“And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, ‘God is tempting me.’ God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.” (James 1:13–14 NLT)

 

We all know what it’s like to be tempted. But where does temptation come from? It does not come from God. James 1:13–14 says, “And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, ‘God is tempting me.’ God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away” (NLT). We play a key role in our own temptation.

It’s like the scorpion who wanted to cross a pond. Scorpions can’t swim, of course, so he needed a ride. He walked up to a rather unsuspecting turtle and said, “I was wondering if you might give me a lift across this little pond.”

The turtle said, “Are you joking? You will sting me, and we’ll both drown.”

The scorpion said, “My dear turtle, if I were to sting you, I would go down with you. Where would the logic be in that?”

As they made their way across the little pond, however, the scorpion pulled out his stinger and gave the turtle a mighty sting. As they both sank to the bottom, the turtle turned to the scorpion and said, “There was no logic in stinging me. Why in the world did you do it?”

The scorpion replied, “It has nothing to do with logic. It’s just my nature.”

This is a good point for Christians to remember. When we give in to temptation, it has nothing to do with logic. It’s just our nature. We like to say, “The devil made me do it,” or “Circumstances overwhelmed me,” or “I couldn’t control myself.” But in reality, it’s just our sinful nature.

Let’s be clear here. We don’t have to give in to our old nature. The only power it has over us is the power we give it.

The apostle Paul wrote, “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin” (Romans 6:6–7 NLT).

We have everything we need to resist our old nature. We can turn to God for help. We can find comfort, strength, wisdom, and encouragement in His Word. We can talk to other believers. If we ignore these resources, we give our old nature a foothold in our lives.

God’s Word urges us to be strong and steadfast. To opt for something better when our old nature rears its head. As Paul wrote, “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh” (Romans 13:14 NIV).

 

Reflection question: How do you resist the pull of your old nature? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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&ldquo;And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, &lsquo;God is tempting me.&rsquo; God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.&rdquo; (James 1:13&ndash;14 NLT)
&nbsp;
We all know what it&rsquo;s like to be tempted. But where does temptation come from? It does not come from God. James 1:13&ndash;14 says, &ldquo;And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, &lsquo;God is tempting me.&rsquo; God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away&rdquo; (NLT). We play a key role in our own temptation.
It&rsquo;s like the scorpion who wanted to cross a pond. Scorpions can&rsquo;t swim, of course, so he needed a ride. He walked up to a rather unsuspecting turtle and said, &ldquo;I was wondering if you might give me a lift across this little pond.&rdquo;
The turtle said, &ldquo;Are you joking? You will sting me, and we&rsquo;ll both drown.&rdquo;
The scorpion said, &ldquo;My dear turtle, if I were to sting you, I would go down with you. Where would the logic be in that?&rdquo;
As they made their way across the little pond, however, the scorpion pulled out his stinger and gave the turtle a mighty sting. As they both sank to the bottom, the turtle turned to the scorpion and said, &ldquo;There was no logic in stinging me. Why in the world did you do it?&rdquo;
The scorpion replied, &ldquo;It has nothing to do with logic. It&rsquo;s just my nature.&rdquo;
This is a good point for Christians to remember. When we give in to temptation, it has nothing to do with logic. It&rsquo;s just our nature. We like to say, &ldquo;The devil made me do it,&rdquo; or &ldquo;Circumstances overwhelmed me,&rdquo; or &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t control myself.&rdquo; But in reality, it&rsquo;s just our sinful nature.
Let&rsquo;s be clear here. We don&rsquo;t have to give in to our old nature. The only power it has over us is the power we give it.
The apostle Paul wrote, &ldquo;We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.&nbsp;For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin&rdquo; (Romans 6:6&ndash;7 NLT).
We have everything we need to resist our old nature. We can turn to God for help. We can find comfort, strength, wisdom, and encouragement in His Word. We can talk to other believers. If we ignore these resources, we give our old nature a foothold in our lives.
God&rsquo;s Word urges us to be strong and steadfast. To opt for something better when our old nature rears its head. As Paul wrote, &ldquo;Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh&rdquo; (Romans 13:14 NIV).
&nbsp;
Reflection question: How do you resist the pull of your old nature?&nbsp;<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/spaces/17592429/feed?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
&mdash;
The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
<a href="https://go.pddr.app/glpodcast">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestPartners">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God’s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from Pastor Greg Laurie, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you. 

*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God&rsquo;s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from&nbsp;<a href="https://harvest.org/about-greg-laurie/">Pastor Greg Laurie</a>, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you.&nbsp;
*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Greg Laurie provides commentary on the day's Bible verse.

Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

You have everything you need to resist your sinful nature.

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