No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God.” For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when he is drawn and enticed by his own evil desires. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. James 1:13-15 HCSB

I once worked with a beautiful young lady that you would think would have her choice of dates. I was amused by the way she described her dating life to me.  She told me that she had met a lot of reps but it usually went downhill when the president of the company showed up. She explained that she had many first dates where she found these young suitors to be very charming. She said it was as though the rep was there trying to make a sell. But she said after a few dates, the president of the company showed up and he was usually not so pleasant.

This is kind of how the devil woos us. He catches us in a moment of weakness, lures us in by promising us the moon and then traps us there before we know what has happened to us. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness the devil attacked in areas where he thought Jesus would be weak after 40 days of fasting. He knew that Jesus was hungry so he tempted Him to use His power to turn stones into bread, he tempted Him to test God by jumping from the pinnacle of the temple, and then he showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and offered to give them to Him.  This is no different from what Satan does to us. He finds that area where we are weakest and he uses it against us.

Charles Stanley once said that we are most vulnerable to the devil’s attack when we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired.  If I am hungry, I am much more apt to eat something that is not good for me just because it’s close by. If I am angry, I am much more likely to lash out at someone when I should be praying for them and loving them as God loves me and forgiving them as God forgives me. If I am lonely, I am more likely to tolerate the company of someone that I know I should avoid. When I am tired, well that’s just bad all the way around. I turn into Oscar the grouch when I am tired and no good can come from that.

We are told in 1 Peter 5:8 that we must be alert for the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Why would we surrender ourselves to a prowling lion? We do so because that prowling lion, or the president of the company, uses an adorable little kitten or puppy as his rep. He lures you in with the cutest little puppy or kitten you’ve ever seen. Then, when you least expect it the lion pounces.

We give into sin because it appears to be enticing. We have all kinds of reasons or excuses for giving in to our sin. The problem is the rep lies to sell the product. Once you become dissatisfied with the product, you often find that you are in so deep and have so much invested that it is not easy to get out. Oh you may go to the president of the company to complain, but you will find that he is not sympathetic. He knows that he has brought you so low that it will be easy to keep you there. He will use guilt and do his best to keep you down. He has all kinds of tricks up his sleeve.

But, praise God we are told in 1John 1:9 that if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us. With God’s rep or His Son, Jesus Christ, what you see is what you get. He is love and mercy and grace (1 John 4:16). He has good plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11). Best of all is that the president of the company loves you too. God not only loves you, but He wants to spend eternity with you. He wants to protect you (Psalm 91). He loves you enough that He sent His only Son to die for you (John 3:16).

We are told in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 not to be deceived because the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We want our state and national representatives to accurately represent our interests, right? God wants us to do the same for Him. Don’t fall for some smooth fast talking rep, but pray to God for wisdom and discernment. Be alert and don’t allow yourself to get pulled into sin. Trust in Him to guide you in all that you do (Proverbs 3:5-6). Walk in the Spirit and you will not satisfy the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).

Have a great day!