The David Spoon Experience 10-27-23 part 1

A) Everyone should appreciate the Book of James. It’s an exceptional letter filled with insightful, practical advice on walking with the Lord. The first point I’d like to discuss is found in James Chapter 1, Verse 15. Here, James differentiates between temptations and testings. He asserts that when tempted, no one should claim that God is the source of temptation. God is not the tempter; Satan is. However, God is the tester, and it’s important to recognize this distinction. "When one is being tested it is a decision of the spirit and the new man when one is being tempted, it is a decision of the flesh and the old man." 

B) We’ve discussed at length how temptation occurs when individuals are lured away by their own evil desires. It’s our inner selves that entice us and lead us astray from the righteous path.

C) It’s also crucial to understand that temptation has various stages. Being tempted is not a sin in itself and should not be considered as such. If Satan tempts you with something and you resist, you have not sinned, even if the thought or feeling momentarily attaches itself to you. What matters is how you respond.

D) Temptation becomes sin when we allow the desire to conceive and give birth. This means that when a desire enters our mind, and we continue to entertain it, shape it, and transform it into what we want it to be, it becomes sin. It’s not about the first thought or even the second; it’s about everything that follows.

E) We could spend an entire show discussing Verse 17 alone: “Every good and perfect gift comes from above, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Everything good and perfect originates from heaven, and the wonderful thing about God is His unchanging nature.