Who's to Blame?

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

In reading this passage, I noticed something; the word 'tempted' doesn't have the same meaning throughout the verse. Let's examine this word...

'Let no man say when he is tempted'; here, the word tempted, which comes from the Greek word peirazo, means 'entice'. Yes, there are other meanings as well, such as 'tested, examined proved, tried'. But, we have to understand the context of the passage in order to get the right meaning. In this verse, James warns us not to blame God when we are enticed by our own lustful desires. God does test us, but He does not entice with sin, as we will see in this passage. The verse goes on to say, 'for God cannot be tempted'; here we find a different meaning for the word 'tempted'. This is what intrigued me, the word 'tempted' as it is used here comes from the Greek word apeirastos, which means 'not temptable, not to be tempted'. It is impossible for God to be tempted by sin; it is impossible for God to tempt. That is what this text is saying; you cannot blame God when you are tempted by sinful desires because it is not possible for Him to entice sinners with evil, wickedness, sin. Many who live homosexual lives claim it is genetic; in other words, it is God's fault. He made them the way they are; however, this verse proves them wrong and exposes their foolish thinking. Never could God tempt them with such perverse, forbidden lustful desires; it is not within His nature to do so. Many who live in bondage to alcohol and drugs claim it is genetic; again, not so. Addiction is sin, those who flirt with the dangers of alcohol and drugs risk addiction because of the dangers of the chemicals they put into their bodies. Drugs alter the mind and cause the user a false state of euphoria, the mind becomes addicted to the drug, not because of genetic make-up, but because of the power of the drug.

This meaning of ‘tempted’ is only found here in James 1:13 and clearly states that anyone who tries to lay blame on God for their sins cannot do so; they do not have a case to argue before the One who is too pure, too holy to even look upon sin, let alone use sin to entice poor helpless sinners! From Habbakuk, we read, 'Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity' {Habbakuk 1:13a}. God cannot, will not even look upon evil; how is it we try and lay blame to Him for sin? He is pure, holy, spotless, and unable to entice sinners with sinful ways and desires because it isn't in His nature or His character to do so.

Isn't this the very same tactic used by every sinner since the beginning of time? Go back to Genesis chapter 3...what did Adam and Eve do when they heard the voice of the Lord walking in the garden? They hid, why? Because of their sin of disobedience; when that didn't work, they resorted to 'plan b'. Verse 12, 'the woman thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat'. Adam was essentially blaming God because, after all, God was the one who gave him the woman; so it was God's fault. So God turns to Eve and questions her, and her response? 'The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat'. Notice, they both admitted to eating the fruit, BUT only after they lay blame elsewhere. Thus is the nature of man; sinful, cowardly, wicked and rotten to the very core. Every human being will be held accountable for their own actions, words, thoughts {Romans 14:12}; each will stand before the throne of the Almighty One and each one will give an account on the last day: all will be without excuse.

Puritan Prayers

Great God;

In public and private, in sanctuary and home, may my life be steeped in prayer, filled with the spirit of grace and supplication, each prayer perfumed with the incense of atoning blood.

Help me; defend me, until from praying ground I pass to the realm of unceasing praise.

Urged by my need, invited by thy promises, called by thy Spirit, I enter thy presence, worshipping thee with godly fear, awed by thy majesty, greatness, glory; but encouraged by thy love.

I am all poverty as well as all guilt, having nothing of my own with which to repay thee, but I bring Jesus to thee in the arms of faith, pleading his righteousness to offset my iniquities, rejoicing that he will weigh down the scales for me, and satisfy thy justice.

I bless thee that great sin draws out great grace, that, although the lest sin deserves infinite punishment because it is done against an infinite God, yet there is mercy for me, for where guilt is most terrible, there thy mercy in Christ is most free and deep.

Bless me by revealing to me more of his saving merits, by causing thy goodness to pass before me, by speaking peace to my contrite heart.

Strengthen me to give thee no rest until Christ shall reign supreme within me, in every thought, word, and deed, in a faith that purifies the heart, overcomes the world, works by love, fastens me to thee, and ever clings to the cross… Amen

It will cost you EVERYTHING

What does a true Christian look like?

Because of horrible evangelism, religious lies, and itching ears, a majority of people have been led to believe that becoming a Christian is as easy as praying a simple prayer and requires very little cost or no cost at all. However, the Lord Jesus Christ has declared very clearly in the Bible that it will indeed cost you—it will cost you everything...

You will have to turn away from all your sins
Being a Christian will cost you your sins; you cannot be a Christian if you're unwilling to forsake them. This is called repentance, and Jesus declared that unless you repent, you will perish in Hell. We are called by God to repent of our sins and turn to Him because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world. You don't have to clean up your life before you come to Christ; no, my dear friend, come to Him now as you are. You just have to make up your mind about giving up your sins. You must stop, turn around from following after sinful lusts, and begin following after Christ, calling upon Him to help and He will remove sin from your life as you follow His lead and obey His word.
James 2:19-20; Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30-31; 26:20; Luke 13:3; Psalm 7:12; Revelation 2:16

You will have to forsake your desires & affections
Being a Christian will cost you all desires and affections which oppose the will and word of God. You will have to continually be on guard to rid your life of all the things that God hates and declares to be wicked. If you are unwilling to give up these unrighteous desires, you cannot be a Christian. God commands His people to hate evil and love good; to abstain from every form or appearance of evil; to flee from immorality, lust, idolatry, and greed. We are commanded to pursue righteousness, justice, and godliness. And this means all the things we fill our lives with will be determined by God's word—the movies or television we watch, music we listen to, clothes we wear, and everything else on which we may set our affections.
Psalm 97:10; Amos 5:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; Ephesians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 6:18; 10:14; 1 Timothy 6:10-11; 2 Timothy 2:22; Philippians 1:10; 4:8; Psalm 119:97, 128

You will have to surrender over your dreams & aspirations
Being a Christian will cost you all dreams and aspirations you may have that do not align with the will of God for your life. If you're unwilling to completely shift the focus of your life away from yourself and your previous aspirations and toward Christ and doing His will, you cannot be a Christian. We are commanded to do absolutely everything—down to something as small as taking a drink of water—with the focus of bringing God glory. We are even called to take every thought captive and make them obedient to the will of Christ. That means if you're worrying about becoming rich, well-off, famous, or whatever, you're going to have to cast this behind you. Jesus declared that our primary and preeminent focus is to be on His kingdom above all else. We serve the Lord, not vice versa; and He calls His people to carry out His will, not theirs; we pray for His kingdom come, His will be done, not ours. He is Lord over our life, and His disciples must live their lives accordingly.
1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Matthew 6:10, 33

You will have to give up all your finances & possessions
Being a Christian will cost you all your finances and possessions. If you're not willing to transfer all ownership of your money and possessions over to Jesus Christ, you cannot be His disciple. He owns everything in your life—including your life—and as a Christian you must acknowledge and submit to this. All that you have, you no longer use it for yourself but for Him—for His sake, His glory, His kingdom. And the things which cannot be used for these things must go. The money you have, which itself comes from God, you no longer use to buy foolish things for yourself but for the things which He approves and is glorified in. Christ commands us not to store up treasures on earth, but to store up treasure in Heaven. Your treasure will reveal your heart. If you're all about money or heaping up this world's goods, then your heart is with this world which will pass away. What will it profit you if you gain the whole world but lose your soul? If you seek to keep this world's goods, you will lose both them and your soul. You cannot serve both God and wealth.
Luke 9:23-25; 14:33; Matthew 6:19-21, 24

You will have to leave behind your family & friends
If you love your parents, siblings, spouse, children, family, friends, or even your own life more than Christ, you cannot be His disciple. Your love for Christ must be so extreme and preeminent that it makes your love for everyone else, in comparison, look like hatred. Jesus declared that He had not come to bring peace and tolerance amongst one another on the earth...He came, rather, to bring a sword of division, to set a person against the members of his own household for the sake of obedience and loyalty to Him. If your family criticizes you in regard to following Christ, or pressures you to go on a route that opposes the will of God, you will have oppose them for Christ's sake. If you have friends who love to sin and could care less about Christ, you're going to have to leave them behind...but if you are true to the Lord and serious about following Him, they'll end up hating you eventually anyway. However, Jesus promises that whoever has left houses or parents or siblings or friends or spouses or children for His name's sake will receive many times as much and will inherit eternal life.
Matthew 10:34-37; 19:27-29; Luke 14:26; 18:28-30; 1 Corinthians 5:11; 15:33

