Stress Test Devotional May 4
May 04, 2024
JAMES 1:14 | 14 But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it;
We know Jesus dealt with temptation because before He began His public ministry, He was “driven by the Spirit” into the wilderness to be tempted by the evil one. God allowed these temptations, which became trials when Jesus refused to follow the evil one’s agenda, because He knew His son would encounter these issues in His ministry. Forearmed is forewarned. Whenever we succeed in resisting temptation we become stronger for the next encounter (and when we give in, we weaken ourselves).
James describes the inner and outer dimensions of temptation. There is an entitlement or lure on the outside. The devil is also called the tempter. There is also an inner compulsion, a thought that an action or an opportunity will induce our lives or meet our needs. The thoughts give birth or generate the actions. Learning to recognize these thoughts as harmful is key for developing resistance.
Read about Jesus’ temptations in Matthew 4:1-11.
Can you find the outer and inner dimensions?
