James 1:14-15
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
There are so many choices and temptations in this life that are filled with consequences, some good and some not so good. It is wise to know and watch for the three categories of sin that distract us throughout each day, "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, these come not from the Father but from the world." 1 John 2:16
Lust of the Flesh
It simply means wanting to satisfy our body's desires at the cost of what is good for our soul. It can be a variety of things, like food, alcohol, adultry...whatever meets a physical need that typically competes with how Jesus has called us to live. Good things become bad when they have been twisted and perverted by Satan so that we believe that we cannot live without them. At times, we may find ourselves obsessing over them to the point where our lives begin to unravel.
Lust of the Eyes
This is a desire to possess what we see or to have those things which have visual appeal. Coveting money, possessions or other physical things, comes from the world, not from God. The world is filled with visual imagery designed to distract and lure our attention away from what is good, pure, and holy. When we allow ourselves to give in to the temptations of the world, we soon learn that these physical things do not last; they pass away all too quickly, often leaving us empty.
The Pride of Life
It is the perhaps Satan's most evil temptation and it is quite insidious. The pride of life can be defined as anything that demonstrates an act of arrogance, when we display prideful behavior and when we boast of our achievements. Often times, we could miss this sin or mistake it for what we think is righteous pride, but when it separates us from others, or causes division, then it is unmistakably coming from Satan and not from God.
"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind." Ephesians 2:1-3
Closing Thoughts
God promises to help us overcome the multitude of temptations that we face each day. The Lord's Prayer calls us to ask our Heavenly Father to "lead us not into temptation, but to deliver us from all evil." Matthew 6:13 The greatest protection we can receive is to be in God's Word daily and to call upon Him in prayer whenever there is a temptation that comes our way; He will always provide a way of escape.
1 Corinthians 10:13
God said there is, "no temptation that has overtaken you but such is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able to bear, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape, so that you may be able to
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