God and Temptation

I have a tendency to waffle, at least with some things. I go back and forth as to what my favorite restaurant is (right now between a great BBQ joint or the brick oven pizza place with great Italian food), or my favorite musical, blues performer, etc. I do the same with trying to decide what book of the Bible is my favorite and what verse. I have learned my favorite is quite often the last one I have read.

Yesterday it was this:

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one; but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. – James 1:13 – 14

This is one of the verses that appeared before me on one of my random openings of the Bible. When I began my journey back, I started each night having a conversation with God asking Him to clear some things up for me. I had a lot of questions for which I needed answers before I could fully commit myself to coming back. At the same time I had begun reading the Bible both on a schedule and randomly.

The question I had asked this time pertained to the saying we all have probably have heard at one time or another, “God is testing me.” We use this in times of trouble, maybe we lose our jobs, have some health problems or lose a loved one. Many of us, okay maybe only me, would rather blame God for our sins, claiming He is testing us to see how we do and really wanting us to fail, instead of putting the blame where it needs to be. That blames needs to be on us, not God, not even the Evil One, but us.

Yes, Satan tempts us, but we have the choice to either reject this temptation or follow it. God gave us free will and He will let us make own decisions. With each decision there is a consequence, whether it is good or bad, whether it brings us closer to God or further away. As James says we are tempted when “lured and enticed” by our own desire. We make the choice to sin or not. And the funny thing about sin is it gets easier and easier to do it as time goes on. Believe me, I know. Why do you think Satan makes sin so pleasurable?

But here is the good news, just as it gets easier to sin after the first time, it also gets easier to resist after the first time.

Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. – James 1: 2 – 4

And each time you resist you will be brought closer to God. As I said in a post a few days ago, each journey begins with a single step, this goes for resisting temptation, and therefore sin, as well.

Trust in the Lord.