What Lurks Beneath?

There is within each of us a sinful nature that lurks beneath the surface. Sunday, we discovered how this monster works and ways to combat it. There are seven steps in the temptation/sin process according to James 1.13-18. Here they are:

1. The Look--We get distracted from God and start looking at potential pitfalls.
2. The Lust--We begin to have a passion for the thing we've looked at.
3. The Lure--We are drawn away by the disguised picture of sin we develop.
4. The Conception--We conceive a plan for how we can turn the thought into reality.
5. The Birth--We do the deed.
6. The Growth--Most sin grows because we can't "each just one" as the chip commercial says.
7. The Death--In the end, sin destroys us.

There are three antidotes to the monster:
1. Focus--Resist the look and lust by focusing our spirits on the Lord.
2. Facts--Combat the lies of the lure with the facts: there is no such thing as a secret and you can't do it just once.
3. Flee--Once you are in the conception and birth stage, the only answer is to flee! Run, baby, run!