"Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord 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 person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
James 1:12-15 NKJ
____________________
Temptation is a trial we face daily. It is impossible to avoid it.
Don't you hate it when you are trying so hard to eat healthy and then all of a sudden there it is: a big, chunk of chocolate cake calling your name. You are mesmerized. You immediately fall back into your old habits and then, before you know it, you're sick to your stomach with sugar... and guilt.
It is so easy to start pointing fingers at others when we feel guilty. But when there aren't others to blame then we can sometimes turn to God (since he, of course, made all the ingredients that go into the cake). But God cannot tempt us. It is impossible. He can, however, allow temptation to enter our lives because only then will we gain strength.
Of course, you may not struggle with unhealthy eating choices. Yours may be anger, lust, selfishness, impatience, etc. Whatever it is, we can all testify that temptation can be a very difficult thing to deal with.
James tells us that if we persevere through the hard stuff then we will get the great stuff: life. But you don't have to face temptations alone. In fact, God doesn't want you to. He knows that without Him we are nothing (John 15:5). It's only through Him that we have strength to conquer our weaknesses (Phillipians 4:13).
_________
Author's Note: If you ever have any questions about the blog or any question at all please feel free to email me: manager.lifeischrist@gmail.com
