James 1: 13-16 (Amplified version)
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by [what is] evil and He Himself tempts no one. 14 But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions). 15 Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death. 16 Do not be misled, my beloved brethren.
Earthquake!
Earthquake Baroque (Photo credit: Olivia Hotshot)
No human being is born spiritually whole. As a matter of fact, we are born spiritually dead, and many people spend a life time trying to fill the lifeless void in their lives with everything but the love of God. The results of being born spiritually dead, yet physically living, is that we go through life in a state of gradual decomposition. Living in a world that is fallen and filled with sharp words and selfish, wicked actions mean that no one goes through this life without wounds.
North Anatolian Fault Zone and its earthquakes in 20th century (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The wounds of life create fault lines in our lives. Like the hidden tectonic plates inside earth, the bed rock of our inner being is fractured. These fault lines are the pathways by which we are made vulnerable to certain sins. Just as no two people have the same set of fingerprints, we are all likewise different in our tendency to sin against God. Indeed, before we are born again and enter from death into life in Christ, the fault lines of our inner being rule the direction of our lives.
Temptation is the force that causes the tectonic plates of our unique sin natures to slip, creating earthquakes and tremors in our lives and the lives of everyone around us. Just as in the real world, the results of these spiritual earthquakes can be devastating, causing tsunamis of emotional, psychological and financial ruin. When this happens, we are tempted to point our fingers at everyone but ourselves as the cause of devastation. In James 1:13, the Lord is telling us, “Don’t blame me,” “for God is incapable of being tempted by [what is] evil and He Himself tempts no one.”
Verses 13 through 14 tells us plainly that the fault lies in us: We are tempted when we are “drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions).” The devil is smart. He designs and cultivates bait that will resonate with your particular “evil desire.” The devils bait is designed to cause your tectonic plates to slip in a way that will utterly devastate your life. The sin-quakes can even cause you to lose your life. When fault lines slip and the chain reaction is set in motion (when the evil desire is conceived), it “gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death.”
Today, you might be looking out on a field of devastation in your life. You might even be buried beneath the rubble that used to be your family, your job, your reputation or your profession. Be encouraged, the life that is in ruins doesn’t have to stay that way. Cry out to the Lord for salvation, restoration and wholeness. Ask for forgiveness, and it will be given.
We live in a world where gravity rules. Things fall and our world is fallen. Our Sovereign God allows us to be tempted, and He allows for us to experience the devastation of our sins. He allows this pain because we need to know where our fault lines are. When we know what temptations can trigger our sin nature, we are better able to ask the Lord for help. You cannot avoid what you cannot see. Temptation proves where we are weak.
Today, take inventory. Give a name to the devastation, look within yourself for the cause and cry out to the Lord for help and wholeness.
Don’ forget to Praise God, and be a blessing to someone today.
Until we meet again: “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” (Ephesians 6:10)
Verneda
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