Daily Devotional for Sunday, December 31

The Danger of Temptations

“Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death,” James 1:15.

A while ago, there was a trend going around of parents filming their toddlers resisting temptation. The parents would put a treat in front of their children and tell them not to eat the treat until they returned to the room. Then the parents would step out of the room for a minute, all the while recording their toddlers’ reactions to this ruse to see if they took the treat while the parents were not looking.

Many people believe this is what God does to us. He dangles a temptation in our path to see if we will choose good or evil. This is flawed theology. Here James set the record straight. Why are we blaming God for our temptations? It is actually our lusts or desires that lead us into temptation. God is the One who has given us examples in His Word so that we may not fall into the same sins (1 Corinthians 10:6-13), and He will always provide a way of escape. James continued by painting the picture of sin as a living organism. Our lust and desires conceive and birth sin. Sin grows and grows and then eventually brings forth death. It is the life cycle of rebellion and disobedience. The moment of salvation does not eliminate temptation from our lives, so we must kill the sin by starting with our own lust and desires. We do this by being controlled by the Spirit and bearing fruit (Galatians 5:22-25). Each person’s desires are different, and even some inherently good desires can lead to sinful behavior. Satan will use whatever means necessary to keep us from walking in the light and leading others to Christ. We must put on self-control and make the choice to follow God’s Word.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Let us deny ourselves and follow Christ (Luke 9:23), flee from temptations and glorify our Father in Heaven with our lives.

Ashley Ridings