Catch it, Check it, Change it

I hope and pray your week is going very well. The world is a rough adversary. There are so many distractions that can pull us away from our goals of glorifying God. Distractions come in all shapes and forms. God calls these distractions, temptations. As we continue our walk through the Book of James, here are the next three verses:

12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. (James 1:12-25, NKJV)

Guard your minds. These verses first say that if you want to be blessed, all you have to do is endure temptation without giving in. Then, they explain that temptation never comes from God. If it doesn’t come from God, it’s either from the devil or from our selves. What tempts you may or may not tempt someone else, but many temptations are very common, drugs, money, sex, etc. Temptation only works when we allow it to draw our attention and we begin to desire it more than we desire to glorify God.

These verses go on to say that these desires are conceived in our minds. We need to recognize the thoughts that don’t honor God so that we can take action. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” Michelle reminds me how to “Catch it”-pay attention to every thought that I think; “Check it”- hold that thought up to see that it matches what the Bible says, and “Change it”- if the thought doesn’t hold up to scrutiny, get rid of it. If an ungodly desire is left to ferment in our minds it will eventually work itself out as a sin. The word death here represents a spiritual death meaning separation from God

The only way to beat temptation is to prepare yourself in advance. When you wake up in the morning, seek God’s presence. Pray and ask God to speak to you and lead you in your day. Ask Him to give you wisdom and opportunities to bring honor and glory to Him. Ask Him for strength to stand against temptations that could take you away from Him. Thank Him for always being with you and know that He will never leave you or forsake you. You might leave Him, but He will always take you back. God is faithful and true, us…not so much. And so we try to be a little bit better today than we were yesterday.

Blessings to you and your family,

Pastor Rob