The Devil Didn"T Make You Do It Series

When you & I choose to yield to temptation (and we’ll talk about the process in just a minute), it’s an individual matter. You cannot blame anyone else....

Nothing outside of ourselves is strong enough - to cause us to sin -- not even satan.

4) Temptation That Leads To Sin Always Follows The

Same Pattern

Verse 14 begins the process, and verse 15 carries it out. Pay close attention:

Step 1: The Bait is dropped

Step 2: The inner desire is attracted to the bait.

Step 3; Sin occurs when we yield - when we bite the bait.

Step 4: Sin ends up in tragic consequences - we end up cooked and fried.

"...but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin when it is full-grown, gives birth to death...."

James 1:14,15

The word "dragged away" carries with it the idea of the baiting of a trap, and the word "enticed" in the original Greek meant "to bait a hook."

When you fish you have to provide a bait that interests and entices the fish.

Breem - worms/ Crappy & Bass - minnows

Trout - corn/Catfish - shrimp

Here is this fish, safe casual doing what ever fish do, then the bait is dropped. And the fish thinks "wow, that sure looks great...I’d like to have me some of that" Now at this point the fish has a decision to make, he can stay in his safe hiding place or he can go after the bait. And, if he chooses the later we all know where he ends up....

That’s exactly the way temptation works with us - the bait is dropped and it is something that looks good to us, appeals to us, interests us,. And we have a choice to make as we look at the bait dangling on the hook.... To bite or not to bite....

Now notice when sins occurs - it occurs at step 3, we can cut off before then and we are okay... For you see, to be tempted is not a sin..... (Heb 4:15)

In the Old Testament we find 2 men (2 fish) who both had bait dropped right in front of their eyes; a bait that looked good to them, interested them, appealed to them.......one saw the danger and swam away, the other bit the bait and ended up in the frying pan.

2 Samuel 10:1-4

In Genesis 39:1-12

1-8; the bait is dropped. Here is a single man, alone in Potiphars house. And sh wants him Nothing subtle about Mrs Potiphar! But Joepseh refused

9-12

I like that! He took off. He ran like mad. She got the garment and he (eventually) got his reward. By the way there is a name for folks who linger and try to reason with temptation - VICTIM.

It can be done. Sometimes it seems like we have made resisting temptation some mystical, unreachable, unattainable talent reserved for the very old or the very pious, baloney! Saying no is something all of us who belong to Christ can do. There’s nothing magical about it. You simply put Christ at the helm of your life and say NO!

PRACTICAL WAYS TO HANDLE TEMPTATION

1) Counteract Temptation, Don’t Tolerate It

"Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life, and offer your the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness..." Rm 6:13