Tag: What the Bible says about overcoming temptation

James 1:15 (LSB) 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully matured, it brings forth death.

By now we have firmly established the fact that if we perpetually wrestle with the same sins, and we cannot seem to break free of them, it is because our own desires (lusts) cause us to be repeatedly lured in and defeated.

James 1:15, above, clearly states that when this happens, the desires within us give birth to sin. And when that sin is fully matured (continually practiced or engaged in), it leads to death.

This is very plainly spoken. There is no wiggle room here.

As mentioned in the previous days of this series, there is one way to defeat this pattern of sin; complete surrender to God.

Now that we fully understand the root of our sin problem (our own lusts and desires), we can take the steps necessary to defeat it.

Now, let’s be clear that this is not a 12-step program. It is not self-help. It is not psychological therapy.

It is Holy Spirit-powered cleansing of ourselves that will deliver us and set us free from bondage to these kinds of sins.

It is ONLY by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can be set free.

Nothing else will work. And even the Holy Spirit cannot help us if we fail or refuse to submit, surrender, and allow God to purge us of the evil that lurks in us.

Please listen. This is a matter of LIFE or DEATH.

If you are plagued by this problem in your life, your eternal soul is at stake. Your relationships are at stake. Everything about your life is at stake.

Submit yourself wholly to God and let Him set you free.

No, it won’t just effortlessly happen. Yes, it will require work on your part, consisting of determination, perseverance, and the willingness to obey God and walk away from opportunities to sin.

And it will require you to resist the devil. For in doing so, he will flee from you.

But remember that in all this, God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. And in that blessing will come deliverance.

James 1:12 (NLT) 12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

Father, I ask you to bless these words and let them penetrate the hearts of those in need of hearing this message of truth and freedom. And I ask that you bring conviction where it is needed, hope and encouragement where they are needed. And bring freedom to burdened souls in the name of Jesus.

Amen 🙏

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Romans 12:1 (LSB) 1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

It is only when we wholly surrender to God, allowing Him to cleanse us and change our heart, that we can fend off the wiles of the enemy and refuse to sin instead of falling to it repeatedly.

You see, it is our own ungodly desires that cause us to fall.

There is no one we can blame. We must bear responsibility for our failures.

Yes, some are weaker than others in these things. But there is no sin too big for the blood of Christ to deliver us from.

The things that we leave unsurrendered within us will haunt us and cause us to fall repeatedly until we wholly surrender to God in every aspect of our lives.

James 4:7 (NKJV) 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Complete surrender to God is the key. We cannot submit partially to God and expect Him to cleanse us completely.

He does not forego our own will. He works with what we give Him.

If we want our whole self to be cleansed and free from the burden of the perpetual sin, we must surrender our whole self to Him and give Him permission to rid us of the sinful desires in our heart.

We cannot love sin and expect to defeat it. And it is in surrendering our hearts to Him that we begin to hate the sin that besieges us and learn to love Him instead. That love for Him leads us to repentance and wanting ourselves clean before Him in every aspect of our lives.

Remember, Christ paid the highest possible price for us. He gave His life. There is nothing more that He could have done.

We owe it to Him to honor His sacrifice for us by presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice, which is our reasonable service and act of worship.

Let’s wrap this up tomorrow where we will tie this all together in conclusion.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

James 1:14 (LSB) 14 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully matured, it brings forth death.

After what we discussed yesterday, let’s get down to the meat of this topic and discuss what the source of our sin failure really is. This will make it easier to understand how to defeat that sin pattern in our lives that repeatedly continues to knock us down.

Now, this is where it can get a bit tricky, because what I’m about to share may offend some people.

But what I am about to say is 100% backed by scripture, so let’s take it at face value so we can learn everything we can from it.

The big question that we all need to ask is, where does our failure against temptation come from?

What is the source of our propensity to fail when confronted with temptation?

It is our own self.

So, now that this truth is on the table, let’s talk about it.

Yesterday’s devotional was based on James 1:13, which tells us plainly that temptation never comes from God.

If that’s the case, then where does our temptation come from?

The devil, our enemy, is referred to as “the tempter”. He is the one who tempts us.

But why do we succumb to temptation and fall into sin?

Because of the lusts and desires that are within us.

Yes, we are our own worst enemy.

We are not the source of temptation, but we are the source of our failure to successfully combat those temptations.

Join us again tomorrow as we lay out what is required to win this battle once and for all.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

James 1:13 (LSB) 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.

Humanity has a sin problem.

The perpetual wrestling match between man and sin has been happening since the beginning of time.

Temptation comes to everyone. Not one of us is exempt.

But each of us handles it differently.

Some seem to fall easily, never reaching a point in their lives where they can stand in the face of temptation and defeat it. They fall repeatedly.

But others defeat it more frequently. And to outsiders watching from a distance, it may seem that these people have it all together because they seemingly never fall.

Why is that?

To be brutally honest, those who cave in to temptation less frequently have learned how to walk away from sin.

Does this mean they are better people?

No. It means they have come to understand what it is that causes them to sin. And they have surrendered that part of themselves to God. They have allowed Him to teach them how to turn and walk away.

They have given Him their loyalty, their allegiance, their whole heart. And they have allowed Him to mold them, shape them, and train them in the ways of righteous living.

And though this may appear from the outside to be easy, it is not, especially in the beginning.

It is a lifelong endeavor that requires dedication, purposeful surrender, and wholehearted loyalty to God.

Anything less than full, unconditional surrender will result in failure.

This is something that we all need to learn and understand more fully.

So, let’s talk more tomorrow.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.