Blessings Await the Right Choices!

James 1:12-15

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.  When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

From the very beginning, we see blame shifting is a natural, human tendency. In Genesis 3:12-13, when Adam and Eve ate the fruit off the tree of knowledge of good & evil, the Lord confronts them and they make excuses instead of owning up to their sin. Eve says, "the spent deceived me" and Adam not only blames Eve, but also God..."the woman You gave me..."

Friend, you and I will never overcome our sin until we own up to it. We will never experience victory until we accept responsibility. God is NEVER at fault for our sin. Often times, we think "well, if He had just made the circumstances a little easier to bare, then I wouldn't have sinned." Wrong!

Don't blame God! God DOES NOT tempt; He tests. Testing challenges us to grow and only produces good results. Tempting is enticement to ensnare & cause harm. Isaiah 6:3, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty..." God cannot be evil. It is not in His nature. 1 John 1:5, "...God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all." God and sin are as opposite as left & right; day & night; life & death... He would never intentionally put you in harms way or set you up to fail. “If that's so, then why have the tree in the garden at all, knowing they'd be tempted by it's fruit & eat it?”...

Great question! Here's the way I see it... The tree was a gift; a test. We are made in the image of God, created differently than all other living things. He created us with the ability to make moral choices. Without the tree being accessible and the ability to choose, we would be no different than an animal; just existing. God wanted more for us than to merely exist. He wants us to live! He chose us and He wanted us to choose Him. He desires to teach us how to live correctly and wants to bless us when we chose to do it His way…the right way!! In Genesis 22:1-2, we see that the Lord tests Abraham by telling him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Why would the Lord do that?! We see the reason in verses 16-18. The Lord wanted to bless Abraham abundantly. God was testing his faith and Abraham chose to obey, thus reaping the benefits of following the Lord. What if Abraham had decided against sacrificing his son? He would not have been blessed with countless descendants or become the father of a great nation. The Scriptures probably wouldn’t even have mentioned Abraham had he made a different choice.

If we choose to do the wrong thing, we will suffer the consequences. If we choose to do the right thing, we will enjoy the many blessings that follow! Everything the Lord has done in our lives has been for our good. Granted those things may still be painful for us to endure, but He is GOOD, and good only produces good. He stretches us to strengthen us. Psalm 145:9 says it best, "The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made."

Temptation comes from 3 sources: the devil, the world, and our flesh. We are the major source of our own problem. Lust is a desire for anything that God has prohibited. Romans 7:21-25..."So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” The Lord provides you a way to escape…flee…RUN!!  Do not dwell in temptation or you will succumb to its lusts.  Take a look at Joseph in Genesis 39. He was attendant to his Egyptian master and was entrusted with the care of Potiphar’s household & all he owned. Potiphar’s wife started taking a liking to Joseph and threw herself at him numerous times, grabbing him and telling him to sleep with her. You think it was easy for him to continually say “No” to? Doubtful! I think it would be incredibly hard for any man to resist this seductress. And when his “No!” wasn’t good enough for her, he escaped her clutches and ran(v.12)!! He physically ran! If he had remained with her and tried to endure the continual tempting, it eventually would’ve been beyond his ability to bare and he would’ve fallen. Running was the only way he could “endure” the temptation.

You might be wondering, "But if my faith in God has secured a spot for me in heaven, then why can't I live it up here on earth & do whatever I want?" As believers, sin won't damn us to hell, but it can end our lives prematurely. Ezekiel 18:26-27..."If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin, he will die for it; because of the sin he has committed he will die. But if a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life."  Consider the end result and all of the bad things that happen when we engage in sin; DEATH of our earthly bodies, which belong to Jesus Christ. Read these passages and notice a trend. James 1:15; 2:12-26; 3:13-4:4; 5:15. We are free from the penalty of sin(eternal death), but not the consequences(earthly death).

Take responsibility for your wrongdoings and hold to this promise, Friends.  1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The first step to overcoming sin is confessing the hold it has on your life. Embrace the goodness of God! Micah 6:8 “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Our Lord has SO many great things in store for you!! Please let Him teach you how to live so that you may be blessed beyond measure! Psalm 37:5 “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”

Find Joy in Him, Beloved!