Temptation calls out to all of us,and temptation reaches all of us. Satan is the king of lies.He loves to deceive us,and use his trickery to entice us do go down a path that looks fun at the moment,but in the end will lead to destruction and put a wall between us and God. Is temptation a sin?No,it isn't.Its when we listen to that temptation and give in to it that becomes sin.I have heard some try to say,"But you don't know what its like",well,I do know that Jesus was tempted with everyway possible we can be tempted and He turned away from it and looked to His Father for strength.Sometimes we feel as though we are the only one,or no one will understand.We aren't alone,and everyone can understand temptation. When ever we are tempted,we must look the other way,put our focus on Christ,not whats in front of us calling out,whether it be that donut,that really cute purse,the shoes we cannot afford, the man down the street who is really nice to us,the movie that we know we shouldn't watch,the music that seems to stick in our minds,to gossip about our neighbor,to steal from the store,or to take a drink that we think will quench our thirst.You put whatever tempts you in that spot,give it to Jesus,turn your eyes upon Him,and flee from the thing that is drawing you in. In James 1:12-15"Blessed is the man who endures temptation;for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.Let no one say when he is tempted,"I am tempted by God",for God cannot be tempted by evil,nor does He Himself tempt anyone.But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived,it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown,brings forth death."When we turn away from temptation we are showing God just how much we love Him.When we are fighting temptation,we are to put our eyes upon Him,something that is good and pure. Do you see this verse? When we turn from temptation we will receive a crown of life.God keeps His promises,and He will help us fight any temptation that comes our way.Money,cars,fancy houses,anything in this world can tempt us.We can become so focused on it,that it begins to overtake us.Satan knows all our weak spots,he knows what we struggle with,and what do you think he is going to place infront of us to lead us away from Jesus? All the "Things" that distract us from the Lord.Don't be a slave to temptation,don't allow those chains around you to lead you into sin.Sin pulls us away from Christ,away from His blessings and His will.Once it turns to sin,its like a cancer that runs through us, unleashing all its evil in our pathways.Each day we are given a choice on everything.Our lives our built and destroyed by our choices. Choose to fight temptation,choose to follow what is good and pure,and remove yourself from the situation causing your temptation. Don't allow satan one step in your life,as soon as you feel the temptation calling,you call upon Jesus for strength and for His guidance.Philippians 4:13"I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me."And then in Philippians 4:19"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."We are never alone to face our battles,God is right there with us,holding out His hand to give us strength and He will meet our needs always....
