Forewarned is Forearmed

James 1:13-15 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

There is a natural progression to sin and death. James saw this and he warned us about it. The question is, "What shall we do?" James also tells us not to blame God, He is not responsible for our faults or bad judgement. In fact, nothing but good can come from God. So where does this all come from?

Paul gives us a clue in Romans when he laments that there is a battle inside of him between the 'old man' before Christ came to abide with His Holy Spirit and between the 'new man'; the time after his conversion to Christianity. This is where the problem lies. Again, the question remains, "What shall we do?".

Fortunately God does provide an out for all of us. Paul states in Ephesians 6:10-20:

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Let no one say that bad things come from the Lord and let no one say they were not warned about the consequences of bad choices and sin. Above all, let no one say that the Lord abandoned them and left them with no instruction or tools with which to avoid such behavior.

Dig deep within yourself and within God's word. You will find the answer. Always He is with us. Always he is just a prayer away. He always will be there waiting...waiting...with open arms.

Blessings all!