Read with Me
James 1:13-15 (HCSB)
No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God.” For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.
Listen with Me
A common error is to believe that God is behind everything that happens, even the temptation to do evil. So, when someone is tempted, they point their fingers God’s way and say that he is tempting them, perhaps as a test.
God does allow testing to take place in order to validate and strengthen a person’s faith, as He did with Jesus (as Luke 4:1-13 clearly demonstrates). But He is not the source of those temptations. As James clearly points out, the source of the temptation is inside a person’s own heart. If there is evil in a person’s heart, that evil can easily be turned into a temptation. And if that person listens to the temptation, embraces the idea, and succumbs to it, the result will be sin and spiritual death. But that person cannot blame God since the impetus for the temptation came from inside his or her own heart.
Jesus had no evil desires that the enemy could turn into a temptation to sin. But even normal needs or noble desires can be used by the enemy. He can tempt that person to fulfilling those needs or desires in ways contrary to God’s will, and thus sinning.
Jesus was legitimately hungry after fasting for forty days (Luke 4:1-2). The enemy used that hunger to tempt Him to meet the legitimate need in a way God had not sanctioned: using His divine power to turn the surrounding rocks into bread. Jesus knew that God had not given Him permission to use His power in that way, and that God Himself would provide what was needed when the time was right. So, Jesus rebuffed the temptation and turned away from it (Luke 4:3-4).
Jesus had been given a clear mission by God: to save the world, establish God’s kingdom, and become its ruler. But the enemy tried to get Him to fulfill that legitimate goal through illegitimate means, a shortcut. All Jesus had to do was to worship satan instead of God, and all the kingdoms of the world would be given to Him on a silver platter (Luke 4:5-7). Mission accomplished! But Jesus saw that as the test that it was, and flatly refused to accomplish His legitimate, God-given mission in an illegitimate way (Luke 4:8).
Finally, Jesus needed to gather followers and began the work of spreading the good news of the kingdom. But the enemy suggested that a good way to speed up the process would be to perform a showy miracle: jumping from the pinnacle of the temple and allowing God’s angels to float him gently to earth (Luke 4:9-11). But again, Jesus identified this shortcut as illegitimate, and therefore forbidden, and He sent the enemy away (Luke 4:12-13).
Evil desires are indeed a strong source for temptations. But so are legitimate desires that can be fulfilled in illegitimate ways. And the man or woman of God must be equally vigilant for both.
Pray with Me
Father, this is a good warning. Often, when our goals are good, we can be tempted to simply pursue those goals using whatever methodology presents itself and seems like it might be effective. This can quickly turn into “the end justifies the means” rationalizing, and can easily lead us into dark places. Help me, Lord, to always do the right thing, for the right reason, at the right time, and most importantly, to always do it in your way, so that the enemy doesn’t gain a victory through my doing even good things wrongly. Amen.