Self Awareness - The Best Defense Against Temptation

We were talking about trials, and how trials, tribulations, life, difficult situations, many times are used by God to bless us, to form us, to create discernment in us, to make us more like Christ, to make us more compassionate, to give us experiences that they give us different dimensions and facets of the God we serve. God uses tests, tests come, they come into the lives of believers, but our faith can transform them into steps for spiritual growth. How nice that sounded. Write it down for me so I don't forget. Yes, yes, they can be ways to grow, to become more like Christ.

So, James there in that Chapter 1, after talking about that, he goes to another place where he talks, in Verse 12, about "enduring trials." Interestingly, the word test, which is the Greek word peirasmos.

Peirasmos is the word that can say or test or can say temptation. It is the same word in the original Greek. A test can also be one, it is also used to talk about temptation. So it is interesting that here when Santiago says "blessed is the man who endures temptation", he says "the man who endures peirasmos". peirasmos. Because when he has received the peirasmos, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

That's why you see, he interchangeably uses the same expression, the temptation, when he has resisted the test. It is the same word. It is as if he had said that he endures temptation, because when he has resisted temptation, he will receive the crown of life. He just talked about the tests before that. And then, or rather, he is talking about that very thing here, about trials, and so he is using that same idea here of… but now he uses it in terms of temptation. And he says “when someone is tempted, do not say that he is tempted by God”.

Evidently here he is taking that expression that has a double meaning, and he is using it, for the sense of temptation, because in Verse 2, he said “My brethren, you count it great joy when you find various trials, knowing that the trial of your faith produces patience.” In reality the tests, the temptation, are two situations of adversity, conflict, struggle. They put us under pressure, our life in tension. Either one can be difficult for us.

Now, he picks up on this idea of going through a temptation. Then he says that the man first, the sisters are never tempted so it has nothing to do with them in this case. Blessed is the man who endures temptation, because when he has resisted the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

You will remember that I spoke a little like an x-ray of temptation, you will remember that expression. James led by the Holy Spirit talks here about like three, four steps. Four stages that occur when a person is tempted. For me that is one of the most revealing writing treatises about how things happen. It's like entering the psychology of the human being and seeing what happens, how temptation and sin occur and all this stuff.

The first thing he says is to be careful never to blame God for a temptation. Who is tempting? God does not tempt anyone, he says. God neither tempts anyone nor is he tempted by anyone. Satan is the one who is the tempter. Because a temptation is totally designed to make us stumble and fall. Falling into sin, turning away from God, offending God. God does not contradict himself. God is never going to put a person in a situation to tempt that person to fall and be damned. God does not want anyone to be lost, says second Peter, but rather that all proceed to salvation.

So God does not contradict himself. God is not going to trip you up so that you stumble, fall, then condemn yourself, or offend him or move away from him. God doesn't do that. But sometimes we do tend to blame God. Remember Adam and Eve? We are always blaming someone instead of looking at ourselves. No. What did Adam say when he sinned in the Garden of Eden? The woman you gave me, double indictment.

He is not content with just placing the blame on the poor woman, but also says “the one you gave me, I didn't choose her, so you are responsible. You carry that dead man. Don't throw it at me." No.

The woman you gave me. Human beings always tend to blame him or God, the Jews are famous for that. Go back to the Old Testament and you will see always blaming God. When the 12 spies from the promised land come and say “You know what? There is, yes, it's true, good food, the grapes are the size of baseballs. But there are some giants there that nobody can get their teeth into. They are six, eight. They are tremendous. You have to be afraid of them."

And then when the people hear that bad report that the spies give, what happens? They complain about God. “Oh look, you brought us here to kill us. How are we going to enter now that land that is full of giants and people much stronger than us? You brought us from Egypt. We would have stayed there with those good garlic that there was and those sancochos so delicious that...

And they begin to blame God for taking them out of Egypt and for putting them in a land where they could not enter, and that they were going to die in the desert. We are always blaming the Lord, so James says "do not blame God when you are in temptation because God does not tempt or is tempted by anyone, it has nothing to do with him." But how interesting.