You will have to renounce your reputation & status
If you are unwilling to count as loss for Christ's sake your reputation and status, and what people think of you, you cannot be a Christian. You must count all these things as rubbish in view of the surpassing value of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. You must cast off any false notion that you are someone important, someone of worth, one with wisdom and strength, and realize you indeed are one who is broken, lowly, foolish, and weak. The message of the cross is foolishness to the world, and in coming to Christ, believing His word, and obeying His commands, you will also be esteemed utterly foolish by them. But you must embrace the reproach of Christ that will come your way. If you hold faithfully to Christ, you will be ridiculed, despised, mocked, and slandered.
Philippians 3:7-8; 1 Corinthians 1:18, 21, 26-28; 3:18; 4:9-13; Luke 6:22-23

You will have to abandon your comforts & easy living
If you are unwilling to take on the demanding lifestyle of a disciple of Christ, you cannot be a Christian. Jesus declared that the vast majority of mankind will end up in Hell, and that there are many who desire to enter into eternal life but will not be able to. He exhorted His disciples to strive to enter into the kingdom of God, because only those who violently press into it will enter. The Christian life is not one of luxury or complacency, but one of self-denial and discipline, vigilance, always being on the alert, always taking heed and being careful, always striving, pursuing Christ, fighting the good fight of faith, and laying hold on eternal life. The Bible says we must enter the kingdom of God through many trials and tribulations, and all who desire to live godly in Christ will suffer persecution. You will be hated, excluded, insulted, scorned, slandered, and abused on account of Christ—you may even be killed—but be of good cheer, for these things you are blessed, and your reward will be great in Heaven.
Luke 6:22-23; 13:23-24; Matthew 7:13-14; 11:12; John 15:19; 1 John 3:13; Acts 13:40; 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 Timothy 6:12; Mark 13:33; 1 Corinthians 9:27; 10:12

{From Truthsource}

When is the last time you heard this preached from the pulpit? This truth is overlooked because it will not fill up the pews, or the collection plate. However, this is biblical Christianity. Let us never forget these words from our Lord, 'So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.' Luke 14:33

Just give me Jesus

I am in no way perfect, nor have I 'arrived' in my walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.
However, I do have a 'bone to pick' with those who name the name of Christ {this 'bone picking' includes me, for I am at the top of the list}. In my home church, before we worship on Sundays, we all have breakfast and coffee. One thing the deacons do is take prayer requests, this is good. BUT, I am concerned with the nature of the requests; more often than not, our prayers seem to be fixated on the temporal, i.e., 'I pray for a better job', or, 'I pray for a good grade on my finals'. I agree, these are legitimate requests indeed. In my old church, the requests were similar, 'pray for my uncle to recover from the flu', or 'pray that my son will receive a shorter jail sentence for the crime he committed' {that was an actual request!}. What I am driving at is this, where is the prayer to be more like Christ? Where is the cry and pleas to simply walk as He did? Where is the weeping and wailing to be brought into His presence and His fullness?
As I read Acts 20:22-24, I am totally ashamed of myself. Read what the apostle Paul says, 'And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.{this would be enough to deter most of us from continuing on} -- {this next verse is the convicting one} But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.'

Paul's life was an example of what it looks like to have the power of God unleashed fully; to understand that your life is meaningless unless it is lived for Him is something few grasp in today's selfish materialistic society. Here was this ordinary man, not eloquent in speech {just as Moses wasn't}, and yet, God used him in a way that turned the world upside down. What kind of impact are we having on others for Christ, how many can even tell we are Christians?!?! The reason I am so adamant about this is because of the strong conviction I've come under; it seems I am more concerned with the here and now than the hereafter. May the LORD God bring each of us to nothing, emptying us of 'self' so that we may know the power of God on our lives and so we may see just how unimportant the temporal is when compared to the eternal. Let us meditate on this passage this day, ' Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ' Phil. 3:8
May our hearts desire this very thing, that we may gain Christ.

Tapping into the 'supply'

Here is another edifying short study from Mike Ratliff's blog, possessing the treasure, for you to read and be blessed...


Supply
November 2, 2010 — Mike Ratliff
by Mike Ratliff

For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. (Philippians 1:19-20 KJV)

The ESV translates the passage above as:

for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. (Philippians 1:19-20 ESV)


What is this “help” or “supply” Paul is talking about and how can we “tap” into it ourselves as we stand firm in these Laodicean days? Let’s see…

continue reading here...