Facing Temptations
Facing Temptations
James 1:12-15 (NKJV)
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
Our lives are filled with temptations that we must overcome in order to glorify God and inherit eternal life. Just because something feels good or fulfills some “need” we have does not make it an acceptable thing to do. That is called accepting feelings as truth instead of accepting the facts. This is how many justify their actions. If we have been wronged by someone, we might have a desire to wrong that person in return, but that desire does not change the command we are given by the Apostle Paul.
Romans 12:17-21 (ESV)
17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Some might ask in anger “why would a loving God create me with these desires if He doesn't want me to fulfill them?” First of all, we need to understand that we are not tempted by God. God does not tempt anyone, 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. (James 1:14-15)
We are tempted and drawn away by our OWN desires because God gave us free will (John 7:17), and that free will allows us to make our OWN decisions to do good or evil. Just because you have obeyed the gospel doesn't mean that you have lost your free will. You can still make your own decisions. That's why both of these passages were written to Christians, those who have already obeyed the gospel.
We now know who is to blame for falling into temptation, WE ARE! With this understanding, what can we do to overcome or resist these temptations of the wicked one? In this battle against Satan, the Apostle Paul tells us to fight to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
How do we do that? We must fill our hearts with the word of God, so that when the devil throws his fiery darts or sets his traps, we can fight against him just as Jesus did when he was tempted in the wilderness. Our answer to every temptation should be “it is written.” The word of God is our sword, our spiritual weapon, in the battle against evil in this world. Take time to study it and apply it so you can use it to defend yourself when temptations come.
Romans 10:13 (NKJV)
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Now we understand more fully what Paul means when he tells the Christians in Rome that God will not allow them to be tempted beyond what they can bear. We have a weapon, the word of God, and that weapon gives us the ability to face all of our battles with the truth.
John 8:31-32 (NKJV)
31 “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
- Eric Bullock, Evangelist
