Fishing for the Truth about Temptation

James 1:13-18

I am by no means a professional fisherman; however, I do have a bit of experience. I have learned that if you want to catch a specific kind of fish, you need to know a bit about the fish. You need to understand what weather conditions are prime for this fish or what time of the day is going to produce the best results in catching this fish. You need to know where the fish likes to hang out (in the weeds or near the bottom?) or what kind of bait to use and does this bait work all the time or just some of the time? Will the fish be aggressive at taking the bait or is it apprehensive? You get the idea. The more knowledge you have regarding this fish, the higher your chances are of catching it. If all these conditions are right,  you should catch a fish. The fish just can’t resist and they bite!

This is the same as our interaction with temptation. Just like the fish, we are often lured from the safety of our walk with the Lord. When the conditions are just right and the perfect bait is laid before us- a bait that promises to make us happy- we take the bait and are caught hook, line and sinker.

In the book of James 1:13-18, James lays out three truths concerning temptation in order to help us understand it so that we can actively fight against it. James points out the source of temptation, the progression of temptation, and the answer to temptation. 

The Source of Temptation. James 1:13-14

Temptation is real, and we all deal with it, but it does not come from God. We have a clear imperative in verse 13. James tells us not to blame God when we are tempted because God cannot be tempted by evil and He does not tempt anyone. However, we all have the tendency to blame shift, don’t we? This is nothing new, we see this at the very beginning when Adam and Eve rebelled against God (Genesis 3:12-13). Adam blamed Eve and by extension he blamed God, and then Eve blamed Satan. We need to be careful that we put the blame for our temptation in the right place. The source of our temptation is our own heart (James 1:14). Scripture tells us over and over that the heart (inside desire) not the external object is the source of our temptation and sin (Matthew 15:19; Jeremiah 17:9). The external may be the lure or bait, but if the heart was pure, the bait would have no attraction. Our wicked heart is the source. Another point James makes in this passage is that temptation is progressive, it never stays in one place.

The Progression of Temptation. James 1:14-16

We need to understand that there are secret lusts that lurk deep inside our hearts and they will never give up until they are either destroyed or satisfied. Things that we may be horrified by at this moment can easily be something we are readily participating in tomorrow. If we allow certain thoughts to stay in our mind, if we massage them or nurture them, at all, we can end up being dragged away by our desires and entering into sin. All our reason and thought of consequence just disappear as we are dragged away by this sinful passion. Even if these desires are harmless, or good, trying to fulfill them the wrong way will be deadly.  

James illustrates the progression of temptation through the process of pregnancy and birth. He states that "when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it brings forth death". The process begins as a sinful feeling or longing for something. The progression then moves to the mind, and we begin to rationalize. We start to dwell on it, we can’t get it out of our minds. It is at this point that lust has conceived. The child named Sin has been conceived and has started to grow. We make plans regarding how we are going to fulfill the emotional desire that we have been rationalizing. After this gestation period, our lust gives birth to this child called Sin. Just like a child that has been in the womb for 9 months, sin has a due date. The pregnancy will result in a child being born if there is no outside intervention and the final step in the process is death. If we continued to feed it Scripture warns us over and over that it will kill us. We must guard our hearts; James warns us not to be deceived. We must not allow our heart to make us think that something we know to be evil is good. The final point James tells us in verses 17-18, is the answer to dealing with temptation.

The Answer to Temptation.  James 1:17-18

The answer to dealing with temptation is God. What comes from God is not temptation and sin but rather everything perfect and good. From God, we receive mercy and grace and love. We receive compassion and order and yes, even justice. We receive our very life from God, both physical and also spiritual, what a wonderful gift! Eternal life is a pretty good gift, is it not? We also receive reason and physical health. These are all good gifts that come down from God.

His goal for us is that we would be more and more like Him. God’s will for us is sanctification. He desires us to grow in holiness (Hebrews 12:14). It is true that God may allow or even bring trials into our life, and in those trials, he often allows temptation to take place, but even so, he has promised to provide a way of escape for the believer (1 Corinthians 10:13). The way of escape may not seem obvious to some; however, the way of escape is God Himself. We need only to go to Him in prayer, begin to quote scripture to ourselves, speaking truth to ourselves. Don’t listen to the lies of our flesh or the lies of the world and the Devil. Flee the situation immediately as Joseph did from Potiphar’s wife. We need to flee with all of our might and we are never to look back.

Conclusion

As we go back to our fishing illustration, we see that in the vast ocean of this life, we are but fish. Satan and the demons are not omniscient; however, they have studied us, they know our behavior, they know what bait will bring about temptation in our hearts and those are the lures they use. Don’t bite friends! Remember God is on your side. He is not tempting you, it is your own heart, therefore "be renewing your mind" through the reading and meditating on God’s Word. Be faithful in prayer and be serving in the local church and make sure you recognize areas that you are susceptible in and run from things that entice you in that area.