we are looking here in the book of james in the new
testament at how temptation works.
the first step is desire. desire.
it’s an inside job. james 1.14a
(niv), each one is tempted when, by his own evil desires the second step is deception. deception. james 1.14b (niv), he is dragged away and
enticed...
now james uses a couple of terms from the sports
world. the phrase, dragged away is a hunter’s term which literally means “snared in a
trap.” enticed is a fisherman’s term which means “lured by bait.” the secret of fishing is in the bait, the
right kind of bait for the right kind of fish.
now, how many fish will you catch with a bare
hook? you’ve got to put bait on it and
the right kind of bait for the right kind of fish.
what kind of bait does the devil use on you? he’s got your hot button. he knows your weakness. he knows you inside and out. he knows what turns you on. he knows what you will fall for. he hides the hook in his bait and the bait
appeals to your weakness.
now the crazy thing is that often we see the hook
and we know it’s a temptation but we keep right on nibbling. some people will say to me, “bill, back off. i know what i am doing. i’m an adult. i’m not going to get hurt. i know how far to go.” and that person is deceived. they’ve gone to step two – from desire to
deception.
it always starts with desire. then satan moves to deception. temptation always looks better than it really
is.
just a thought from the front porch...
