We allow ourselves to be tempted, and;
We falsely accuse God of doing the
tempting.Let’s talk about temptation. Years ago, comedian, Flip Wilson made popular the saying, “The Devil made me do it!” More recently, Dana Carvey played the ‘church lady’ on Saturday Night Live. He would interact with Church Chat guests on various subjects only to question, “Who might be responsible for this event, was it perhaps…Satan? These celebrities are right about evil being the catalyst for tempting, and wrong about who is ultimately responsible. God has given us a mind and an ability to make decisions. While evil forces can present opportunities for temptation, it is ultimately, our choice whether we allow ourselves to be successfully tempted.
In the book of James
1:13-18, we learn that when a person gets carried away by desire, or lust, to
the extent that it becomes the focus of their lives and it takes control; sin
occurs. Think about it this way. When something, which may even have initially been
an innocent observation or thought, becomes an obsession and is coupled with an
improper action, sin occurs.
Let’s look at
this light-hearted illustration. I love chocolate. Chocolate is an inanimate
object…a thing. It doesn’t have motives or desires. Chocolate isn’t out to
tempt me. Studies show that, in moderation, dark
chocolate is even considered to be good for your health. I can sit all day
long in front of a plate piled high with brownies; and it’s a temptation for me.
But, as long as I don’t act on my love
of chocolate… I have been tempted, but not successfully, because I have not
acted on the temptation. I may have thought about eating one or more of the
brownies; but I didn’t.
Is eating a
brownie sinful? No, not in isolated incidents; but if taken to extremes…it can
become a sin. Here’s how. If I become obsessed with brownies, if the making,
purchasing, and eating of brownies takes over my life, and my thoughts are
focused on brownies, it can become sin; especially if I am neglecting other
areas of my life, or I let it ruin my health. Scripture tells us that our
bodies are a temple for the living God. When we allow anything to take first
place in our life over our relationship with God, whether it is ‘someone’ or ‘something,’
it sabotages our relationship with God, and in turn, our spiritual transformation.
God is a jealous God, who wants all of us, totally devoted to Him.
The second way
we sabotage our spiritual transformation is by assigning our temptation or
testing to God. God doesn’t tempt his
children. James capably addresses this issue when he says, “The One who created
us is free from evil and can’t be tempted, so He doesn’t tempt anyone (James
1:13).” He goes on to remind us that
only good gifts come from God. God is consistent
and He doesn’t play games with us. God want us to have life, and live it
abundantly.
God doesn’t
tempt us. There are times when God will use a situation to prune us and to show
us how to grow spiritually. But this is different. God’s approach is one of a
parent using tough love. His goal is positive and His motive is positive…to
bring us closer to Him and to refine and improve us; not harm us and cause us
despair. God is about eternal life. Temptation has its origins in evil. Temptation
leads to sin, and sin, ultimately leads to death.
So stop blaming
God for your temptations and your bad choices! Why? If you blame God, you are
falsely accusing Him of something he is not responsible for, and to falsely accuse
God is both disrespectful and damaging to your relationship with Him. You don’t
have to like your circumstances or the fact that you are being tempted, but
scripture says that when we are tempted, God will provide us with a way out. (1
Corinthians 10:13)Action steps:
1. Identify those areas of weakness in
your life. What issues or situations cause you to stumble again and again?
2. Re-read 1Corinthians 10:13, ask God to bring
this passage to your mind when you are tempted.
3. Ask God to provide you a way to
successfully endure temptation and not succumb to it.
4. If you have blamed God in the past when
you have been tempted, confess it. Ask
God to forgive you for blaming Him for things he did not do. Surrender your
anger, and ask God to shift your focus from miss-placed anger at God, to an acknowledgement
of God’s power and goodness to provide you with a way out and the wisdom you
need to make good decisions.
