13
When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.16
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
Do you struggle with temptation? I heard of someone who said, "I don’t struggle with temptation, I just yield to it!" Well, that certainly is one way of dealing with temptation, although not a very good one.
Temptation is everywhere. What’s yours? How do you handle temptations? Do you struggle? If so, can anything be done to help you win that struggle? On the old TV show "Hee Haw," Doc Campbell was confronted by a patient who said he broke his arm in two places. The doc replied, "Well then, stay out of them places!" That is certainly good advice. But sometimes them places are in us.
Our text in James confirms what we already know to be true. Many temptations begin in us. There is something already there. The temptation calls to us from within us. We hear that call almost every day. And we’ve all had the experience of responding to that call. We’ve all failed to even live up to our own standards, to say nothing of God’s standards.
How can I defeat the desires to indulge in pleasures that drag me down? Is it even possible to successfully resist temptation? If so, can I successfully resist temptation? Well, in answer to your question, the Bible says yes! Let’s examine the steps that we can take to win over temptation.
The first step that we can take is a step of preparation. If we are going to successfully handle temptation, we must expect it. James says, "When tempted..." He did not say, "If tempted." We should never be surprised when we are tempted.
We need to understand several things about temptation. The first is that it is universal. Everyone is tempted. If you meet someone who is never tempted by anything, there is one conclusion that you can draw about that person. He or she is dead. Only dead people aren’t tempted. Now, I don’t suggest that as a way to avoid temptation. Every living, breathing person who has ever lived, who is living now, and who will ever live will face temptation.
The second thing we need to understand about temptation is that it is inevitable. If temptation comes to every person, which it does, then it is inevitable that it will come to us. If you’re not being tempted right now, just hold on because it’s coming. Temptation is not something that you get past. It has come around before and it will come around again. It is inevitable.
And finally, we need to understand about temptation that it is personal. We all have our personal temptations. We are all vulnerable in different ways. We have our pet sins. Temptation is a personal thing. Some things that do not tempt you tempt me. And some things that do not tempt me may tempt you. And you can be sure that your temptations will be tailor made for your weaknesses.
There is no doubt that temptations will come to all of us. So we need to prepare for those moments. We need to be ready. We need to expect temptation. We should never be surprised.
The next step in handling temptation is to analyze it. Just what is the source of temptation? Often, we are tempted to blame God for temptation. But James says, "When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone."
God is not the source of our temptation. To believe that he is the source is a faulty analysis. You see, unless we understand the real source of our temptation, we will respond to it incorrectly. And if we blame God, we certainly will not come to God in faith.
If God is not to blame, who is? How about Satan? Is he to blame? Maybe. Satan certainly does tempt us. He tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. So Satan does have a hand in our temptation. But often Satan gets too much credit. You see, there must be something there for Satan’s temptations to be effective.
It begins with desire. James tells us that it is our own evil desire that begins this process that can only be described as a downward death-spiral of sin. The desire to sin is already within us. If it weren’t, sin would not be attractive to us. On first glance, you might think that sin is some sort of a magnet. But that is not true. The magnet is within you. It is your desire.
Our desires are extremely powerful. Now not all desires are wrong. Many desires keep us alive and cause us to be healthy, well adjusted human beings. But even good desires, taken to excess, can cause us great harm. The desire for food, or sex, or relief from pain can turn into obsessions that control our lives. Temptation begins with desire.
And it leads to deception. James tells us that because of our desire we are dragged away and enticed. The word enticed is a fishing term that means "to lure by bait." And the purpose of bait is deception. If you bait your hook with a nice juicy worm, you have two purposes in mind. The first is to lure the fish. The second is to hide the hook.
We are enticed by sin, in part, because we do not see the consequences. The fish does not see the hook. And neither do we. But the hook is there. We are simply deceived into believing that it is not. The consequences of sin are real, but we are blinded to them by the strength of our desire. If we saw them clearly, we might make another choice.
G.H. Charnley, in The Skylark’s Bargain, tells the story of a young skylark that discovered one day a man who would give him worms for a feather. He made a deal — one feather for two worms. The next day the lark was flying high in the sky with his father. The older bird said, "You know, son, we skylarks should be the happiest of all birds. See our brave wings! They lift us high in the air, nearer and nearer to God." But the young bird did not hear, for all he saw was an old man with worms. Down he flew, plucked two feathers from his wings and had a feast. Day after day this went on. Autumn came and it was time to fly South. But the young skylark couldn’t do it. He had exchanged the power of his young wings for worms. He didn’t see the consequences of his desire. He was deceived by his desire and made the wrong choice. Don’t be deceived by your desires.
