Does My God
Tempt Me?
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. James 1:13-15 (NIV)
A man was on a
diet and struggling. He had to go downtown and as he started out, he remembered
that his route would take him by the doughnut shop. As he got closer, he
thought that a cup of coffee would hit the spot. Then he remembered his diet.
That’s when he
prayed, “Lord, if You want me to stop for a doughnut and coffee, let there be a
parking place in front of the shop.” He said, “Sure enough, I found a parking
place right in front—on my seventh time around the block!” As Robert
Orben (best known American professional comedy writer) said, “Most people want
to be delivered from temptation but would like it to keep in touch”
Life is full of
temptation, and the pressure to sin is both powerful and persistent. Temptation
has existed from the beginning of mankind and will continue to mislead as long
as people are born into this world. Yet, as common as temptation is, and for as
long as it has been around, very few people have learned how to deal with it
successfully and sufficiently. To deal with temptation successfully, we must
understand it accurately.
James began his
epistle by discussing trials, and in his characteristically rapid-fire
approach, he quickly moves to the subject of temptation. Separating the two is
important, because trials and temptation are distinctly different. Where trials
are designed to bring about growth and blessing, temptation, if not dealt with
properly, brings about sin. Where trials work from the outside in, temptation
works from the inside out. Where trials come from God, temptation never comes
from God: “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”
Ever since Adam
and Eve fell into sin, fallen human nature has been prone to shift the blame
for our own evil deeds. When God confronted Adam, he lamely replied (Gen. 3:12),
“The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.”
When God confronted Eve, she replied (Gen. 3:13), “The serpent deceived me, and
I ate.” Both statements are technically true, but they dodge personal
responsibility for sin. Adam’s answer really blamed God, who gave the woman to
Adam. James wants us to see that if we go down that route, we will not overcome
temptation, and we impugn the holy character of God.
Where does
temptation come from, then? James could not be clearer on the subject: the
source of temptation is not God, or even the Devil, but man’s own sinful heart.
If not for our own desires, temptation from the Devil or the world would never
even be a possibility. Temptation takes place when we are lured toward
something that appeals to a desire, want, or craving, and in our excitement we
fail to notice the danger of the cleverly camouflaged hook that is ready to
ensnare us.
Temptation is a
given. No one is exempt; everyone must face temptation. The question is, are we
prepared for when temptation tempts? When preparing ourselves to resist the
lure of temptation, we need to know that temptation is most powerful when our
personal time with God is neglected. When we are at our weakest, temptation is
felt the strongest. Conversely, temptation is at its weakest when we are
spiritually strong.
This is really
serious because, we won’t make it as a
Christian if we do not learn to overcome temptation! Recognize its source. It does not come from
God, but from our own lusts. Recognize its force.
It dwells within and it is powerfully deceptive, with a life of its own.
Recognize its course. If we
do not abort it, it leads inevitably, not to life, but to death. The Puritan
Thomas Manton put it this way, “Either sin must die or the sinner.” The decision
is in our hands. Which one do we opt for?
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