Here it says, by the way, another of the favorite faults that we have at this time is the chromosomes forced me. The genes. For example, the homosexual movement blames that "well, I was born like this" and there are scientists who have tried to discover a homosexual gene, which is what it does, that genetics. We blame genetics. Genetics made me do it. I punched the woman, genetics made me do it.

So Santiago says “no, the responsibility is on every human being, don't blame the devil”. Sometimes we blame the devil, and the poor guy is over there in some branches with toothpicks sticking them in his teeth and it has nothing to do with our sin but we blame the devil. What thing.

Then Santiago says “no, no, no. Look to yourselves. Each one is tempted when he is attracted and seduced by his own lust. Do you remember that we were saying about the word that is translated into Spanish concupiscence? epithumia. What is it? Epitumy is whatever, those strong appetites that are in us, those strong emotions that there are, that force us to do things that we don't want to do because they are things that are strongly in us.

The fridge talks to you before you go to sleep, you've had the best intentions, you've kept your diet religiously all week, and there's a half gallon of Friendly's ice cream, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla and you look at it and that ice cream is telling you "come come come". And you say, well, just a teaspoon before I go to sleep so I don't have that bad thought. When he comes to see, you leave the container completely empty. Ice cream runs out of the corner of his mouth. No. Satan made me do it. No. It is simply the appetites, the epitummy of ice cream, this that made you sin, my brother, do not blame anyone.

Epithumia can be any strong emotion, any appetite. There are so many different ones: emotions, inclinations, things that compel us and that are in us, instincts. Our neurological system. There are so many things that we are built to obey these stimuli. And they are within us. Satan does not put anything new in man. What's more, Satan doesn't take a person who is walking around as well, holy, beautiful, perfect, pure, and then he kind of opens his mouth and installs a sin inside him, no. That is not like that.

What he does is he finds the things that are in us. Those landing points are tracks that are within us, and then he walks up there looking with his plane, and says "Ah, look, a track, how beautiful there." And then it comes and lands on that runway. And so, what he does is that he operates on those things that are in us.

I want you to point out that, that one of the most important things that we have to do in life is to know ourselves. And getting to know each other like a psychiatrist knows a madman, that is, knowing on which foot he limps. We have to be honest with ourselves. Because each of us has their weak areas. Each one of us has his appetites, he has his tendencies, he has his inclinations, he has his weaknesses, he has his deformations. We all have them. And note that things like that are not necessarily openly sinful, because it can often be, for example, an insecurity that exists in us, that we were fostered by a background where we were not affirmed, we were not strengthened, we were not generated in us a confidence in ourselves and a clear and defined identity.

How many boys do you see like this, for example, youngsters who are like they are not defined? They are insecure. And what happens? There comes another one that is very clear in evil. And this young man, who behaved well, who is well at home, who was a well-behaved child, in six months, or three months, he will be selling drugs on the street. Because? Because that insecurity that was in him, that lack of definition, that desire to please others in order to feel loved and affirmed leads him then instead of when they say, do you know we're going there? Do you want to smoke a little so that you can see how good it is? Instead of saying “no, I don't do that because it's not good or I'm a Christian, whatever”, he lets himself be influenced because there is an insecurity in him.

There is an epitumy, there is something, an internal weakness that then leads him to fall into sin. The devil uses that. And so it can be anything else. There are many things. There is a desire, for example, for the glory of a person to be admired, to be in control, to have influence, when he enters a place, to be recognized and greeted and taken to the best place, etc. Many times that leads a person to commit crimes, it leads him to sell his soul to the devil, it leads him to do dishonest things to earn a lot of money, to then have fame.

The enemy uses any type of inclination, internal weakness that is in us. And that is what he uses to trap us, to seduce us. He sees, he is an accomplished psychologist, and that is why we have to ask the Lord to enlighten us every day and give us understanding and honesty to recognize which are the areas in us that can lead us to self-destruction, to sin, to do the things we shouldn't do, that we don't want to do. We all have something in us, let me tell you "there is no one". Maybe just me but other than that there is no one else.

OKAY. We all have it, brothers, and part of the wisdom of a man or a woman is to know that we are always going to be struggling with it. And it is not that God is not powerful, it is not that his spirit is not enough…. It's that God works in strange ways. And many times he chooses not to completely destroy what is in us, because he is like a benevolent opponent. A benevolent opponent that God allows to be there to be our coach. To box with us and teach us war.

