RESISTING AND OVERCOMING TEMPTATION (JAMES 1:14-22)
TEMPTATION MANIPULATES OUR DESIRES TO BRING FORTH SIN
But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
Sin is our own responsibility. Of course, the devil is the author of temptation, but he has to have something to use in the first place. There are some things which, if Satan tried to tempt you with, you would just laugh. To some the smell of alcohol is a very great problem. To others it is a nauseating stench. It is similar with various things. Some of us find sexual perversion disgusting; others find it enticing! We have to deal with lust by getting associated with purity. If you hang around a holy God for long enough then lust and inappropriate activity will give you up.
THE DECISION IS YOURS
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
We are deceived when we blame others for our failings. You may have had a difficult upbringing, but your parents are not to blame for the choices you make. The devil cannot be blamed for them either. The old joke, “The devil made me do it!” is not applicable. You made your decision. Every sin is a wilful decision of yours.
So long as we are in this world we are exposed to temptations, and need ever to be on guard against them.
Jesus taught us to pray:
"And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" (Matt. 6:13).
The Bible gives many warnings to be careful because of the ever-present danger of falling into temptation:
"Pray that you may not enter into temptation.’’ (Luke 22:40)
If you are walking with the Lord you will still be available to the tempter because Jesus was. However, you will not fall into it. You will have the power of God, the Word of God, to resist and overcome.
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. (Gal. 6:1)
When a person does fall we do not have the right to judge and be harsh. There may be the need of discipline; BUT DISCIPLINE SHOULD ALWAYS BE WITH A VIEW TO RESTORATION. It is interesting that Jesus told us to be quick to forgive, and keep on forgiving. Our job is to help the fallen one back onto his feet and then assist him to begin to serve the Lord again. I find it quite astonishing that we sometimes ask a person who has failed to exclude themselves from ministry for two, three or five years. Peter bitterly let the Lord down, but just seven weeks later he was responsible for three thousand conversions.
RESIST THE DEVIL
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith. (I Pet. 5:8-9).
In the Old Testament the simple word for adversary is Satan. He is an opponent or foe, one that speaks against another, a complainant, an enemy (Luke 18:3).
However, the Bible assures us that God will make a way of escape from temptation:
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (I Corinthians 10:13),
"the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation ..." (2 Pet. 2:9a).
Here are some suggestions as to how to escape temptation:
(1) Do not put yourself in the way of temptation. There are some of us who deliberately go where the sin is! We may be trying to prove how strong we are, but this is foolishness in the extreme. I once met a man who proudly told me that he had spent his entire day subjecting himself to his own weakness to prove that God had delivered him from it. Just a few months later the guy was back in his old sin.
(2) Get help. By admitting your faults to those you know you can trust they may well help you from falling into error. The emphasis here is on “Those you can trust.” And the problem is that there are so few of them. What a blight we are in the world when we who should have integrity and should be able to hold confidences are so untrustworthy. We will even hide behind telling another so that they can pray in order to be able to pray. I am horrified at how many secrets I have been told. They were never intended for my ears and yet the person entrusted with them has seen fit to share them with me.
(3) Keep the Word of God ever available. This one is so important: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 199:11)
(4) Follow that word: “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” (Psalm 119:9)
ALL GOOD GIFTS ARE FROM THE LORD
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Everything I have that is of value is a gift from God. This would include family, friends, talents, finance and so on.
We need to realise that all the gifts we have are the result of the grace of God. Sometimes we are prone to pride and arrogance because we have done something valuable for the Lord, but we would not have been able to do it at all without His having saved us in the first place. He also gave us the skill we have to do what we are doing; and He gives us the very breath that we have.
Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
We have been begotten or birthed by God’s word. The Word of Truth is actually Jesus Christ. He is the Word of God (John 1:1) and He is the truth (John 14:6). We are newly created; It was God’s will for us to be reborn: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right(authority) to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood (human descent), nor of the will of the flesh (human effort), nor of the will of man (human assistance), but of God.” (John 1:12-13)
Peter says: “having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,” (1 Peter 1:23)
This is what makes us eternal beings. What we have become in Christ cannot be corrupted. Our spirits are untouchable. Our minds and our bodies need a lot of work done on them, but our spirits are fine. Have you ever seen that motto: “Be patient with me, God hasn’t finished with me yet.”? Well, when it comes to eternity, God has actually finished with me. I am already perfected because I am in Christ and He is perfect. Jesus made the bold statement on the cross, “It is finished.” Anybody who has entered into covenant with Him is now the complete article. Doesn’t look too good though does it? That is because our minds and our flesh still get in the way. The work that needs to be done is in that major battleground: the human mind. We have been given a lot of rubbish to believe down the years. Now we have to get rid of it and believe good things.
We press on in order to enter into what God has already given to us. We do not press on in order to earn what is already ours. When the children of Israel entered into the Promised Land if they had done what they were told they would have had many easy victories and enjoyed what God had given to them. Instead through disobedience they struggled and face an awful lot of defeats. If you strive to enter into your own promised land in your own efforts you are likely to come unstuck. However, when you know what is yours, then things will be much easier. It belongs to you already; you just have to make an effort to pick it up and run with it.
THE FLESH
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6)
The idea of flesh here shows our mutability and weakness:
“For He remembered that they were but flesh, A breath that passes away and does not come again.” (Psalm 78:39).
It also suggests the idea of softness it is used in the expression "heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 11:19). In the New Testament it is especially used to denote the sinful element of human nature as opposed to the "Spirit":
Romans 6:19: I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
Being "in the flesh" means being unregenerate:
“For when we were in the flesh, the passions of sins which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.” (Romans 7:5)
To live "according to the flesh" is to live and act sinfully:
“that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:4- 5).
When we say that which is born of the flesh is flesh we are saying that these are subject to the flesh with all of it’s passions and desires.
FIRSTFRUITS
“Honour the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:9-10)
Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear,
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)
Only a few of us have a talent for listening. However, there is a difficulty when it comes to a lot of counselling which takes place. The counsellor is often using psychology when the Word of God is the one thing needful.
We have to be careful that we are not just listening to the person rehearsing their problems. We need them to hear.. and to hear the Word of God. It is the only real answer. All of their talking does not really do them any good. It just reminds them of their hurt. When they hear of the goodness of God they begin to look ahead and anticipate good in their lives.
slow to speak,
Some of the wisest words in the Bible are used concerning this subject:
“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;” (Proverbs 10:19-20)
We love to prattle. Sometimes we are so loquacious we put ourselves into real trouble. We enjoy a juicy bit of gossip and slander our friends and enemies alike. Once gossip has begun it cannot be stopped. Another extremely graphic verse:
“The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.” (Proverbs 17:14)
And then there is this clever verse:
“He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.” (Proverbs 17:27-28)
One man said: The less men think, the more they talk.
The Living Bible says it this way: “The man of few words and settled mind is wise; therefore, even a fool is thought to be wise when he is silent. It pays him to keep his mouth shut”
Sometimes, (often), we should just shut up! We should learn to hold our tongues. Five words cost Zacharias forty weeks’ silence.
BE ANGRY, DO NOT SIN
slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Sometimes we say that a good argument clears the air. No, it does not! A good argument is a bad argument. And it does not clear the air it pollutes it. One person may feel better, but no way do both of them. One may be stressed and intimidated, and he will harbour a grudge for some time to come.
Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
We have to make a commitment to get away from sin and it’s ways. It is not always easy, especially in the modern world. And partly the church has not helped by saying that certain things are wicked when they are not. We need to say what the Bible says and not manufacture new sins to confuse our people.
It is the Word of God within which will give us the strength to overcome temptation and also to deal with any sin we do commit.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Words and works are always closely identified with one another in the Bible. Jesus especially did so because He knew that prayer, which is words, has to be reinforced with works:
John 14:12-15Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments.
Decent speech needs to become part of our daily lives, and the best form of speech is the word of God:
Colossians 3:16-17 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
