If we are going to be victorious, right up front we have got to understand one thing about temptation and sin. We have got to recognize the one who is tethered to temptation. When you have that dark desire in your life that begins to go haywire- that desire to lie, to lust, to exaggerate, to steal something, to take that materialistic trip, to rev up those envy engines, James says there is one thing you should not do. You should not lay the blame on God. God tests us to make us strong. Satan tempts us to make us do wrong. Can a person in this day and age actually believe Satan in real? In a word, yes.
You know how a fisherman makes up a fishing lure? He researches his fish, he fins out what makes this fish get excited, and he makes his lure to look just like the fish's favorite food. When this fish sees dinner floating along, he goes for it. But what the fish doesn't know is that this tasty morsel has strings attached. It has got a hook and barb, and there is a guy on the other end of that line who has a sad ending in mind for that fish. Satan is the guy holding the other end of the line of temptation, and he has a sad ending in mind for us. When we "bite" we are playing right into his hands.
What temptation are you facing today? What hidden hooks await you if you take the bait?
(Read the Screwtape letters by C.S. Lewis for more on this)
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