Mike Focht 7/10/2026
Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted of God’ for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
James 1:13-14
James was a direct man. His language is straightforward. James is correcting anyone who would dare blame their desire for sin on God. God has no desire for sin and therefore plants nothing of the sort in anyone else. God tests faith, but that is different from tempting people to sin. Devils tempt. Men tempt. They tempt to promote sin. The Holy God of the Bible does not tempt. We cannot blame our lusts or wicked desires on God.
I don’t think most Christians reading this will dare to blame God directly, but I do believe we can all be tempted to blame God indirectly. We can become embittered toward God when we do not experience the growth or victory we want. The enemy will seek to discourage our battle against the flesh by whispering that God isn’t really helping us. Satan will point to our repeated failures, no matter the amount of growth, and tell us that God doesn’t care enough about us to keep us from sin.
In that embittered and discouraged state, we can begin to blame God for not doing what we think He should in terms of giving grace or strength. We can doubt His Word and grow discouraged, trusting in His Spirit. James reminds us that any thought that would doubt God, or God’s love, or God’s strength when it comes to our evil desires is misplaced. We need to stop doubting God and start looking at ourselves. We ought to be quick to confess and repent that our sin goes deeper than we thought, rather than grow discouraged with God’s work.
God’s love toward us never fails, and that is why we can come and confess the unrealized depths of our wickedness. The grace we have through the death of Jesus Christ is the only reason that we can walk in the light and have fellowship with Him. The abiding presence of the Holy Spirit is the only reason that we can make any progress against sin at all! Rest assured, we must immediately correct any thought that would tempt us to be discouraged with God’s part in our sanctification.
God will never be the reason we are tempted or surrender to temptation. God will forever be the only reason we endure and overcome temptation. God even mitigates the temptations that come our way and provides us with a way of escape when they do come. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Isn’t this true in our experience? Even when we fail and give in to evil desires, we can often look back and see where God gave us a way out. There was that moment of clarity, the chance to do something else, the opportunity to turn away, but we didn’t. That wasn’t God’s fault! It is our own lusts that lead us astray. God is good and intervenes as our Shield and Strong Tower, but we need to be more faithful in trusting His protection and hiding behind His gates. May God forgive our sinful reluctance and make us more alert to see His way out!
This good and healthy correction from James will hedge our way and keep us on the right path toward spiritual maturity. Whenever you find yourself discouraged with the temptations that come your way, don’t turn on God. No one can ever truly say, God made me do it! Turn to God. Confess the evil desires of your fallen heart, and echo what Jesus taught His disciples to pray daily, And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.