You know that many times he says, there is an interesting passage, he only gave me the introduction but it's okay, let it be part of the… Do you know what God says? The Bible says, in the Old Testament, God did not originally remove enemy tribes from the promised land, why? For the Jews to learn war. Is it there or not? I'm not making that up. He left enemy tribes so that the Hebrews would train in war and be strong people and could defend their land.

And you know that many times God allows, there are opponents in us, fights in us. We say, "Lord, take this away from me, take this away from me." And we battle and we fight. And he says “no, enough of my thanks”. Because my power is made perfect in weakness. As I tell Pablo. "Lord, deliver me from this sting." Paul calls him a messenger from Satan, imagine. Not only our husband, the messenger of Satan, sometimes there are messengers who also come in other ways, no.

There is a messenger from Satan, he says, to slap me. As if to keep Paul humiliated and remind him “you are a mere man”. Yes. You had great revelations, you went to the third heaven, you heard things that are not given to anyone, not even revealed. But after all, you are a man, and you have to have mercy and you have to come before me and seek my grace every day.

Sometimes God allows things in us so that we don't get too puffed up, so that we learn mercy towards others, so that we can be pastoral in our way of treating others. Many reasons.

But then, those things are going to be in us, those stings are going to be in you, they are going to be in me. And for some mysterious reason, God is not going to take them away but it is important that you know what they are and know their name and address and that you always take a pill of self-discipline and thanks from the Lord and that you be very alert, and that you ask the Lord for introspection and ability to understand those things and to keep to yourself.

And if you have a weak area, look, run away from those areas and stay, know how you develop defenses against that area. I would say “if you have been an alcoholic, don't move above a liquor store, no”. If you like ice cream, don't fill your refrigerator with ice cream, don't buy ice cream. If you like food too much, buy small plates, whatever, but the fact is that we have to understand how to make war on those areas of our lives that are hurting us and develop, ask the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom, and he knows that in this process of learning how to battle those areas of our life, we grow, we become stronger.

Bad companies, bad conversations, bad readings. If you suffer from excessive testosterone, don't watch exciting movies. What's more, don't see them, period, suffer or not, from bad inclinations. Don't see them. But then you have to be especially careful of things that can lead you to a mental life or an improper practice. We have to be careful. And all these things God uses then so that we learn prudence, wisdom, introspection, pastoral capacity to advise others, etc. But they are definitely there.

And that is why Santiago talks about when our own concupiscence, our own sinfulness, we could say, your own imperfection, our own internal constitution, the structural flaws that we have in our character, in our psyche, in our personality. Call it what you want. Temptation comes when the enemy presses that little button that is there in you. And sometimes some of us have not one but a whole panel full of little buttons with yellow, red and green lights, flashing so that the enemy can see them and press them whenever he wants, play demonic symphonies with the little lights.

When he is attracted and seduced by his own concupiscence, the pressure by which he is attracted and seduced is the idea of, for example, in proverbs there is the idea of when a young man is walking down the street and a sexual woman, a prostitute and He begins to tell her “Let's go to my house, I have a coffee there that they sent me from Puerto Rico that has a delicious flavor and a dessert that I made specifically for you, let's go there, we are going to watch television, we are going to listen to good music, I have a last cd of Julio Iglesias and I know that we are going to have a great time”. And that young man, the poor man who went to work in the morning, ends up in her house, attracted and seduced. So that is why temptation is often that, it is seduction. The enemy is the great seducer. It attracts us. Use those strings that are in us.

And then notice that it is the process, there is the process of temptation. He takes about five steps. First it is from our own concupiscence, there is something in us. Then, he says, then concupiscence, after it has conceived, notice, concupiscence attracts, attracts and seduces us. Then, there is one, concupiscence conceives. Number three, it gives birth to sin. And sin, number four, being consummated, number four, gives birth to death. Then lust in us, conception, giving birth, then consummation of sin, and death gives birth. So the first thing is that, it is in us. Second, he has conceived. What does it mean for me to conceive? After you have conceived. He gives it, it's almost like a birth. From a birth

What is the equivalent, let's say, in the process of the temptation to conceive? I think it's when, let's say, look, the devil can throw a temptation at you, it comes to mind. If you quickly look away or give it up. But many of us, what do we do that we stay there? No. We keep fantasizing, thinking about it, whatever it is. Whatever it is. A nice dress at Marshall's and we don't even have money to pay the rent, and we're thinking, we saw it, we're going home, but wow, how cute would that little dress look with these earrings.

