Let’s think about sin a little more. Maybe a topic that doesn’t get enough airtime, so to speak, especially because then everyone comes under the spotlight and the picture doesn’t look good.

The daily temptations we have are powerless. Temptations cannot force us to think or do something. The picture of the scantily clad person cannot make my finger click on the link. I’m the only one who can make the decision and then instruct my finger to go into action.

Temptations only come alive when we give them attention. When we spend our time on temptations, they get power and pick up speed, increasing the chances that they may cause trouble in our lives.

If we give no attention to the temptation that show up unexpectedly at our front door, they will have no impact and cannot touch you. It is our own choices that give life to temptations.

In other words, it is us alone who can pollinate the flower of temptation so that it can bear rotten fruit in our lives.

^14-15The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.

We are the butterflies that move all over. We see all the lovely flowers. It really is a beautiful display and we can choose to land on any flower.

The problem is that the fruit of some flowers are not that good. On the contrary, they bear rotten fruit that can make us rot from the inside. That’s why we have to look beyond the beauty of the flower to know what the fruit will look like.

The net effect of the thought that we don’t chase away, but give energy to, is pollination. The fruit is like a cancer and sows death wherever it goes. Eventually, we end up dead.

Each of us has a responsibility to ensure that we don’t fall into the trap of temptation. We must ensure that we’re not sucked in by the beauty of the flower.

On our own we are vulnerable. We’re not always equipped or have the discernment to know which flower to avoid. Chances are better that on our own we will pollinate the wrong flower than that we will find the right flower.

So, we have to ask for reinforcements. We must ask God to help us via His Holy Spirit to select the right flower from among all the beautiful ones so that we can bear the right fruit.

Scripture
James 1:14-15

Reflection
What do your thoughts look like?
What do your deeds look like?
How can you get rid of the wrong things?

Prayer
Father, I know it’s my choice to pollinate my thoughts. I don’t want to do it, but I simply do it. Help me through Your Spirit to do right and not spend unnecessary energy on temptations. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.