THE TEMPTER’S TRAP
There are Christians today who think that Satan has the power to compel men to sin against their free will. He does not! As the tempter, he has the ability to place temptation before you. He can seduce, lure, and entice you, but he cannot make you sin.
Since he cannot make you sin, Satan’s strategy is to gain control of your will. Like a hunter stalking his prey, he sets a trap.
He lures you with bait by placing temptation before you to arouse the desires and lusts of your old carnal nature. Then he just sits back and waits until you fall into his trap. Look at James 1:12-15, in the Amplified Version, which gives a clearer understanding of the original Greek:
Blessed, happy to be envied is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved he will receive (the victor’s) crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by (what is) evil and He Himself tempts no one. But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions). Then the evil desire, when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully matured brings forth death.
The battle takes place in your heart and Satan baits you by placing temptation before you. It could be a person other than your husband or wife; worldly pleasures like houses, lands, or money; or a high-ranking position on your job.
We are tempted when we are drawn away by our own desires. If we allow Satan to fill our minds with thoughts that continually feed those desires, we will eventually yield our will to these desires and sin will be conceived in our hearts and minds even before it manifests itself in our actions.
There are many Christians who have been deceived into thinking that as long as they do not outwardly sin by their actions, they have not sinned. They allow their minds to be filled with all sorts of evil desires, longings, and fantasies. Do not allow Satan to deceive you. Sin is conceived in your heart and mind. Jesus said:
every one who so much as looks at a woman with evil desire for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye serves as a trap to ensnare you or is an occasion for you to stumble and sin, pluck it out and throw it away. It is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be cast into hell (Gehenna). (Matthew 5:28-29, TAB)
When we allow our hearts and minds to be filled with impure thoughts, evil desires, and lusts of the flesh and entertain these thoughts, we have already sinned just as if we had outwardly committed the act.
Make this declaration:
I will not allow my heart and mind to be filled with impure thoughts, evil desires, and lusts of the flesh. I will not entertain these thoughts. James 1:12-15