And you go there and you're thinking, thinking about that blessed dress. And there comes a moment like bam!, it comes from you, "I'm going to buy it, it doesn't matter, I'm not going to say anything to my husband but I have to have that dress." It was shaped, the root stuck to it, there comes a time, I think that in every temptation, in every situation, in which one kind of sticks to that. It went from being a mere thought to being already like a presence in you. And it already becomes something quite concrete.

We have to be very careful when saying “Lord help me”, because he knows that if we are honest with ourselves and attentive enough, we will discern those steps. What happens is that we realize that we did not see it. But there is a photo recorded there that one day the Lord is going to show him up there in heaven that "oh, I didn't know, I found myself doing it, without realizing it." Look, here it is, this is the picture of your brain when I say "now I'm going to do it". Do not say no to me.

So I think there are many times, that's why I think the best time to flee from the situation is when it's still fresh. When the enemy is simply trying to seduce us. At that moment try to look away, stop thinking, put on a Marcos Witt cassette, whatever, but do something and don't be there meditating and obsessing about it. It's like snow. What is the best time to shovel snow? when it fell Because then what happens? Yes or no? My back can tell you a thousand times what's going on. After people start stepping on the snow and walking on it, tell me...

After that snow is packed down and stuck to the cement, you need a fire torch to get it off. Better since it fell and it's fresh, go two or three times and shovel what you can but don't let it stick. And that happens, the best moment is when it is fresh, superficial, because after it has conceived, after it has stuck, it is already very difficult for it to leave us.

Lord, give me discernment to understand that. So the third process that Santiago says here is that when it has conceived, sin sooner or later gives birth. What happens? After you already noticed that and it took root in you, generally it will give birth is when it is already done, when you have gone from mere fantasy, obsession, thought, visiting it, imagining it, rehearsing it in your mind, you start to carry it just. Then she gives birth, the baby is already outside, you can no longer say anything, it is already there, visible.

And that's what happens then what happens? That's the third thing, and when it happens, we did what we did, whatever, brother, there are so many ways, it doesn't have to be bad things, obviously sinful, but that's the way. And you kind of have to understand that process, say where am I in the process? What can I do at this point? And you, measure, and then take action right away. Because you, not "oh, Lord, heal me, take this away, give me amnesia." No. It's not that easy. Fight with the weapons and resources that I have given you, the tools of my word, of prayer, and other things. Be honest with yourself.

So, it gives birth to sin. And sin being consummated, that is, reaching its maximum manifestation, its full manifestation, already, and many times what we do then is that we get into it and we rejoice in it. And we almost perfected it. Being consummated, it gives birth to death. It is the last result. Because all sin leads to death, one way or another. It may be the death of your innocence, it may be the death of your relationship with God, it may be that God resurrects it. What's going on? When we have sinned, like Adam and Eve, something breaks. There is a communion that is broken.

Why did Adam and Eve hide and put on leafy clothes? Because something in them, conscience, made them understand, it is no longer the same. It is no longer that God coming and visiting us and conversing with him and that perfect communion. A shadow has already settled on your mind, on your psyche, and you already know that there is something inside of you that prevents you from fully enjoying your communion with God. There is death. Sometimes it can be literal death. Why is death in the world? Because the sin of our original parents, sin always leads to death. The wages of sin, says the apostle Paul, is death. But the gift of God is life in Christ Jesus.

All sin leads to some kind of death, it can be death in your relationship with your wife, your husband, death in your relationship with God. Many times it can be eternal death, when a person practices sin and forgets to seek restoration and healing, and does not repent. But sin always has some kind of death. Forget it. You will never see the freshness of a plant, fresh, virgin, beautiful and well irrigated, but something withers inside of us. That is why James says "Sin being accomplished gives birth to death." That is the x-ray of sin.

