“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” (James 1:14)
Have you ever noticed what we often do to explain sin in our lives? Many of us tend to blame it on someone else. From the beginning of time, we have looked for an excuse for our sin.
When Adam committed his first sin, he blamed it on Eve. “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate”, he told God. (Genesis 3:12) Not much has changed over the last 6,000 years.
In the 1960’s, comedian Flip Wilson gave the whole country an Adam-like excuse for sin when his character, Geraldine Jones, said of her wrongdoing, “The devil made me do it”.
Wilson may have been right in that the devil is ultimately the father of all sin. However, we must keep in mind that we are born to sin. It’s been that way ever since Adam took that first bite of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Apostle Paul pointed this truth out in his letter to the Church at Rome. “But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.” (Romans 7:23) Paul understood that the root cause of sin comes from deep within, not from the devil himself.
In most instances, what causes us to sin is lust. Over the years, we have really abused the word. While it is frequently used to describe someone’s uncontrollable sexual craving – usually for someone outside of marriage – lust actually is much more generic in scope and includes any obsessive or intense desire. There are those who lust for power, a new car, a bigger home – the list is endless. The truth is lust is the major reason why we sin. In fact, James, Jesus own half-brother, said, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed”. (James 1:14)
The devil will seize the opportunity to bring temptation your way to “entice” you to sin, but it’s not the devil that makes you do it. In most cases, it’s a choice we make. Blaming it on someone or something else will not bring an end to it.
Obviously, we will never eliminate our sinful nature. However, there are a couple of things we can do to cut down on it.
First and foremost, we must take the thought captive. In most cases, we know when we’re about to sin. If we’re saved, the Holy Spirit – which lives inside us – rejects sin and convicts us about it when the first thought of it enters our mind.
We must also learn to recognize what’s going on and do something immediately. The Apostle Paul put it this way: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 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, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” (II Corinthians 10:3-6) Taking the thought captive means we must seize the thought and deal with it responsibly rather than allowing the devil to use it to tempt us into sin.
We also need to limit the opportunity to sin. If you’re prone to get drunk, stay out of bars. That’s the advice God gave Adam – STAY AWAY FROM THE TREE!
Finally, don’t ever forget that no matter how hard you try, you will slip and fall. The great thing is there is a loving God standing by ready to forgive you. However, you just need to ask him. That’s what John meant when he said, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. (I John 1:9)
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