to not do what you know is right.  Remember, the power of sin was conquered in your life when you surrendered to Him.  If you have never surrendered your life to Christ, take the time now to surrender yourself to Him and give Him your weaknesses and ask Him to show you the abundance of blessing awaiting you when you choose to turn from the old and move forward to the new.

Praying for you,