Another truth about temptation is that it results in disobedience. It begins with desire, leads to deception, and results in disobedience. Sin is disobedience to God. James tells us that after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin.
The picture that James is painting for us here is one of childbirth. Just as two elements must be joined together for conception to occur (a sperm and an egg), and eventually for a baby to be born, so two elements (the bait and the desire) join together to give birth to sin. That is bad enough, but it does not end there.
Finally, it ends in death. This is the ultimate result of yielding to temptation. Now, this is not immediately apparent. We have all sinned and God did not strike us dead that very moment. A fact for which, I must admit, I am grateful. But we must not be misled about the ultimate result of sin because of God’s mercy. Because God has not immediately judged our sin does not mean that God will not ever judge our sin. What we have been experiencing is God’s mercy.
If we continue to sin and do not respond to God’s mercy by forsaking our sins, death will follow. We will die to the things of God. We will die inside. Our spiritual life will die. We will be a dead man walking.
If you want to handle temptation successfully, take a good long look at it. Analyze it. Look at what is causing it. Look at where it is taking you. Look at the consequences. Look at where you will end up. If you do, you will come to one conclusion. It is not worth it.
Now you might have already come to that conclusion. And so we come to the final step in the process of dealing successfully with temptation.
The final step in the process of dealing with temptation is to reject it. James tells us in verse 16: "Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers." In other words, don’t fall for the temptation, reject it. Once you see it for what it is, get away from it. Be warned! Don’t take the warning lightly.
The mighty Niagara River plummets some 180 feet at the American and Horseshoe Falls. Before the falls, there are violent, turbulent rapids. Farther upstream, however, where the river’s current flows more gently, boats are able to navigate. Just before the Welland River empties into the Niagara, a pedestrian walkway spans the river. Posted on this bridge’s pylons is a warning sign for all boaters: "Do you have an anchor?" followed by, "Do you know how to use it?" We must not take temptation lightly no matter how it appears.
The key, of course, is seeing it for what it is. We need to see that it is not good no matter how it appears. Satan does not give good gifts. On the other hand, God only gives good gifts. Look at verse 17: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
Remember that James began by saying that God did not cause temptation to come to us. God is not the source of our temptation. Temptation is not a good thing. It is a bad thing. And God does not give bad things to us. Satan would like for temptation to look like a good thing. Don’t be fooled. Reject that lie outright.
I’m always amazed at how many people are deceived by their desires. Remember the line in that old song, "How can be wrong when it feels so right?" Well, the answer to that question is that it is wrong because it is wrong! It is bad because it is bad, no matter how good it looks.
And the good news is that it can be resisted by those born of God. The good news is that you can win over temptation. Temptation doesn’t have to defeat you. You have been set free by the power of the life of Christ within you. You no longer have to be a slave to sin. You now have the power to resist and reject sinful practices.
Look at verse 18: "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created." In other words, it is the new birth that provides the power for living that we need. Everything that we need is given to us through the life of Christ within us. It is that life that makes the difference.
In 2 Peter 1:3 we read: "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." Through our relationship with Jesus Christ, everything we need is provided to us. Everything we need to live the way we should is given to us. Nothing is withheld from us.
Insofar as temptation is concerned, we have the following promise: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV)
God says that he will always make a way of escape. Sometimes that way of escape is to simply run! If we find ourselves in the place of temptation we might simply need to get out of there. Like the fellow who came to Doc Campbell and told him that he broke his arm in two places. We may simply need to stay out of those places. That may be our way of escape. Or God may give us the strength to bear up under the temptation. In any event, God will make a way.
So, don’t be surprised by temptation. Expect it! It comes to everyone. It will come to you. It is inevitable.
Don’t be confused by temptation. Analyze it! It may seem desirable, but it leads to deception and disobedience, and eventually death. Think about the consequences.
Don’t be deceived by temptation. Reject it! It may seem good, but it is not. It may seem too strong for you, but you can resist it in the power of the Spirit, who lives in you. You are a child of God. You have been born again. Christ’s life lives in you.
You can win over temptation! God has given you the power.
Copyright © 2000 J. David Hoke. This data file is the sole property of the copyright holder and may be copied only in its entirety for circulation freely without charge. All copies of this data file must contain the above copyright notice.
This data file may not be copied in part (except for small quotations used with citation of source), edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated in any commercial publications, recordings, broadcasts, performances, displays or other products offered for sale, without the written permission of the copyright holder. Requests for permission should be made in writing and e-mailed to J. David Hoke, at David@JDavidHoke.com.