¹²Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. ¹³Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. ¹⁴But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. ¹⁵Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. ¹⁶Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. ¹⁷Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. ¹⁸In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

John, to my dear friends in Christ; April and I live out in the country and we have many trees that we trim throughout the year and we put the branches into a pile in a back field.  I usually burn the pile once or twice a year, however, do to poor timing, and either dry or windy weather conditions, I have not been able to burn the pile for over two years.  The pile grew to over 15 feet high by 30 feet across and when I burned the pile this week, the flames were 50 foot high.  Once I started the fire there wasn't a lot I could do to stop the burning.  In James 1:14-15 we see that our lust can be tempted and if we allow, our lust can be lured (enticed) to sin, and sin leads to death.  Our lust or tendency to sin are like piles of wood.  Some piles are so small and green you can hardly see them, these piles are areas where it would be nearly impossible for you to sin.  And some of our piles are crispy dry, over 100 foot high, and doused in gasoline, these are the areas where it will not take much for you to burn out of control in sin.   We must be on guard for any and all temptations and put then away before they become sin.  Temptation is not sin, but the dwelling on or acting on the temptation is sin.  Temptation is like the fire or spark, the higher and crisper our pile the more we must be on guard, because if we wait until we see a fire or smoke it is too late.  Now what's left over after the pile burns down?  Nothing but dead ashes. 

Oh dear friends, sin can be absolutely devastating in the life of a Christian.  The guilt, the devastation, and the destruction in their and others lives can be like death.  Be on guard for any and all temptations.  Don't forget those areas you don't have a present weakness, because you never know when you will develop a weakness, given enough gasoline it will burn.  Finally, remember God doesn't tempt anyone, James 1:13.  But, God does provide a way out of all temptations through 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."  As a Christian we have the choice whether we submit to temptation or not (Romans 8:2. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.").  We have been set free from slavery to sin and now can choose to be slaves to righteousness.  With God we have no excuses.  You can't say God will understand my need to sin, because He doesn't understand since He has set you free and provided you a way out.  And remember, when you find yourself in sin, repent and run to the Master and seek His forgiveness (1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.").

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for my dear friends that they desire to remain true to your word and resist all temptations that come their way.  I pray they are always ready for any and all temptations and remove all areas of their life that lead them to sin.  I pray that instead of burning in sin they now burn brightly for God.  And if any are in sin I pray they repent and run as fast as they can into Jesus' arms, in Jesus name I Pray, Amen.

God's Many Blessings to You,

john
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Encouragement >From The Heart Website updated January 11, 2001.
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Scripture references (unless noted otherwise): The Open Bible, New American Standard
copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977
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