40-Day Devotion, Day 29

PREPARATION: READ JAMES 1:13-16

How To Resist Temptation

Maybe you can identify with the man who was ordered by his doctor to go on a diet. The man especially loved sweets, so cutting them out of his daily snacks took an enormous amount of will-power. Still, for several days he did well and everyone was very impressed until, unexpectedly on the fifth day, he arrived at his office with a huge coffee cake, oozing with icing and nuts. He had small bits of icing in the corners of his mouth.

“I thought you were on a diet,” one of his co-workers said.
“Oh, this is different,” replied the man. “God wanted me to have this. He made it clear to me that this was okay.” Seeing the confused look on his co- worker’s face, he explained. “You see, this morning I was driving by the bakery and I said to God: ‘God, if you want me to stop please allow there to be a parking spot in front of the Bakery.’ And sure enough, my seventh time around the block, there was a spot, right in front of the door!”

Temptation is an all-too-real part of the Christian life. Every one of us experiences it and every one of us knows what it means to falter in the face of it. Nothing reminds you of your desperate need for a Savior more than those moments when you stumble over some specific sin, then have to look with regret at what you have done! With the exception of Jesus Himself, every person ever born on this earth knows that feeling!

The authors of the New Testament had a great deal to say about overcoming temptation. To be clear, the Bible takes sin seriously. We must never become flippant or lackadaisical in our attitude towards it. It is unacceptable in God’s eyes for us to throw up our hands and surrender to the inevitability that “everybody sins and this is my weakness.” On the contrary, through Jesus Christ we are empowered to stand against Satan’s schemes, which means we have the ability to defeat temptation. We just need to understand where the true battle takes place.

In today’s Scripture from James 1, we see what James says about the progression of temptation into sin. James acknowledges our struggle, but he points out that standing strong against temptation is not a battle against your eyes, mouth or hands. The battle against temptation begins in the mind. Notice verse 14. James says that we are tempted, when “by our own evil desires we are drug away and enticed.” The verb James uses for “drug away” speaks of a predator and his prey. James literally says that temptation grabs us and carries us away as if we are helpless. Is that accurate? The answer is “yes,” if we let it get that far. But you can stop it.
To overcome temptation, you have to fight the battle before “desire gives birth to sin.” That means fighting the battle for your mind. You see, according to these verses, sin doesn’t begin with your actions. It begins with your thoughts. That is the battleground. When you allow a sinful thought to enter your mind and take root, that thought eventually takes control. You begin to dwell on it; obsess over it; fantasize about it. Soon that evil thought inspires action. You become “carried away,” as if a powerful current grabs you and sweeps you along. Before you know it, you wind up somewhere you never wanted to be, doing things you never thought you would do. All because your thoughts gave birth to sin!

That’s why James makes it clear: If you want to overcome temptation, you must fight the battle for your thought- life. You must refuse to entertain sin in your mind. Don’t dwell on it. Don’t picture it. Don’t fantasize about it. Don’t open the door to it. Guard your eyes and your ears. Don’t use them to invite sin into your mind or your life. Be on guard!

Remember David’s sin with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11? (If not, go back and read it.) That sin started with his eyes and his thoughts. He was walking around, obviously in an amorous mood, and his eyes stopped on Bathsheba, who was bathing in the enclosed courtyard of her house. Instead of turning away, David stared at her and allowed sin to enter his mind. He imagined what it would be like to be alone with her, so not surprisingly,

• What am I allowing to enter that is leading me towards sin?
• Am I being desensitized by our culture?
• Do things that once shocked me now pass me by with little notice?
• Have my sexual ethics slackened?
• Where does my mind wander when I have no duties to perform?
• What am I reading?
• Are there books or magazines or computer files in my home that I want no one else to see?
• What am I renting at the local video stores?
• How many hours do I spend watching TV?
• How much adultery did I watch last week? How many murders?
• How many did I watch with my children in the room? When we entertain so much sin in our minds, it is no wonder we slip up so often! Remember, sin begins in your thought-life! Conquering temptation is an uphill climb.