Christians often struggle with temptation in a variety of ways. Those temptations can come from the world, the flesh, and the devil. We can see the world’s ways and we know our own fleshly desires. But what about the devil? How do we know if we are being tempted by him? The truth is that we may never know. However, he is nonetheless involved in tempting people to sin against God. The Bible provides several examples of this.
The Bible tells us that the devil tempted Eve in the garden (Gen. 3). He convinced her that God didn’t have her best interests in mind. The devil also tempted David to count how many soldiers were in his army (1 Chron. 21:1). He tempted David to be proud in the army he had built. Later, the devil tried to tempt Jesus to sin while he was in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11). He tempted Jesus three times but failed. The fact remains that the devil wants people to turn from trusting in God.
The New Testament describes the work of the devil in several places. He is an evil influence (Matt. 16:23; Acts 5:3), the one who removes the seed of the gospel from hearts (Luke 8:12), a murderer and the father of lies (John 8:44), one who uses devices against believers (2 Cor. 2:11), a false angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14), wily (Eph. 6:11), a hinderer of good (1 Thess. 2:18), proud (1 Tim. 3:6), and one who sets up snares (2 Tim. 2:26). All of these actions are designed to take advantage and destroy us.
Being that he is a powerful foe, how could anyone resist such temptations? We will find the answer in James 4:1-10.
- What does it say? (James 4:1-10)
James asked his readers if they knew where the wars and fights came from. He asked if they did not come from their own desires for pleasure. He told them that they lusted for things, murdered, and coveted and didn’t get what they wanted. They fought but they did not get what they wanted because they didn’t ask. But when they did ask, they did not receive because they were asking inappropriately focused on their own pleasure. He called them adulterers and adulteresses because their friendship with the world was at odds with God. Being friendly with the world made them God’s enemies. He asked if they understood what the Bible meant when it said that the indwelling Spirit yearned jealously. However, God could provide more grace for them. He would resist the proud but give grace to those who were humble.
With all that in mind, they were to submit to God and resist the devil so that he would flee from them. They were to draw near to God so that He would draw near to them. They were to cleanse their sinful hands and purify their hearts because they had become double-minded. They were to mourn their sinfulness instead of laughing and being joyful. If they would humble themselves before God, He would lift them up. - What does it mean?
Temptations can pull you away from God (James 4:1-4).
James was convinced that these believers were having problems because of their own sinful desires. Their lust for pleasure was driving them into fights. Their desires caused them to lust, murder, covet, and fight. Their sinful desires were making them more like the world and they were becoming God’s enemies.
This is the sad truth about temptations and lusts. None of these things are designed to draw you closer to God. Instead, they make you more self-focused. What is it that will make me happy? What can I get that will make me smile? What do I have to do to get what I want? Who is in the way of my happiness? These don’t sound like something that a Christian would want but the temptation is still there. The temptation tells us that we will be happy when we get that particular feeling, possession, or position in life. But instead, the temptation pushes us further from God and what He says is best.
Temptations can be helped (James 4:5-6).
James pointed out that there was help for those who were tempted by these sinful desires. In fact, God had provided two avenues of help. The first is the help of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives within every believer from the day they are born again. When God draws a sinner to repentance and faith, he gives him eternal life, a new nature, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps us to remember God’s ways and leads us away from temptation.
The second is God’s grace. Grace is another way of describing the help God gives to those who are trusting Him. In this we see that He has a desire to help us to resist temptation. He provides the means to escape our temptations. But there is a problem. God will not give this grace to those who are proud. When we refuse to humble ourselves before Him, we will continue to struggle with our sinful desires. We have to come to the place where we humble ourselves before God and seek His help. Otherwise, that grace will not be provided.
Temptations can be resisted (James 4:7-10).
In these verses, James gives multiple commands to find help with temptations. But notice what comes first. First, we must submit ourselves to God. This is part of being humble. When we submit to God, we are giving over our control of the situation to Him. God is in control not us. Second, we must resist the devil. God does not intend for us to sit back and let Him do all of the work. We are to be actively involved in the process of resisting the temptation. When temptation knocks at the door, we must resist it for the devil to flee. But this only works because we have submitted to God’s view of the situation.
Third, we must cleanse ourselves from our sins. God is not interested in a double-minded Christian. We must address the problems in our thinking, motives, and actions. And this goes back to what was said earlier. Being a friend of the world makes us an enemy of God. So, we must purify our lives from those sins that have corrupted us. Fourth, we must recognize how bad our sin is. There is no place for laughing or joyfulness when we have given in to sin. We must change the way that we look at it. Solomon said that “fools mock at sin” (Prov. 14:9). We must never get to the place where we laugh at our sin. It is much better to mourn over our sin and to seek a change of heart about it.
When we finally become humble about our sin problem, there is hope. But there is only hope if we recognize our sin and address it the way that God prescribes. - How does it apply?
What temptations affect you?
Earlier in his epistle, James tells us that temptations are specific to the individual (James 1:14). The temptations that work against you may be different than what another person faces. They can be likened to specifically designed fishing lures which are designed to entice different fish. Think about the temptations that cause you to give in. What are they? If you have trouble coming up with any, consider the works of the flesh as recorded in Galatians 5:19-21. When you have discovered what your weaknesses are, you are ready for the next step.
What do you think about those temptations?
James pointed out that his original audience was constantly fighting because of their own lusts. They had become so worldly that they were now enemies of God. This is a strange place for a Christian to be in. After being saved from sin, is it appropriate for a Christian to go back to the sin that had originally separated him from God? No, these sins are something that need to be identified for what they are—sin against God. Have you come to the place where you understand that your sins have come between you and God? And do you see how they are ruining your life? If so, you are ready for the next step.
What will you do about those temptations?
James tells us that we must humble ourselves before the Lord. This means that we must admit that we have sinned and then seek His help with our future temptations. God wants to help, but He requires that you be humble. Once God has brought you to that point, you need to submit to God’s perspective of that sin, resist the devil when you are tempted, cleanse your life from that sin, and change your mind about what you have done. This may take some time, but the sooner it is accomplished, the better the outcome.
Conclusion
As you consider what we have learned from James 4, what are you thinking? Have you given in to temptation this week? Have you been feeling hopeless about ever being able to resist temptation? If so, it is good that you heard this message from the Bible. God is able to help those who have put their trust in Jesus. As you consider how you should respond to what God has taught you, start by humbly acknowledging your sin and then seek God’s help for the future.