James 1:13-14 (NKJV) Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God;" for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
It's interesting how many times the devil is blamed for things that he had nothing to do with. With the kind of spiritual warfare that goes on in our lives, I know how easy it would be to think that the devil can take us down whenever he wants to. Because of that, when someone falls into sin, it's not unusual to hear them say something like, "The devil made me do it," or "I was being used so greatly that it was only a matter of time before Satan took me down."
Well, there is some truth to that for sure. The schemes, wiles and attacks of the devil come regularly. Often, they come proportionately. The more you desire to seek the Lord, the more the temptations and attacks come. As you progress in your relationship with Jesus, there will be many temptations to do the wrong thing; to sin; to weaken under the influence of your friends; to compromise; to walk away from the faith. Yes, the devil wants to take you down, but it doesn't happen without your whole-hearted cooperation.
Read through James 1:12-18 and take note of the steps toward sin. Then, pray through them, asking God along the way to help you to live strong in a temptation-saturated society.
In His Great Love,
Pastor Ed
Response
Good morning Pastor Ed. I wanted to say that last night was so amazing to see. I am so excited how God is working in our church. The feeling is almost so overwhelming to know how the Lord is working not only in our church but my life directly. It's been an amazing journey for me just in the past year...I don't really know how to explain it but knowing that God can do such amazing things in the lives of those around me has made me like a new Christian again. I wanted to also ask for prayer that God gives me courage with my parents, sister and brother...when it comes to my family I seem to have more fear and less boldness than with my friends and co-workers. And thank you as always for being so open to God's leading. I pray for you daily that God protects you and keeps your strong and drawn ever close to Him.
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