About Temptation

About Temptation

James 1:14 says, “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” Temptation originates with the person.  You will be drawn to what is in your heart.  Satan lays the trap, but the heart of man gets him into the trap.  That is why scripture says , “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life”, Proverbs 4:23.

Temptation gets to be tricky.  1st Corinthians 10:13 says, “There is no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:  but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able to bear;  but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.”  God will help you if you want to be helped.  Your heart’s desire must be to do what is right and Father will give you a measure of faith and strength to do what is right.

1st John 2:15-16 says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world.”

Temptation proceeds out of these  three distinct things.
·    The lust of the flesh
·    The lust of the eyes
·    The pride of life


The Lust of the Flesh
This temptation promises pleasure to the flesh.  This is the lust for all physical satisfactions which are outside of the ordained  will and purposes of  God  for man.  This includes perversion of any kind. 

The word of God and faith in that word helps Believers to see and comprehend that the pleasures of sin are only for a season.  Pleasures are short lived and they have no power to satisfy permanently.  You must repeat, repeat, and  repeat the sin for the brief momentary pleasure.

God has ordained that we be led by His Holy Spirit and live out of our human spirit.  Our human spirit is where the word of God that we have  heard lies.  It was never God’s intent for us to live to satisfy the lust of the flesh.  The lust of the flesh is managed by a decision to follow God’s word and allowing God to make that “way of escape “ for us.  First comes the word of God, then comes the decision to follow the word, after that, prayer, fasting, and following the leading of the  Holy Spirit.  All of these bring the lust of the flesh under the power of the Holy Spirit and brings peace to the life of a Believer.

The Lust of the Eyes
This temptation originates from all that is seen in the world.  The eyes covet and want what is seen.  It matters not if it belongs to others, is forbidden by God, or detrimental to the spirit, soul, and/or body. 

Our comfort should come from God’s material blessings on our lives.  The word of God says, “A faithful man will abound with blessings, Proverbs 28:20”.  We have no need to covet and lust after the world’s treasury.  “All things are ours pertaining to life and godliness, 2nd Peter 1:3”.

1st Timothy 6:6-7 says,  “Godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we carry nothing out.”.  Having more, more, and more, pales when you realize that it does not satisfy and cannot be taken with you.   Seek the eternal treasure of doing God’s will, blessing others, and quietly enjoying the material blessings in your life.

The Pride of Life
The lust for the approval and recognition of men is called pride.  The assertion of one’s own self above others is also called pride.  The word of God says, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall, Proverbs 16:18”.  Pride is a killer.  It shows up is so many ways and often disguises itself.  It is deadly to relationships.

The Believer should expect any honor that comes to him to be from God. We should not seek to position ourselves to be favored by men.   John 12:43 says, “…For they loved the praise of men rather than the praise of God”.  Pride will take you captive if your treasure is of this world.

Faith in God settles the heart.  Many years ago God spoke directly to me in my spirit and said, “I will not be better to others than I am to you.”  This “rhema” word settled my heart regarding my relationship with Father.  It has caused me never to be in competition with others and to understand that my blessings are those that God has provided for me.  I give thanks for what I have, for what I have is what God has provided for me.  There may be much more to have in this world, but contentment comes to me from knowing and trusting my Provider and Supplier Who is Jesus Christ (Father, Holy Spirit).  I lack nothing because of Him.
God (Good) Advice
Expect your entire honor from God.
Use no bargaining tactics with Satan to gain the glory of this world.
(Your spirit will be disquieted when you engage pride in your work for God)
Study the lives of apostles, prophets, and foregone saints to see their triumph  over pride and lusts.
Pride is a door opener for temptation. Do not let pride open doors for you to be tempted.

Blessings and honor will come if you do God’s will.  The challenge then becomes keeping your eyes upon the Creator and not created things (man, wealth, power).


 About Temptation?  I think not.  Let us be about our Father’s business.

Why "Hepzibah in Training?"

More than twenty five years ago I stood in a powerful praise and worship service. As I entered into worship weeping in the presence of the King, I heard the voice of Jesus in my spirit. He called me two names. The first name was Hephzibah and the second was Beulah. I was stunned and immediately sat down on the bench to ponder these two names. Neither of these names appeared flattering to me.



I left church and called my sister, a mighty warrior of God, and told her that God had called me two names. Her reply was “If God called me names; I needed to find out what they meant.” I searched scripture and found that the name Hephzibah means, “The Lord delights in her” and that Beulah meant, “Thy land is married (committed, spoken for, etc). Needless to say, I was delighted in the significance of these two names that my Savior has bestowed upon me. My goal and treasure in life is to fulfill the plan for my life on this side of Eternity and to train for the other side of Eternity.



I offer you the revelations, thoughts, and meditations that God imparts to me in this blog “Hepzibah In Training”.



I thank you for your comments.

Followers