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Friday, December 14, 2018

Does the Devil make you sin?


“But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”  James 1:14-15

Summarize in a Word: Does the Devil make you sin?
Main point of the Passage: You are responsible for your sin!
Illustration: Young man struggling with Pornography
Exhortation: Be humbled knowing you are responsible for your sin. But be encouraged knowing you can overcome in the Spirit.
TMAI  Promotional Issue: By John Doe

These verses lay out for us the complete cycle of personal sin—from beginning to end. To defeat sin, we must understand it properly and, yet, sadly there is much false teaching today on the nature and origin of our sin. So where does my sin come from? Does God tempt me to sin? Or maybe the saying is true that “the devil made me do it?”
James 1:13 tells us that God never tempts us to sin and our verse today starkly refutes the false notion that Satan can make us sin. Instead, the only person responsible for your sin is…you. Satan cannot make you sin. He can tempt you, he can accuse you, he can dangle the fish hook of sin in front of your mouth, but he cannot force you to take the bait. This verse puts the responsibility for sin squarely on our own shoulders. But it also clarifies a major misunderstanding for many believers.
I personally witnessed the hopelessness and fear that a young man had because of his wrong understanding of sin. Struggling with pornography, he believed that Satan had the power to force him into this sin. He was fearful of what he saw as a sovereign devil. However, when he understood that the sin in his life was a result of his own lust, he then could deal with the issue at its root—his own heart.
Be humbled by the reality that your sin is born out of your own lust. But be encouraged knowing that if you walk by the Spirit, you will not carry out the desire [lust] of the flesh (Gal. 5:16).

Thanks for the time of Reflection,
R. Solomon
(Today’s Friday Issue is taken out from upcoming TMAI Devotional Writing from Pastors across the Globe. If you enjoy the styles and contents, you may want to buy when it is released.)