Sin is cyclical (it happens in cycles, in predictable patterns).
First comes enticement - you’re tempted by something that’s appealing to you, and you decide whether or not to entertain the temptation (i.e. you struggle with a food addiction and suddenly and unexpectedly out of nowhere a chocolate glazed donut appears in the break room at work. You immediately begin salivating. You also immediately remember that you are now trying to resist foods like this. Will you resist or indulge? This is the enticement stage). And this is what the apostle James was writing about when he said in James 1:14 “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed...”
Second comes entertainment - you entertain the temptation (i.e. you take a second look at the donut, you smell it, you imagine what it would be like to eat it, you flirt with it by sitting next to it at staff meeting all the while telling yourself you’re not going to actually eat it) The apostle James also spoke of this stage when he said in James 1:15 “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin...”
Finally comes the indulgence stage - you give in by acting on the temptation (i.e. you grab that donut and stuff the whole thing in your mouth all at once. then go in search for more.) The apostle James speaks of this stage too in the second part of James 1:15 saying “and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
The battle against temptation is won at the enticement stage. It is not a sin to be enticed (to be tempted), but the Bible is clear: entertainment leads to indulgence (when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin). Knowing exactly where the battle is won or lost helps us know where to concentrate our efforts.
For tips on how to win at the enticement stage, check out my post The Distraction Technique.
First comes enticement - you’re tempted by something that’s appealing to you, and you decide whether or not to entertain the temptation (i.e. you struggle with a food addiction and suddenly and unexpectedly out of nowhere a chocolate glazed donut appears in the break room at work. You immediately begin salivating. You also immediately remember that you are now trying to resist foods like this. Will you resist or indulge? This is the enticement stage). And this is what the apostle James was writing about when he said in James 1:14 “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed...”
Second comes entertainment - you entertain the temptation (i.e. you take a second look at the donut, you smell it, you imagine what it would be like to eat it, you flirt with it by sitting next to it at staff meeting all the while telling yourself you’re not going to actually eat it) The apostle James also spoke of this stage when he said in James 1:15 “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin...”
Finally comes the indulgence stage - you give in by acting on the temptation (i.e. you grab that donut and stuff the whole thing in your mouth all at once. then go in search for more.) The apostle James speaks of this stage too in the second part of James 1:15 saying “and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
The battle against temptation is won at the enticement stage. It is not a sin to be enticed (to be tempted), but the Bible is clear: entertainment leads to indulgence (when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin). Knowing exactly where the battle is won or lost helps us know where to concentrate our efforts.
For tips on how to win at the enticement stage, check out my post The Distraction Technique.
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