Don't give in to sin's crave to have you.

There is such a struggle to do right -however, when we choose to do wrong, we need not to   blame God for the evil that we do because the Lord does not tempt us to do evil

Yes, I want to follow the Lord/No, I want to follow my sinful desires     

Don't give in to sin's crave to have you.

James 1:12-16 - Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteh he any man.  But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death.  Do not err,my beloved brethren.

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation.  To endure means to continue in the same state.  To undergo without giving in.  My personal interpretation of endure means to remain standing without bending over.  Satan loves to see God's people bend over.  To bend over is the same as to give in to temptation.  When we bend over, Satan stands back and kicks us in the rear end of our situations, cirsumstances and choices.  Many unbelivers, backsliders and evil inspired people today enjoy playing games with Satan.  It is as though they MOON the devil only to be kicked by his evil forces in the butt and made to be a complete fool in the end.

When we give in to fulfilling the sinful desires of our heart we must deal with the consequences of our wrong doings, which can be considered as the kick back of sin.

If we delight ourselves in Satan, he will give us the kick back of sin.  That  kick back  can represent broken homes, venereal diseases, black eyes, broken teeth, guilty consciences, shame, no peace of mind, drug abuse, pornography, homosexuality, knife wounds, flying bullets, prostitution, drug pusher, chronic liar, unnecessary fighting,  church despizers  or an early grave.

No wonder the Lord says, blessed is the man that endureth temptation.  The Greek word for temptation is pi-ras-mos and the correct interpretation of the word temptation is to experience evil solicitation.  Another view of solicitation is - Allurement.  One that is tempted to do evil is allured or enticed to sin.  Blessed is the one that endureth temptation for when he is tried or tested he shall receive the Crown of Life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.  To love God means to obey God.  You can not love God unless you obey His Word.  I am sure that this message is bitter medicine to swallow.  Yet, the Word of God says, Let us not love in word or tongue but by deed!  The type of love that God is talking about is a love that is motivated by action.  When we say, Lord, I love you, we are suppose to mean, Lord, I shall obey your Word.  There are those that believe to love the Lord means you have to put up with someone's mess.  This is not true, we are to be peace makers, not door mats!  Didn't Jesus say, "If the salt has lost it's savor it shall be good for nothing other than to be trodden under foot of men."  He was speaking of the born again Christian that is sitting down on  power.  This person is of no value to God. They might as well be stepped on by the foot of worldly men.  To those children of God who love the Lord, Jesus does not want us to be door mats for the foolishness of the world.

Every time a child of God resists the evil solicitation to do evil, God will reward his faithful children in the end.  When he is tried he shall receive the Crown of life.  When his graces are found to be true and of the highest worth, he shall receive the Crown of Life.  We know that metals are tried as to their excellency by the fire, and when our integrity is manifested, and all is approved of the great Judge, we shall be praised by God.  To be approved of God is the great aim of a Christian, and it will be to his or her blessing.  When he shall receive the Crown of life.  The tried Christian shall be a crowned Christian, and the crown he shall wear will be a Crown of life.  It will be life and bliss to Him or Her, and will last for ever.  We only bear the cross for a while, but we all wear the crown to eternity.  When we endure temptations this is a sign of our devotion and love to the Lord.

The Crown of Life will not only be rewarded to those that endure the lust to do evil, and to those that endure trials through faith in Jesus, but this reward will also be given to all Christians that love God!  To all of those that have the love of God shed abroad in their hearts will receive the blessed Crown of life.  Yes...we are all known to say, rewards are fine, but let me just get my feet in to the kingdom of God.  I feel the same way, but the Lord desires for us to look forward to the AWARDS that he has prepared to give us.  Didn't the Holy Ghost say by the Apostle Paul, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.  The meaning temptation can depend on who is doing the tempting.  If it is God, it is for the purpose of proving someone and never for the purpose OF causing one to fall.  We also can tempt ourselves by flirting with sin or being in the places where our sinful weaknesses are dominant.  When one is tempted to do evil we must realize that G od never allures us to do evil.  If God were to tempt us to do evil this would be contrary to what he tells us to do through his Word.  God never tempts people to do wicked things.  God is not the author of man's sins. 

