James Devotional Day 5

Missed a day there, sorry about that. How about we do two for today then?

James 1: 16-17

Temptation is a bad thing. Satan is tethered to it, and it is customized and deceptively disguised. So what do we do with temptation? How can we handle it?

First of all, when you are tempted, remember the greatness of God. The whole thrust of this book is spiritual maturity, how to have an authentic faith. In order for a fish to become a giant fish, it has to let a lot of flies swim by. It doesn't do anything stupid. It passes up the bait and gets bigger and bigger. Spiritual maturity is like that. We have to let a lot of temptation flies swim by, and say, "No, that's not for me. I know God has the best for me." The moment we step outside of that and try to use our God-given desires in a God-forbidden way, watch out. There is only one who can truly satisfy, and that one is God. He cannot change for the worse because He is holy. He cannot change for the better because He is perfect. So if you know Christ personally, if you have a personal connection with God through Jesus, you have it all. So why look at anything else? Why go anywhere else? Why eat any other bait? Take the real food. Remember the greatness of God.

Take time to thank God for His greatness. What are some of His gifts to you?

#2

James 1:18

We've talked about a lot of things that help us overcome temptation. But, something else is necessary to overcome temptation. You have to be born again. Everyone has a physical birthday, and we all know that we had nothing to do with physical birth. We do not cause our own births. In the same way, we cannot cause our own spiritual re-birth. It is God who brings about the miracle of re-birth in our lives. When you are born again, it means that you are born into the family of God; and, once you are born into the family of God, you can't get out. (This is a good thing, not like Hotel California-esque at all -- Scott's added words)

On your own, there is no cleansing and forgiveness and purpose for living. There is no way you can handle temptation. The Spirit of God will take the Word of God and convict you, if you call sin what it is. At that time you need to turn from it, and ask Christ to take over your life. God will work the miracle of new birth in your life. Because of this second birth, you can have power within you to face any temptation.

In the Old Testament, the Jews gave their firstfruits as offerings of worship to God. When we are born again, we are the firstfruits, belonging especially to God. Remember this when you come into temptation. You are God's. Don't mess around with junk, don't take the bait with the hidden hook. Eat on His food and mature.

Describe your new-birth experience. Give thanks to God for the changes He has made in you. If you have not experienced this new birth, you can experience it right now by praying a prayer like this "God, I know I'm a sinner. I believe that Jesus died and rose again so that I could be part of the family of God. I believe this to the best of my ability and I want to apply it to my life. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Wonderful Cross

James Devotional Day 4

James 1:15

We have got to realize that temptation is deceptively disguised. Just like the bait for a fish, it looks like something that will be good for us. Temptation lures our desires. We are enticed, we don't even think about the hook, and we just take it. Now James says that the offspring of desire is sin. When the sin is full-grown, its offspring is death. That is the one thing about sin that will trip all of us up, time and again. Sin always has consequences. A lot of us are living in sin right now, but sin is not grown up yet. It is still a baby. You may say, "No problem. I am living a lie. I am a cheater. I am in sexual sin. No big deal. Everything is okay. I am making a lot of money. My life is going well."

Just wait. That is what James says. Just wait. A fish doesn't know he is hooked at first either.

What hooks are embedded in your life?

James Devotional Day 3

1 Corinthians 10:13

The good news is that God has promised that He will never leave us without an escape. He never lets us get into a situation where we can't bear the pressure. Be encouraged: if you are undergoing temptation, He never lets you have more than He knows you can take. When we talk about pickup trucks as one ton, three quarter ton, and half ton, we are saying that the manufacturer who made the truck has said how much the frame of the truck can handle. Now, take a look at Psalm 139:15. "My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place." God, our manufacturer, knows our frames, He knows how much of a temptation load our frames can handle. Isn't that great? We have a promise from God. He will not put too much on our frames.

God will provide a way out, a way of escape, a freeway if you will. We cannot find the freeway or the way of escape on our own. It has to be by God's grace, His discernment and His power. But He will provide the way. He will not ever put you under too much stress. He will not bust your shocks or flatten your tires. You can trust Him.

Record how God has given a way to escape temptations in the past. How is He providing an escape in the present.

Youtube Video to go along with this, sortof

Came to my Rescue

James Devotional Day 2

James 1:14

Most us do not like to take the blame for our own sins. We want to put it off on someone else, we want to say "Everyone else was doing it" or "No one can understand how I feel. No on else has ever been tempted this way." Sometimes we may say, "The temptation was just too much for me. I could never have gotten away anyway." But do you know that God doesn't leave us the option of playing the blame game? For one thing, look at what James says to us. Out sins and evil desires come right out of our own sin nature. Yesterday, we learned who us tethered to temptation-Satan himself. Now here is another though to chew on. We also have to recognize that temptation is customized to our vulnerabilities or weaknesses. Satan plays up the evil desires that are in each of us, and makes up custom "fishing lures" that appeal to our own personal weak points. Oh, yes, he does all he can to snare us, but that doesn't alter the fact that we are the ones who bite the hook. We are all responsible for our own sins.

In order to accept responsibility you have to see sin for what it is. How would you define sin? Take a minute to confess the sins that God brings to your mind.

James Devotional Day 1

James 1:13

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)

Devotional Day 18

1 Corinthians 9:24-26

Getting rid of sin is hard. It's a lot of work. But the reward in the end will be worth any struggles and trials we undergo now. Our whole life is like a race, We are working toward the goal-the lasting crown of eternal life-and we have to act like we are really serious about getting there. Have you ever trained for a sport? You don't just go out onto the track, and sort of jog around aimlessly for 15 minutes, and then leave. You don't sit in your big leather chair and make a few baskets in the potted palm behind the TV, and then say your done. No, you train, work, and sweat. You run around the track like you are going somewhere, like you are going to win a prize. You don't play a few scales and then think you are going to be a great musician. You don't learn a little basic math, and then think you are an engineer. No, you study, you practice, you learn, and then you apply.

What is going on in your spiritual life? Are you jogging aimlessly, or are you running somewhere? Are you acting like you are getting ready to win?

What are some practical things that you could do to get into "spiritual training"?

Devotional Day 17

Galatians 2:11-13

One of the tools that God has given us for rooting sin out of our lives is accountability. God knows that we often need to have a real live human to say to us, "You are not thinking straight. You are making a mistake. Why are you doing that stupid thing?" It isn't comfortable for either the sinner or the one who is doing the pointing out, but it is something that we cannot get along without. Even Peter the apostle had to be pulled up short, and Paul had to do it. Peter was getting trapped in legalism, requiring Gentile converts to follow Jewish law. This was particularly ironic, since Peter was the one who received the vision from the Lord, saying that the Gentiles were to be accepted into the church, and were not to be required to follow the dietary laws. Paul saw what was happening, and he knew that is could not be allowed to pass. It would affect the whole future of the church if a Jewish/Gentile split were allowed to happen now. So Paul stood up and said, "No, You are wrong, and this is why." Do you have an accountability partner who can do this for you? Do you have someone who loves you enough to say, "You are wrong, stop!"

Do you have someone who will hold you accountable? Can your friends count on you to hold them accountable.