OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: WEDNESDAY 20TH JUNE 2018
THEME: Not from God
HYMN 15: Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee
Memorise
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. James 1:14
Bible Reading: James 1:12-16
12. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
13. When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
14. but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.
15. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16. Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.
Message
The message from the Holy Spirit to you today is that you must take responsibility for your actions in life. It is important to note that many trials and temptations we encounter in life are neither from God or from the devil. You may then want to know where temptations emanate from. The Bible is clear on this: we cannot put the blame at God’s doorstep. James 1:13-14 says
“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: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away do his own lust, and enticed.”
It is expedient for us to differentiate between temptation and examination. An examination is intended to yield a positive result whereas temptation is intended to yield a negative result. Concerning temptations, if you are unable to overcome, you end up in a worse place or state compared to where you were before being tempted.
However, with regards to examinations, you usually get promoted once you successfully complete the examination. We can conveniently say that God examines those He wants to entrust with divine assignments (Genesis 22:1, Deuteronomy 3:2). Conversely, the devil, also referred to as the tempter takes advantage of a man’s lust and vulnerabilities to tempt him or her, using the list of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life (1 Thessalonians 3:5, 1 John 2:16).
The truth of the matter is that man is responsible for his actions and inactions. However, the problem with us is that while we love to enjoy the freewill divinely bestowed on us, we are often not comfortable with being held responsible for whatever repercussions our actions bring to our lives. We can see a classic example of the man denying responsibility in the way Adam responded to God’s query as to why he ate the forbidden fruit. Genesis 3:11-13 says
“And he said, who told thee that thou east naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”
Beloved, you are responsible for your own actions and inactions. Adam misused his free will, and his descendants are still suffering the consequence. Misuse of freedom leads to bondage, so beware
Prayer Point: Father, please give me the wisdom to make the best use of the liberty I have obtained through Christ my lord
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Kings 21-22, Acts 13:48-52, 14:1-18
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE