The word “temptation” has two perspectives. In relation to God, it means a test or trial. He tests our confidence, commitment and consecration to Him. This is God’s way of proving to the devil and the world that we are His children. For instance, Job’s trial was to prove his redemption and that he was a righteous man who would not compromise his faith in God.

On the other hand, Satan uses temptation as an enticement to make us fall into disobedience and rebel against God. Therefore, the word temptation has the connotation of testing and enticement to do evil. When we encounter trial, which Satan turns into enticement to do evil, we should “count it all joy” because “blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life”.

Many people have a limited understanding of temptation. They are ignorant of the fact that temptation can be “diverse.” A person who is confronted by different kinds of enemies from different directions, but recognises only one of them, will not be on his guard against the others. That makes defeat unavoidable.

Adam, Abraham, Aaron, the 10 spies, Achan, Hezekiah, Joshua and Peter, all notable personalities in the Bible, did not recognise the situations they faced as temptations. Thus, they yielded easily to them.

Inability to recognise the diversity of temptations makes a deadly trap look like a desirable treasure. Temptation is not only about women, wealth, worldliness; money, men, materialism; girls, gold or glory. It is much more. That is why Jesus warns believers: “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation”.

“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man.” God does not tempt sinners or saints. “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.”

So, no one can blame Satan, other people, circumstances or his society for falling into temptation. This is because there is no conception of a temptation without a person’s consent and personal, active participation. It is when lust is conceived that it “bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished (finalised and put to action) bringeth forth death.”

Temptation draws people away to sin and perdition. The pull to sin comes from the inside. While salvation weakens the depravity on the inside, sanctification destroys it. Lustful imaginations, wrong desires and inordinate affections do not come from the outside, but “out of the heart of men;” and it is “that which cometh out of the man that defileth,” him.

The process of temptation with Achan, for instance, started when he “saw” the goodly Babylonish garment, silver and gold. He then “coveted” and “took” them. He saw and kept on looking until his depraved heart suggested to him to covet and take what he saw.

cLooking continuously at an object of temptation makes the undesirable become desirable and attractive. It leads the heart to start strategising how to practise that sin. The Scripture says: “Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.”

• Further reading (King James Version): James 1:2,12,14,15. James 1:13-15; Genesis 6:5; Mark 7:20-23; Joshua 7:21; Isaiah 44:20; Micah 2:1-3. James 1:14,15; Proverbs 6:25-29; Mark 4:18,19; 1 Timothy 6:9-11; 1 Peter 2:11. Matthew 6:19-21; 13:44; Mark 10:21-24; 1 Corinthians 9:25-27; 7:29-31; Revelation 2:10; 3:11,12,21,22; 1 Peter 1:3-5.