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How to overcome temptation 

How to overcome temptation

James, Part 7 

No one, when tempted, should say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted by evil, and he never tempts anyone else. But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 
James 1:13–15

Do not be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. 
James 1:16–18

James has much to say about how followers of Jesus are to overcome temptation, but his instructions sound foreign to many Christians–we don’t see the connection between what James says about temptation in verses 13–15, and what he says about God in verses 16–18. But the connection is one we don’t want to miss: James is telling us how to overcome temptation. 

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How our desires sabotage our best intentions  

How our desires sabotage our best intentions

James, Part 6 

No one, when tempted, should say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted by evil, and he never tempts anyone else. But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
James 1:13–15

In the 1970’s, comedian Flip Wilson made it popular to say, “the Devil made me do it,” to excuse bad behavior. It was meant as a joke, but many of us are willing to believe it is true. The Bible, on the other hand, unequivocally says that we can’t fault the Devil for our sins.  So if we can’t blame the Devil, who can we blame? Well, let’s start with this: most of us look at sin as a single action, but God sees sin as a process. James outlines four steps:

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When temptation comes 

temptation

James, Part 5 

No one, when tempted, should say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted by evil, and he never tempts anyone else. But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
James 1:13–14

Temptation has been around since the days of Adam and Eve, and few of us escape its grasp. I certainly haven’t; temptation has been a lifelong companion. Thankfully, God has not left us on our own to figure out how to deal with it.

Perhaps the best place to start is with a biblical definition of temptation. In the New Testament, the Greek word pierazo is translated “trials” in some passages and “temptations”  in others. In essence, pierazo describes things that test us. Tests that come as the result of external circumstances are called trials; tests of character that take the form of inner desires are called temptations.

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How to get wisdom  

Disciples of Jesus

James, Part 4 

If any of you lacks wisdom, ask God, who gives generously and ungrudgingly to all, and it will be given to you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord; they are double-minded and unstable in everything they do. 
James 1:5-8

James, the first pastor of the church in Jerusalem, wrote a letter to Christians who were being persecuted. He urged them to be joyful in the midst of their trials because God could transform their problems into blessings. Their trials could become steps to maturity in Christ. James says that ultimately they can be “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”