Tempted ... are you ever?
- Christine DiGiacomo
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Tall, dark and handsome . . . he always came into the room and quietly took a seat--whether at Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Sunday Night Live, or anywhere else. A junior and a basketball player, he was the kinda' kid who just tried hard at everything - a great big, genuine smile and liked by all. One night after seeing him, I felt prompted to text and ask him, 'hey, is there some way I can pray for you?'** He responded almost immediately with, "I'm having trouble with temptation and have been praying about it. If you could pray for me too that would be awesome."
My response, "I will ... and thanks for being straight up."
My friends, temptation is a given in life. And in case you just joined us, our author, James is all about the 'givens' that we are going to deal with in this life. The following will 'catch you up' in our study of James:
->the reality of Jesus Christ; we can choose him or deny him. James saw the resurrected Jesus and could deny him no longer: TheAuthor: https://conta.cc/3R8Mcqe
->trials in life; Success, Perfection and Tough Times: https://conta.cc/4dugFqh
->ask God for wisdom Don't let yourself be thrown around like a cork: https://conta.cc/4nBZTu3
->do I really love God?? One phrase in a verse really jarred me! https://conta.cc/4uU3FBo
And as I recall the teen-aged young man at Fellowship of Christian Athletes, there is the ever-present, challenging arena of temptation.
We looked briefly at James' reference to it in my last Morning Briefing:
"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
We know that: All of us are tempted ... and when giving in to temptation leads to sin, it hinders our relationship with God. But 'from whence cometh temptation'?
And, does God tempt us?
If not ... where does the temptation come from??
Let's go back to the beginning. Back to Genesis where we find the entrance of temptation,1 which of course, by its very nature implies a choice, and that choice includes evil. Eve, and then Adam, could not stand up to the temptation put before them 'to really know' which the serpent told them they would, if they ate of the tree of knowledge. With the choice made by the first couple, the sin condition entered what had been a perfect world.
Note: that temptation came through an appeal to pride
James, a man like you and me, well acquainted with temptation in daily living, is clear that God does not tempt anyone; it is impossible for God to violate his own character.
Thomas a Kempis in his work, "The Temptation of Christ", written in 1441,
has some keen insight on this critical topic.
The beginning of all evil temptations is an unstable mind and a small trust in God. Just as a ship without a helm is tossed about by the waves,
so a person who lacks resolution and certainty is tossed about by temptation ... temptations reveal who we are.
It is our own desires that entice. It is for this reason that what tempts you, may not tempt me, and visa versa. It is valuable to see that temptation is part of a process-
>First, the thought is allowed to enter our minds
>Second, the imagination is sparked by the thought
>Third, we feel a sense of pleasure at the fantasy, and we entertain it
>Fourth, and finally, we engage in the [evil] action, assenting to its urges.
Kempis admonishes us about thoughts of temptation,
Meet them at the door as soon as they knock,
and do not let them in.
We can overcome temptation with the help of the Holy Spirit, who gives us the power to resist temptation . . . if we look to him. "The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation."2
God promises he will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear, as Paul noted: "but with the temptation [he] will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."3
Hmmm . . . do you conduct yourself wisely, or do you flirt with temptation that will lead to sin by opening yourself up to it? Here is what I know: you can control it at the 'thought' stage, but once you entertain it and then act on it, you set yourself up to disobey God. And for all us control freaks: we can control the first part of this process, but once we succumb and sin, we cannot and do not control the ripple effects and the consequences attached. James later writes, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."4
Temptation - here's what to do:
Pray for strength before and when you face it, do not flirt with it, and like a Kempis said,
'when temptation knocks on the door, meet it at the door, and do not let it in'! Because this is the part you and I can control . . . once we have erred, we lose control of the consequences. 'Something to think about before you AND I are knee-deep in the muck.
Thank you, brother James, for prompting us to think about the matter of temptation, and God? Grant us your strength. Amen!
Because like the words of this old song, 'I forgot who I was...well, just listen:
Christine
James, no.5
**This is a question I ask folks regularly
1 - Genesis 3.1
2 - 2 Peter 2.9a
3 - 1 Corinthians 10.13
4 - James 4.7
Comments