“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
Sin blinds. A decision to sin blinds. Temptation is not sin. I have the power to rebuke it and go on, assuming I belong to Jesus and am filled with His Spirit.
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God is not tempting me to sin, temptation comes from my own desire (lust}. The Holy Spirit in me gives me the power to resist that temptation. No problem, my walk with the Lord continues.
But, allowing desire (lust) to conceive means that I entertain it in my mind and allow it to grow. I think about it over and over and make mental scenarios. At this juncture, the blindness begins. I am unable to see how gross my sin is to the Lord. I even think it is not really sin because I haven’t “done” anything. Jesus said that to commit sin in the heart is to commit sin. It has consequences, the main one being the acceptance of darkness into my mind and my heart. Sin in my mind and heart gives satan permission to influence me. If allowed to continue, I will commit the sin that I have entertained in my mind. The end of living in sin is death. Will I sell my birthright for a bowl of soup?
In the meantime, with sin only conceived in my mind, life goes on. On the surface things look pretty much the same. But, since there is no anointing without purity of heart, there is no joy, no strength, no power or authority. I am confused, and I can’t hear the voice of my Shephard. I try to do the things that I have always done by His Spirit and I can’t. But I still try and in so doing I exhaust myself. Most of all, I miss Jesus. His hand stretches out to me, but it is this thing in my heart that separates me from Him. I am hurting! I want out! Help, Lord!
Prayer:
“Lord, help us say “no” to every temptation that would take us away from You. Guide us in paths of righteousness for Your Name’s sake.”
In Jesus’ Mighty Name,
AMEN!
Final Thoughts:
When my flesh is out of line there is only one thing that it will respond to: crucifixion. It is painful to say “no” to that temptation, but His Presence is all that I need. The way is straight and narrow, and you and I must stay on it. Satan wants to destroy us, and he will stop at nothing. He perverts everything that God has made for us to enjoy and he uses our own desires against us.
Be Greatly Blessed!
