James 1:13-14 (NKJV) 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
If most of us were asked what or who we are tempted by, the vast majority would say that we are tempted by the devil.
And while this may be partially correct, let’s look closely at the verses above, where we will find some revealing insights about this.
First off, it’s important that we understand that we are never, ever tempted by God.
God has no darkness nor evil in Him, therefore He cannot tempt anyone with what is evil.
We are tempted by what is in us. Let me explain.
The scripture above states that we are tempted when we are drawn away by our own desires.
The desires within us cause us to be tempted, lured away, and drawn into sin. If we were 100% clean, and free of sinful desires, being tempted would have no power over us. We would simply turn and walk away without giving it (the temptation) a second glance.
But, because of what is hidden inside of us, we become tempted.
Maybe you’re asking how we can fix this, or how we can ever avoid being tempted and caught up in sin.
We have to learn to let God change our desires.
God has a way of “cleaning us up” that will remove our evil desires and replace them with righteous desires.
It doesn’t happen overnight. In fact, it doesn’t necessarily happen in a few days or a few weeks. It can happen that quickly in some cases, but that’s not the norm.
The cleaning up of our desires is a process that takes place as we surrender and submit to God, allowing Him to transform and renew our minds with His word, through the Holy Spirit.
So, how fast it happens for us is our own choice, based on how quickly we let Him go to work in our hearts and our minds.
One thing is for sure, though. As we do submit and surrender, we will never, ever be disappointed in what He does in us.
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808
401-315-0902
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