Triumph over Temptation
James 1:13-14
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
life would be so much easier without temptation. Talk about throwing a monkey wrench into this whole Christian journey. I would be an outstanding follower of Christ if it wasn’t for all these temptations that lure me away from Jesus. Seriously, God could have prevented curse words, nonsensical drivers, the Victoria’s Secret catalogue, and Krispy Kreme. Why am I subjected to these unfair temptations? I’d like to be able to say this point of view is correct. I really would, but it isn’t. The fact is that temptation wouldn’t have the power that it does if it wasn’t for the distorted desires that rage war against the Spirit of God within me.
At one point when Jesus was about to be arrested and falsely accused he is in turmoil and asks His disciples to stay up with Him to pray. They could not find it in them to resist the lure of sleep. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” Jesus pleaded with them. Although Jesus wasn’t condemning their need for sleep or rest, he was making a point that the flesh should not have power over the Spirit. This is true for any kind of temptation. The Spirit within the believer is eager to obey God and do the righteous thing, but our flesh will not surrender quietly.
The passage in James 1:13-14 is a reminder of what the real problem is…ME. Also, don’t fall into the trap of blaming God for your inability to resist temptation. Verse 13 says, “When Tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone…” It would be pure evil for God to dangle irresistible temptations before us and expect us to resist. No, God is not setting traps for us to test us either. Instead, he has given us every opportunity to resist by giving us full access to His Spirit, His strength, His wisdom, and most importantly His son Jesus who overcame the power of sin through His death and resurrection. If we blame God for our weakness we are doing exactly what Adam did in the Garden of Eden. After joining his wife in the disobedient fruit munching, he had the nerve to place the blame squarely on God. He said, “The woman YOU put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
The second part of the passage in James 1 makes it even more clear. It says, “But each one is tempted when by HIS OWN evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” Did you catch that? It’s our own evil desires that cause us to fall into temptation. It is important to note that temptation in and of itself is not sin. It is when, as James says, we are gragged away and enticed by our own evil desires. Temptations are merely opportunities presented for us to act on because it is what our flesh wants and desires. Even though God’s Spirit within us reminds us of God’s law we can be very headstrong when our flesh craves something. Unfortunately, it isn’t until after we have indulged the flesh that we realize how foolish we have been. It is that point that we turn to quote 1 john 1:9. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” We love this verse…it’s a great insurance policy.
BUT, why not recite James 4:7 at the moment of temptation instead? It says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Notice it says to submit to God first? On our own, we are powerless to resist temptation. 9 times out of 10 we will fall on our own. Ever wonder how many times God is standing by just waiting for us to submit to Him while we are being bombarded by temptation? The second ACTION that we are to take is to resist the temptation. This implies that we have the ability to say NO to whatever is thrown at us. We have the ability to show self-restraint (self-control) in the midst of temptation. Finally, the passage says that the devil will flee from you. It doesn’t say that he will not tempt you again. It says that he will flee, take off, retreat. It doesn’t mean that he will not return at a more opportune time.
I pray that you would find the strength and wisdom you need to resist whatever temptation you are struggling with in Christ. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.” Before the next temptation creeps up to wage war against your soul, submit to God. Ask Him for strength and wisdom. I also recommend you find a good Christian brother or sister that you can confide in to share the burden with you. God desires for us to carry one another’s burdens. I’ve made the mistake of not allowing good Christian brothers to help me in my time of struggle and I paid dearly for it. You don’t have to make the same mistake. With God’s help you can triumph over temptation!!
