September 24
“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. 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,” James 1:13-15.
The word “temptation” is used in two different ways in the Bible. There is a temptation for good and a temptation for evil. The temptation for good is when God tempts or tests our faith for the purpose of strengthening our faith. A prime example of a temptation for good is given in the case of Abraham. God tempted Abraham when He asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham proceeded to do what God asked him to do. His faith was strengthened. He would sacrifice Isaac, and then he believed he would witness God raising him from the dead, because God promised Abraham that he would have descendants through Isaac. That meant that Isaac had to live and get married. Furthermore, through a descendant of Isaac all the nations of the earth would be blessed. A descendant of Isaac would be the promised Messiah and Savior of the world, Jesus, who suffered, died, and rose again to redeem us from sin, death, and the power of the devil.
“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.” God is holy, and under no circumstances will He tempt anyone to do evil. When people do things that are evil, they often try to justify the evil they did by saying, “I can’t help it. That’s the way I was created!” They try to excuse their evil deeds by blaming God for creating them with evil desires. This excuse is used, for example, by male perverts who want sexual relations with other men or by female perverts who want sexual relations with other women.
In the Lord’s Prayer, when we pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” we are asking God to guard and keep us in the faith when we are tempted to do evil by our own sinful flesh, by other people who try to lead us into sin, by the sinful world in which we live, and by the devil who is the master liar and deceiver.
James tells us to resist the temptations of our own sinful flesh. “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.”
In the Book of Proverbs, we are warned against others who try to lead us into sin. “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent,” Proverbs 1:10. Beware of keeping company with the wrong people!
The apostle Peter wrote that we must beware of 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,” 1 Peter 5:8-9.
The apostle John warns against falling in love with the things of this world. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world,” 1 John 2:15-16.
Pray for God to protect you from temptation to evil. “The Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one,” 2 Thessalonians 3:3. To the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “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,” 1 Corinthians 10:13.
In the hour of trial, Jesus, plead for me,
Lest by base denial, I depart from Thee.
When Thou seest me waver, With a look recall,
Nor for fear or favor, Suffer me to fall. Amen.