The rod of God may fall upon saved man to test one's character.  If man should sin because of his trial, his willful choice to do evil is not to be blamed on God.  The blame of one's misconduct must lie entirely upon themselves.  For there is nothing in the nature of God that one can lay the blame upon.  Let no man say when he is tempted to follow evil directions, or do any evil thing, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil.  In other words, man's wrong choices must not attempt to dishonor God who is holy.  I can hear the voice oF the Lord saying, "Be ye holy - for I am holy."  To be holy is one that is against all unholiness.  God is against all acts of unholiness.

Neither tempteth he any man - God cannot promote the very act of sin which is as a strong stench in his nostrils.  The carnal mind is willing to charge its own sins on God.  There is something hereditary in this.  Our first Adam tells God, "The woman thou gavest me tempteth me." Thereby in effect, he was throwing the blame upon God for giving him the tempter.  It is bad to sin, but it is much worst, when we have done wrong only to charge it upon God, and say, it was because of God that I did what I have done!  Just as there are those persons who will dare claim to be angry with God, there are those who blame their misconduct upon Him.

Man is tempted of his own Lust. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

We must be taught where the true cause of evil lies, and where the blame ought to be laid.  Man is tempted of his own lust.  In other scriptures the devil is called the tempter, and there are other things that may tempt us.  The three enemies of the children of God are:

1.  Self  2.  Satan   3.  The sinful world. 

Neither the devil nor any other person or thing is to be blamed so as to excuse ourselves, for the true origin of evil and temptation is in our own hearts.  Yes, the combustible matter is in us, though the flame may be blown up by some outward causes.  I want you to see the method of sin as it begins to proceed:  First it draws away, then entices.  As holiness consists of two parts - forsaking that which is evil and cleaving to that which is good, so these two things, reversed are the two parts of sin.  Forsaking that which is good and cleaving to that which is evil.  The heart is carried from that which is good, and enticed to cleave to that which is evil.  The person begins to lust after and greed some sensual or worldly thing.

Every person is tempted when he is drawn away - Being drawn away is the power and policy of sin.  Drawn away means being compelled, or being enticed by allurements and deceitful representations of things.  There is much violence done to the conscience and to the mind by the power of corruption: and there is a great deal of cunning and deceit and flattery in sin to gain us to its interests.  The force and power of sin could never succeed if it were not for its cunning and guile.  Sinners who perish are flattered to their own destruction, and this will justify our Lord forever in their damnation, that they destroyed themselves.  Their sin lies at their own door, and therefore their blood will lie upon their own heads.

When lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin.  Our hearts become pregnant with the lust, and sin is the baby that proceedeth out of the womb of our actions.  Let me explain:  Sin being allowed to excite desires in us, it will soon ripen those desires into consent, and then it is said to have conceived.  The sin exists, though it be but an embryo.  And when it has grown to its full size in the mind, it is then brought forth in actual execution.  STOP the beginnings of sin therefore, or else all the evils it produces must be wholly charged upon us.  This is why God says that man is tempted of his own lust.

Sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death.  After sin is brought forth in actual commissions, the finishing of it is its being.  Strengthened by frequent acts and settled into a habit.  And, when the iniquities of men are thus filled up, death is brought forth.  There is a death upon the soul, and death comes upon the body, and a spiritual death which separates man from God, while he is yet alive in his body; but his sensitivity to the spiritual things of God is dead!  Help Lord!   The wages of sin is eternal death.  Let sin therefore be repented of and forsaken, before it be finished.  Why will you die.  God has no pleasure in the death of man, as he has no hand in the sin of man, but sin and misery belong to man who chooses of his own desire and will whom he will obey.

Man is tempted of his own lusts.  Our own hearts desires and corruptions are our very own tempters.  Yes, Satan tempts us, but he can not make us do anything that our hearts don't consent to do.  We are our worst enemy! 

When by degrees these sinful desires have carried man away from God, and fulfilled the power and dominion of sin in man, we are the authors and owners of all sin and misery to ourselves, so we must take particular care not to err from the grace of God.  As the scriptures say, do not err, my beloved brethren.