James 1:12 (ESV) — 12 BLESSED is the man who REMAINS STEADFAST under trial, for when he has stood the test he WILL RECEIVE THE CROWN of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
First, we must know that we are blessed (happy) when we resist. Friend, happiness can occur regardless of circumstances. To be happy in the face of temptation, we must determine the outcome of the battle before it has begun.
Secondly, we must know that it can be resisted. When last did you see a salesman in a cemetery? If we remain in the will of God, we are dead to the world. The problem comes when we want to stay in touch with sin: its triggers, its troublemakers, and its temptations. As a result, sin gains ground by being planted and conceiving.
Third, we must know that a prize is waiting for the victor. In 1989 I first stepped into a Cafeteria in Dallas, TX. As a foreigner, I had no clue what to do. I sat, waiting for the waiter, until someone taught me what to do. Then armed with knew found knowledge I victoriously made the healthy choices to correctly fulfill my appetite.
Buddy, it is the bite and not the bait that leads the believer to become the bad.
