January 29, 2011 Foward Motion Faith

This Thing Called Temptation

We have all been there.  We have all had this “thing” stare us in the face at one time or another.  No matter how righteous we may seem or how long we have gone to church – we have dealt with it.  It’s called temptation.  It is a monster on the loose and it feeds off of believers. 

James wrote this about temptation:

James 1:13-16    Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.  14  But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.  15   Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.  16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

I have seen a lot in the thirty plus years we have spent in ministry.  Trust me – the church is not exempt from failure to deal with temptation.  From sexual temptation to financial fraud, from perversion of the flesh to perversion of the scriptures – we have been embarrassed one too many times due to our failure to deal with temptation.

The Psalmist David knew what this monster was like.  He had a fling with Bathsheba if you remember. This man who started experiencing God at a young age allowed the monster of temptation to just about get the best of him.  It wasn’t pretty.  He tried to hide it as a secret sin.  Didn’t work then and it will not work now.  No such thing as “hidden sin.”

David’s Secret Sin with Bathsheba is found in 2 Samuel 11:1-15.  You can read the horrid story there but let me bullet point some things here real quick.  James says we are tempted by being carried away by our own lusts (ungodly desires).

A.        David was where he shouldn’t have been (verse 1).

He should have been on the battle field leading his army – but he stayed in Jerusalem.   Had he not been derelict in his responsibilities and duties he may not have fallen to adultery.

Are you in the wrong place?  Have you allowed yourself to be at a place you should not be?

B.        Fed the temptation (verse 2).  David could have turned his head when he got a glimpse of Bathsheba bathing on her balcony.  He didn’t and it cost him dearly.  What is it that you are not turning away from?  To justify our sin regardless of what it is – is self-deception.  Sin is sin no matter how you look at it and when we play to close to it temptation comes home to roost.

 In getting too close it became harder to say no to the actual substance of sin staring him in the face.  When we allow ourselves to run with the wrong crowd or be influenced by carnal appetites – we are one step away from a decision that could be extremely bad for us.

Paul addressed this with the church at Corinth: 1 Corinthians 15:33  Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

C.    He chased temptation down (verse 3).  He actually made a willful decision to engage in sexual misconduct – adultery.  When he sent for her it wasn’t to have an innocent Pepsi and play Bingo!  He let temptation lead to the conception of sin – no pun intended!

D.   He surrendered to the flesh man (verse 4).  He committed adultery.  He gave in to the desires of the flesh.  He couldn’t get the idea out of his head. Paul said that when he would go to do right – sin was staring him in the face.   In giving in to sin he denied the Holy Spirit an opportunity to do His job.

E.    He hid future sins because of this one sin (verse 15).  He went on to have Bathsheba’s husband killed in battle.  One sin, un-confessed, easily led to another sin.  David was on a roll.  When we try to lie and cover up our sin God has a way of revealing it.

F.    His surrender to temptation affected others (16 – 27).  David started his own Peyton Place, his own soap opera drama, all because of hidden sin.  His sin affected Bathsheba’s family and ultimately affected the nation of Israel.  Who does your hidden sin effect?  Does your sin affect your wife, husband, children, coworkers, faith family and your dearest friends?  Sad to say but you will be held accountable for the impact your sin has on others.

I pray that in this season of fasting you will have no hidden sin.  I hope the Holy Spirit reveals areas of your heart that need some inspection.  After all – hidden sin ain’t hidden sin to God the Father!  Yep!  He knows about it because He watched you engage in the sin.  He’s waiting on you to deal with it.  He’s waiting on you…just little ol’ you!