As believers we have competing natures within us. One of these is your new nature that Jesus spoke of when you are born again; and Paul taught on this in Galatians 5 and Romans 8. The other nature is your ‘human nature’, also known as your ‘sin nature’. This can also be referred to as your ‘original nature’. This is what you were born with. God changed you by the power of the Holy Spirit when you accepted Christ’s sacrifice and claimed Him as your Lord and Savior, thus born again.
In the book of James chapter and verses: 1.1-11 (last post) we discovered an anomaly— that we should evaluate our trials as ‘joy’. An anomaly is something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected. Evaluating our temptations and trails as ‘joy’, is completely opposite to our human nature. It is definitely not the standard we live by at all! But it’s true. The one thing you get, when you go through problems is, ‘patience’. If we follow the instructions in the text, this is possible (we ask for His wisdom, in faith). That kind of patience builds us, completes us, and satisfies us, James1.4 says.
Today we have another anomaly in James 1.12— “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:” If you endure temptation you are happy…? I would think if you avoid it, you would be happy, but God thinks differently. He isn’t so concerned about your dead, human nature, as much as He is your new, changing nature.
Temptations are an opportunity
What?! Yes, verse 12 said— “…for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” A special crown is given to us for being able to make it through. The Crown of Life is for those believers who endure in their faith. Church history abounds with the stories of believers remaining faithful in cases of severe persecution. Speaking to the church at Smyrna Jesus said— “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2.10).
I have an opportunity to gain eternal rewards? That should make me happy! We usually have the wrong perspective though. We think of this short life a lot more than we do the eternal life coming. We think of ourselves more than of God: ‘…The devil is after me!… What am I going to do? …Y’all pray for me!…’ Isn’t that how it goes? But who is the main character in that drama? Me. When we are tempted, God is about to show how good He is and how we can destroy this temptation and be happier for it. When we self-sulk and are faithlessly fearful of the devil we denounce the power in us.
The time of this letter would have been during severe persecution. There is a temptation to quit and denounce… every day. Jesus is addressing churches, through James, during the time of Roman persecution. Although the persecution of Christians endures to this day and is becoming more severe as the end approaches. In 1992, Muslims in Kaduna, Nigeria, went on a rampage against Christians. Two pastors and their families were killed, along with 300 members of the church. The fanatics severed Pastor Selchun’s right hand. When it fell to the ground, he raised the other one and sang: ‘He is Lord, He is Lord, He is risen from the dead, and He is Lord. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.’
How do you respond to trials of you faith? Reality is, we are so married to this world we rarely avoid temptations to our flesh, much less endure trials and persecutions. If we can’t even defeat the temptation, what will we do when we are tempted to run from our Lord?
It’s not from God. Why would God put things there to push you away? Our very next verse 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” (James 1.13). The devil works hard at temptation, to draw us to sin. He did so with Jesus in Luke 4. Peter warned in 1 Peter 5.8 that he is a “roaring lion”; Peter also warned us to “be sober, be vigilant”, as well. Why? Because in the same verse Peter said that the Devil’s plan is to devour you! James even admonished in 4.7 to— “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
It’s not immediate… its a process. Verses 14-15 says — “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” Here it is in steps: 1. Desire; 2. Deception; 3. Disobedience; 4. Death. There is your sequence. Stop it before it starts as Paul said in Ephesians 4.27— “Neither give place to the devil.”
You are not alone! Verse 16 says— “Do not err, my beloved brethren.” None of us want anyone else to fail. But this suggests more. Why is it that we aren’t broken for others when they have fallen into these times. Could it be in the answer of this verse? “Beloved Brethren”— We are responsible for each other. Cain and Able comes to mind. We are our brothers keeper and therefore have an invested interest. You have an invested interest to warn your kids from harm and a broken heart when they fall into trouble. But it doesn’t stop there…
Why do Baptists make such a big deal about baptism? It is more than joining or a step of obedience— it marks a covenant relationship. We are bound together. People should never sit by themselves! They should always have someone showing unconditional love to them. You have no idea what others are going through at any moment; maybe at their wits end. This covenant relationship means we are responsible to be there for one another and especially when it’s tough and inconvenient. The New Testament is an us book, with words like— “one another”; “brethren”; “together”.
People need people to stand with them: because we all fail in the temptation. How do you stand with and for eachother? Jude 1.9 gives us a clue as how to handle the devil as he tempts one of our brethren— “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.” Imagine someone trying to get after my child and I stand in place of them to protect them. At that point I would do whatever it took; I would place myself between them and the enemy. At that point, I should evoke the greatest power I have— the name of God!
Again, an anomaly is something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected. I want daily anomalies, how about you? I don’t want to do what comes natural to my human nature any longer! I’m tired of failing. I want to be more like Christ. I want victory! I want to see my friends win as well.
You are not alone! Pray for an anomaly.