But he doesn't end (sorry and I know I went on a bit) but he doesn't end on a negative note but says “My beloved brothers, do not be mistaken, every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from above, from the father of lights. , in which there is neither change nor shadow of variation. He of his will, made us born by the word of truth. So that we may be the first fruits of his creatures. Santiago ends on a positive note. That God that we sometimes accuse of being the origin of our sin. No.

He is not, on the contrary, the only thing that God gives is every perfect gift, every good gift, he is the source of blessing, light, joy, virtue, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and he does not change, that It's his character, it's not like he woke up one day in a bad mood and decided to put you in a difficult situation or that he doesn't want you to enter the kingdom of God or that he regretted having called you. No. He is always the same. God everything is yes and Amen, says the word. And his only desire is that we win the victory, that we enter eternal life. God is committed to us so that we live a blessed life. God wants that of us.

And we have to, not so much accuse the devil as fill ourselves with God. So many people blame the devil all the time. Look, fill yourself with God. Someone has said that instead of cursing the darkness, turn on a light. What we have to do, Lord, help me to be so full of you and to live so close to you, in your word, in praise, in meditation on you, in seeking more and more of the good things of your kingdom, that there is no room in me for the devil to do what he wants, because he is the God that we have.

So Santiago invites us to look away from the sin of the devil or a neurotic God who wants to hurt us and place it on a virtuous, loving God, who is the source of all goodness, of all virtue, of all good things, of all good. thought, of all good inclination. It is the God who made us born of his will, by the word of truth, so that we may be the first fruits of his creatures. He ends on such a cute note. "God wants us to be the first fruits of his creatures." What he wants is for you to shine. God wants you to be a virtuous man or woman, a counselor, a shepherd of souls, a man accomplished in spirit. He wants you to be the best of the best. And that is God's vision.

He then ends up turning our gaze from a person who falls, sins, offends God, to a person filled with the Holy Spirit, virtuous, credit for the kingdom of God and who brings joy to the heart of God. How cute, isn't it? How he changes things. So there you have, brother, this call from God to that virtuous life and to know that this is a continuous fight, we are going to have that fight until we leave this world and Christ comes. But glory to God that we have a committed God, give us victory, always, through Christ Jesus, Amen, victory is yours. God is committed to you, and all his gifts, all the power of his spirit is designed for you to reach victory.

What God took away from the devil was that authority he had over humanity. He took away that dictatorship, now in Christ he is a we are no longer slaves to sin. Sin is not something inevitable because God has compromised. That good God is committed to you always reaching the goal. Use your gifts, use your resources, use your weapons. Take the armor of Christ. And that will give you power over every situation in your life. Come. May God help us, may he always give us victory.

We are going to stand up, right now, ask the Lord there for a second to give you wisdom, what are the areas of your life that need to be dealt with by God. Name something in your life, in my life, right now, I have to do the same, and say to the Holy Spirit, search me, oh God, and know my heart. Test me and know my thoughts. And see if there is in me a path of perversity. And guide me on the eternal path. Lord, if there is something in me, if there is something in us that offends you, that inclines us towards sin, that gives the enemy a grip, tonight we ask you, Lord, heal us, touch us, enlighten us, give us wisdom. Father, install your strength within us, self-control we ask you, father.

We ask you Lord, authority over the inclinations, the appetites that lead us to offend you, Father. Give us a heart of virtue, of love, heal us and purify us. Oh Lord, again as the psalmist says, purify me, know my heart, Lord, against you, against you only we have sinned and done evil before you so that I may be recognized just in your word and considered pure in your judgment. Heal us, cleanse us, purify me, Lord, purify us. Take us to those clean waters, to drink from your waters, Lord, because only you, God, are the source of all virtue, of all good things.

Give us a church, Father, clean, Lord, every day that this church can reflect more and more the values of your kingdom. Values of holiness, purity, simplicity of heart, Father. Attitudes like those of Christ, make us innocent, Lord, like children. Oh, God, have mercy, forgive us and help us, Father. Wash us, cleanse us, purify us, Lord, and lead us to that posture of holiness that is in Christ, Jesus. We praise you tonight, Father, we bless you. Thank you Holy Spirit, thank you Lord, thank you Father. And we say Amen. God bless you.