Live 4 The LORD

​READ

13 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; 14 but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death.  (James 1:13–15, RSV2CE)

REFLECT

I am tempted by my own internal desires. It is something inside that makes me want something not right for me. 

God does not tempt. 

The devil doesn’t even tempt. He whispers the bad things you desire in hopes to make you fall. But it is the desire in you that tempts.

I am tempted when the desire in me is lured and enticed to give in. That happens internally. If I have no desire to do something wrong, then it cannot be lured and enticed because it is not a desire of mine. 

Sin is in me, the desire that gets lured, enticed, chosen, then results in death when acted upon.  It is not an external thing, it is all internal. No one can cause me to sin, it is a choice to act on a wrong desire. 

RESOLUTION 

I must ask God to replace my desires. Like getting healthy in food or exercise. At first the fresh food is not good and you crave the bad. Eventually your body learns to love the fresh food and feel disgust for the bad. With exercise it’s hard to start but once you’ve trained your body likes it and craves it if you miss. Training  sinful desires is the same, we must do it consistently to train yourself to love the good and reject the bad, eventually your desires become reprogrammed with the Word and Grace. 

REST

Holy God, help me give all my desires to you to reprogram in your word! Please empower me with Grace to train myself to reject harmful desires and replace with good ones. You know and see the desires that are sinful for me and love to save sinners. I am a sinner in desperate need to curb the desires that try to destroy my soul. Save Me! Help me stop blaming others for tempting and realize temptation is in me due to wrong desires. You are my only hope! Give me a new heart! In your name Jesus Christ my God I pray. Amen.