Bible Passage: “No one undergoing a trial should say, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.” (James 1:13-15)
Scripture Reading: James 1:1-18
Where does temptation come from?
James 1:13 teaches that temptation doesn’t come from God. God is never the author of temptation.
Surprisingly, James identifies the source of temptation as within us.
While Satan, his demons, and worldly influences may tempt us, the real problem lies within. That’s where temptation begins. Our root problem is us. The root of temptation isn’t God or even the devil, but our own sinful hearts.
James explains how temptation works in four steps:
- It begins with desire—an intense longing for something. These desires might not even be wrong in themselves.
- The problem comes at the second step when we’re “dragged away and enticed” by these desires. When we allow these desires to grow within ourselves, they begin to tug at us and move us toward sin. We begin to entertain sinful ways to satisfy these desires.
- Eventually, left unchecked, that desire, having conceived, gives birth to sin. We cross the line from having a desire to being dragged away and enticed by that desire and acting on it.
- The final link of the chain is that sin, having matured, gives birth to death. When we give into temptation, it ultimately leads to death (e.g., Romans 6:23).
The place to start solving this problem is right at the beginning.
We need to start at step 1 by examining our desires and ensuring we don’t move to the second stage. If we don’t start fighting sin early, it becomes much harder later. Fight sin at the early stages, not near the end.
I sometimes think of sin as going down a toboggan slope. The place to stop isn’t when you’re halfway down the hill. If you don’t want to go down the hill, stop before you even get on the toboggan.
Men, look at the desires of your heart and how they begin to lure and entice you away from God. Deal with the seeds of all sins, not just the big sins. Seeds are the beginnings of sin. It’s much easier to root out when it’s still small.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be a man who battles temptation in the earliest stages. Amen.
Reflection: What are some desires within you that could entice you and draw you away from God? How can you deal with them now, before they grow bigger?
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