Tempted?

Tempted?

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:, James 1:13 KJV

For temptations, it is not a matter of IF but WHEN. As long as man is of the flesh, on physical earth, with all human senses functioning well, there will always be temptations. Being a child of God provides you with the inner strength and presence to help live right, but you may have no power over pop ups on your Internet browser, or suggestive and lewd pictures on websites that you legitimately visit for work, research or viewing. However, whatever you do next with the power of choice that you have been given, defines your defence. 

Or do I turn around and blame God for giving me the sense of sight if it leads me into sin? Do I blame my feet for walking into danger when all the signs were there that I should not have been there in the first place? We blame God for the decisions we take, making it look like God created robots, who cannot think or decide for themselves how to act or react. God made us in His own image, and even with sin, we do have the knowledge of good and evil. We know when our actions aren't good, even when we try to explain it away. We dig up excuses to justify what we do, yet it doesn't take anything away from the fact that we are responsible for our actions and decisions. This is personal responsibility, which clearly means that nobody can go to heaven or hell on your behalf. You make that decision solely on your own, and this decision is evidenced by the things you do and how you live now. 

I cannot hang the responsibility for those decisions on God. God does not do evil, no matter how the world tries to explain what is going on now. When God made the earth, even heaven testified that all He did was very good. Even when sin came in to tamper with the template, it could do nothing about God's original nature and plan. You cannot tamper with something you did not create or originate, and you cannot pollute something you do not understand its source. You can muddy up parts of it or try to distract, but as long as you cannot affect the source, you have no power over its outcome. 

It is for me to look inward and ask myself: what is in or around me that is creating the opportunity for sin? What do I need to do; what changes do I need to make; what direction do I need to travel if I am to avoid sin and its consequences? I must ask myself and also provide answers to these questions if I will not be overcome by the wiles of the devil. God always provides the means of escape from temptations, but I must place myself where He can reach and help me. If I am always comfortable around sin, like Cain, I may not be able to overcome when it strikes personally. If I depend on God, who makes a way of escape out of sin, then I have all I need to overcome. 

The nature of God is such that sin cannot exist where He is. Even His own son Jesus was not exempt from this hatred of sin when he hung on the cross for our sin. If sin cannot exist where He is, it means that I cannot claim to be in God if I am also in sin. Both are parallel lines that will never meet no matter how long or thick you draw them. God cannot produce anything contrary to His nature or lead a man down a road that He won't go down with you. So, when next you are in a situation you know will lead to sin, pause and ask yourself if God will go down that road with you. If you are sure God is not involved, then you are sure it is not the right path. Now I know, I must make the right decision. Ignorance will not and cannot be a valid excuse. His time of favour is here.