Taking responsibility

And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. James 1:13-15 NLT

The only one that will love us with unconditional love is God. Yet, how often people blame God when miseries and terrible things happen in their lives. This is not a new thing because even during the time of Adam and Eve, when Adam fell into sin, he accused God. “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it” (Genesis 3:12). From then on, this absurd practice of accusing God has become the practice of the next generations. No one will take responsibility and will always resort to find someone to blame. The believer who passes times of testing will grow in faith and perseverance. The one who fails the test lacks faith. Instead of coming to God asking Him to increase one’s faith, he or she becomes bitter and remorseful toward God. James did not provide an explanation as to how to understand the origin of sin instead explained that “God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else” (James 1:13). Satan is the tempter. After the forty days and forty nights of fasting, Satan appeared before Jesus to tempt Him and the Lord Jesus Christ responded and said to him, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Matthew 4:7 KJV). God does not tempt anyone for He hates evil. God in His holiness stands far above than evil. There is no power that will bring God into temptation. When we fall into temptations, we should admit that it is us who made the choice. We cannot claim innocence and ignorance. “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions” (James 1:14,15). If God will not take hold of our hearts we can easily fall into Satan’s enticement. “For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you” (Matthew 15:19-20). God alone has provided us a way out so we will not fall into temptation. “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure” (1 Corinthians 10:13). We should not lose focus on God if we want to be victorious over temptation. “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

Blessings,