God does not tempt.

James 1:13-14
"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."

 I am guilty of asking God, "why can't it be easy?" Why does he allow for me to be tempted. I know and as we see here that God is not the source of temptation. It is our own desires that lead us to sin. We are selfish and want to please ourselves and do not consider our actions or the consequences when we indulge in our sinful desires. Proverbs 19:2-3 says, "Desire without knowledge is not good - how much more will hasty feet miss the way! A person's own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord."

 We know that the Lord is the source of knowledge. So we should consult the Lord before our every action. Going about hastily without the Lord is bound for failure and ruin, which is the fault of only ourselves. I would venture to say that the purpose of life is to live in obedience to God. If we are being 100% obedient and consulting him and his word in every decision that we make our ways will be prosperous.

 Challenge: Look at each trial and temptation you are facing and bring it humbly before the Lord. Before making any decision consult the Lord and look to see what the bible says about the topic.

 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 (NIV)

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