18/07/2020
ANATOMY OF TEMPTATION
James 1:14-15
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Let's take it one after the other:
1. But every man is tempted... - this is when we have the thought of the wrong thing – that thought of lying, of stealing, of sexual gratification etc.
2. When he is drawn away... – The things we see, listen to and ponder upon, have a way of drawing us away. Like a little boy, who is being enticed by a bar of chocolate, little did he know that he is being drawn to the kidnapper's den. This is what happens when we allow the things we see, hear or touch form an enticing imagination, or picture on our mind screen, of the pleasure of that particular thing you are drawn to do. Eg: How does it feel to touch her? To kiss him? You start picturing it in your heart and then you are drawn away.
3. Of his own lust... - when we lust we are starting to enjoy the imaginations of doing that wrong thing, We are staring at it, and allowing it to program our minds. We are supposed to stare at the Word of God and let our minds be programmed by it instead.
4. And enticed... – as we continue to hold the imaginations in our mind and play them over and over, as we see ourselves enjoying the forbidden food or drug or sin, sickness, yes, even dying, we begin believing the imaginations, and our will to resist becomes weak – now we are in real danger of actually doing or receiving the wrong thing.
You are surprised I added sickness and dying? A lot of us lust after sickness without knowing it. Probably because you are running away from a particular responsibility, we tell ourselves and others that we are not feeling fine. To make it look real, we condition our bodies and minds to confirm with the sickness we are claiming, and before we know it, it shows up truely. Same goes with thoughts of death and su***de.
Spirits that cause this kind of things are called seducing spirits. They seduce you with lustful thoughts and sometimes it can come so strong that if they are not rebuked immediately in the name of Jesus, they will take away all your will power to resist.
5. Then when lust hath conceive... - where sin is concerned, this is where we actually yield to the sin, where all our hormones go hay-wire, and it seems we cannot concentrate on anything else until we have done that thing. Where ill health is concerned, this is when the symptoms really take over everything, over all our energy and thoughts and expectations.
6. It bringeth forth sin: - the result of the conception of sin is the commission of the act if it’s a sin, or in the case of ill health, the fullness of the sickness if we have entertained the thoughts that we are ill for long enough. Where the mind leads, the body always follows if not put under subjection to the word of God and prayers.
7. And sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. – the wages of sin is always death. Don't let the d vil deceive you. Don't let him tell you "nothing will come out of it, everybody is doing it".
Prov.6.27 - 29: Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
Stop that temptation at the conception stage.
Tips on how to do this:
1. Don't let that thought linger in your mind.
2. Fill your heart with the word of God.
3. Pray about those lusts and rebuke the devil in the name of Jesus.
4. Ask God for the grace to always overcome temptation.
5. Surround yourself with like minded Christians, and not people that will tell you there is nothing wrong with all these things.
6. Jesus taught us to pray "...and deliver us from temptation" pray that prayer today, be open with your father.
7. Seek help. If you know your own has gone out of hand, please feel free to talk to your Pastors and Spiritual leaders about it. Destroy that lust before it destroys you.
