My Corner Online

James 1:13-15

God does not tempt us, but rather the "sinful self" inside us. How dare a thought ever think that God is temptation because temptation is "evil!" It is my own desires that bring on sin. Desire is the parent to sin. If only I could be content and not want, but alas I was born sinful and have to resist human desires daily. I mean, really! It is not even the devil that tempts me, but my own sinful self! I get the blame! I cannot even blame the devil! Nope. The devil didn't make me do it! Oh, Lord, forgive me if I ever blame the devil for tempting me instead of taking accountability for my own actions. I have no excuses and no one else to blame by myself. Temptations do "grow" as mentioned in verse 15.  They grow like a snowball rolling down a hill.  When I allow a desire or temptation to take over my mind it continues to grow.  For example, a common "snowball temptation" would be when I think of food I should not be eating.  The more I think on that forbidden food, the bigger the temptation grows.  Eventually, I not only eat that food, but totally fail in a food binge.  The exercise to resist temptation should be to fill all my desires with God, rather than things.  The end of these verses reference fully grown temptations/desires that bring forth death.  Death would be eternal separation from God for my sins, but praise Jesus for his death on the cross that saves me from that death!