Temptation

Title: Temptation
Text: James 1:13-18

Notes:

Trials = Testing of our faith, usually from outside circumstances
Temptation = A desire to be disloyal to God, usually from within our own heart

Temptation:

1. God is never the source of temptation (verse 13)
2. Temptation comes from within our own heart and desire (verse 14)
   Desire = An intense longing for what God has forbidden

Anatomy of sin:
Desire (unchecked) > Desire acted upon (sin) > Death

“I thought boy, this is really something. This is the greatest thing in the world, to make you feel so good when it was hurting so bad… As I’ve said before, all mood altering drugs carry a demon called deception. You think if this is so bad, why does it feel so good? I used to tell myself, “God created this, it’s got to be the greatest thing in the world.” But it’s like the old saying about alcoholics, they start drinking out of the bottle, and then the bottle starts drinking out of them.”
-Johnny Cash

Defeating Temptation:

1. Believe God is ultimately good
   The root of temptation is a failure to see God correctly
2. Remember God’s love never changes
3. Remember God chose YOU