Stop Being Deceived.
November 8, 2020
Just Do It, Part 6
When temptations come our way, they do not promise to pollute or hurt us. In fact, they never even hint about the consequences. They merely promise to fill all the desires of our hearts. In Part 6 of our series, we examine the words of James on how to deal with and overcome temptation.
“We make choices in life, and then those choices turn around and make us.”
Scripture:
James 1:13-18
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
Highlights:
• Temptations promise to fill all the desires of our hearts.
• Accepting the full responsibility for weakness in temptation is not something that we do very well.
• God does not tempt anyone ever, because he cannot be tempted.
• If you want to find the real culprit and source of temptation to sin, look in the nearest mirror.
• When stimulated desire becomes perverted it gives birth to sin.
• It is the person who is able to control their desires, that is going to deal effectively with sin.
• Some bad choices lead us on a path of irreversible hardship, but we can make choices to get us back on the right path.
• God does not dangle sin in our face to destroy us. He provided Jesus to save us.
• Three postures for submitting to temptation: 1. Sit, 2. Kneel, 3. Stand
• We make choices in life, and then those choices turn around and make us.
