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James 1:12-18 Review: Wholeness… The ‘blessed’ life is not one that has learned how to use its faith to avoid adversity, but one that has proven able to consistently and successfully meet the challenges of life. ► Wisdom is connecting the dots! What’s obvious is that life provides a dot that says “start” and a dot that says “finish”. It’s how you connect the rest of the events which will ultimately determine the shape of your life! It’s the art of living well! * I remember as a kid experiencing the delight of my favorite show or cartoon suddenly interrupted with a string of the most irritating noises concocted by humanity. BEEEEEEEP… (and then, this grating, buzzing noise). It would happen without warning and would immediately capture our attention. * Then, someone would come on the air and say something like… “This is a test of the emergency broadcast system. If this were an actual emergency, you would be instructed where to turn in your area for further news and information. This concludes the test”. * It was only a test! A way of preparing you; of getting your attention. Life doesn’t always come with such warnings or disclaimers, does it? * The words “test” and “tempted” originate from the same Greek root word. So, it’s only as we understand the purpose (intended outcome) of each that we are able to understand the difference: TESTS: are always meant to ‘expose’ our weakness, in order to fortify our faith. The favorable outcome being ‘maturity’; becoming ‘fully developed’. TEMPTATION: is always meant to ‘exploit’ our weakness in order to take advantage of us. The expected outcome is always destructive in nature. * Although James says that God is never the source of temptation, you can be certain that every time you are tested, you will be tempted. Tempted to choose an alternate path; tempted to assign blame to God and others for our circumstance. * Temptation always suggests that we live and act in ways that are inappropriate responses to God’s love. It is convincing ourselves that there is actually a way to fulfill our desires and satisfy our longings apart from God. * James offers us what I’ll call an “evolution of sin”. If God is not the source, then who/what is? Reflections… ►You can never successfully deal with temptation as long as it is “somewhere out there”! Bumper sticker: “Lead me not into temptation; I’m perfectly capable of finding it on my own”. * Be willing to admit that somewhere along the line, it was your own personal choices that are responsible for your present predicament. * Our inherent tendency is to look to deflect responsibility and assign blame. We look for some other source to indict (i.e. trip on perfectly smooth carpet, look back; drop the ball, check our glove). On a more serious note, if we fail to report income on our taxes, it’s because the government gets too much anyway. If I cheat on the test, it’s because they leave their paper right out in the open. If I view porn, it’s because of the web! * James says that at the source is our own “desires”. * Desires are not sinful in and of themselves. Desires are simply longings or cravings which indicate the presence of some unfulfilled need. Our objective is not to eliminate our desires, but to redirect them; to learn to satisfy them in God-honoring ways. * James goes on to explain the process with the use of an interesting analogy: ‘dragged away’- idea of baiting a trap. ‘enticed’- to bait a hook. * In order to draw us out (lure us), it must appear real; next, we must be convinced it’s safe. We’re unsuspecting. * No animal deliberately walks into a trap. There is always some form of bait; something that appeals to them as an invitation to satisfy their cravings. * The key to success is “deception”. A distorting of reality. Temptation never presents itself as temptation! * Remember I suggested that faith is the ability to look honestly at your life-circumstances and see something else. So deception is the capacity to look at your situation and fail to see what’s really there. Faith allows you to look at your situation and see the good worth hoping for, while deception allows you to look at the opportunity and prevents you from seeing the destructive consequences which are so obvious. * James warns us that sin is so much more than the act itself; it is the process. When it comes to tests, James challenges us not to attempt circumvent the process (developed). When it comes to temptation, James says that the process must be interrupted! * Quite simply, the process looks something like this: ● IT GETS OUR ATTENTION, ● IT PEAKS OUR CURIOSITY, In order to be successful, temptation must be dealt with at this level! (Once you’re at the point where you are allowing yourself to dwell on the possibilities, it becomes increasingly difficult to resist). ● IT STIMULATES OUR IMAGINATION, (dwell) ● OUR IMAGINATION CREATES POSSIBILITIES, ● CONCEIVE A STRATEGY FOR INDULGING OURSELVES, ● WE CALCULATE THE LIKELIHOOD OF: A) REALIZING THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES B) GETTING CAUGHT. ● OUR MIND GIVES OUR WILL PERMISSION, AND WE ACT! * And we have swallowed the hook! We’re trapped! ►Never underestimate the power of your desires. * Our desires have the capacity to produce behavior which defies logic. I have found that my reason (rationale) will always reach a conclusion that’s consistent with my desire! * When I say “mind”, I don’t mean the brain. I am talking about the faculties of reason that affect my will (power to choose). Once I set my mind on a certain direction, I initiate a powerful process that will manipulate my logic and distort truth (deception: prevents me from seeing what’s right in front of me) in order to ensure my satisfaction. ►Know how you got into your situation; it’s the only way to stay out! (“I don’t know how this happened”). We become most vulnerable when we disconnect our current circumstances from our choices. ▪ Accept personal responsibility for your actions (stop blaming God, your environment, your family, etc.) ▪ Know your weaknesses and limitations… your enemy does! (we don’t use the same bait on every fish!) ▪ Refrain from exposing yourself to situations in which you feel most vulnerable and you’ll be most likely to compromise. ▪ Establish clear boundaries and refuse to cross the lines. Psalm 7:15 “He who digs a hole and scoops it out, falls into the pit he has made” (sounds like a fortune cookie, doesn’t it?) You’ll never live free as long as you are bound to your excuses! ►You’ll never know how powerful temptation is until you attempt to resist it! * Apparently, there are only (2) ways of ridding yourself of temptation: 1. Succumb to it. 2. Resist it. ►Your “willpower” alone is no match for your desires! It’s not strong enough! Titus 2:11-12 “For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures (NIV “it teaches us to say no). We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness and devotion to God…” Romans 8:5 (relationship: no condemnation) Every decision we make fortifies either our old nature (flesh) or our new nature. Every choice to conform reinforces our determination to formulate our own approach to life and significantly impedes the development of our relationship. ►At the heart of all sin is the exchange of truth for a lie (Romans 1:25). It’s what causes an 80 lb. girl to look in the mirror and be convinced she’s fat. It’s only as you know truth that you can recognize a lie.
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