“And remember, no one who wants to do wrong should ever say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else either. Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death. “ James 1:13-15 (NLT)
Janie opened the door to her bedroom and looked out into the hall. The house was quiet. Everyone was still asleep. She could get her coffee and spend some quality time with the Lord without interruption. Something important was heavy on her heart. What about those nagging temptations? Everywhere she turned another one jumps up. Throughout her day, at work, at the mall, in the restaurants, at the bank, and yes, even at home opportunities to make sinful decisions arose. She got her Bible and a cup of coffee before going into the family room.
As she thought on these things, the Holy Spirit reminded her of Genesis 3. The enemy of her soul has always been and will always be crafty and deceiving. His purpose is to (1) steal faith, obedience, and victory; (2) kill desire, zeal, and love for Christ; and (3) destroy family, life, and soul. Finally, the Spirit pointed out to Janie that God is a giver, not a taker. He brings life, not death. He creates, not destroys. And the source of our temptations is in our own evil desires.
Janie closed her Bible in astonishment. “What an awesome God,” she said to the empty den. “Our God loves us so much that he shows us the source of the enemy’s tactic. That scoundrel (she could think of worse descriptions) uses our own desires against us to enslave us again.” Well, now that she understood where temptations came from, she would be better equipped to allow the Holy Spirit to deal with them. Tomorrow she would pursue this personal journey further. But now she had to pray and get ready for work.
Dear Father, thank you for your grace and mercy. Thank you for making the enemy’s tactics and strategy clearly evident to us. O, Holy Father, grant to us the understanding that we might fully submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit. Empower us, O Holy Spirit, with that determination of spirit, which relies on God’s grace and keeps our eyes fixed on Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN
Let us praise God for his Word and live by its truths,
Pastor Smith