I realize this may be a strange sort of message to begin a new year, but what could be better than to enter the new year armed against the wiles and devices of the devil. Not a one of us knows what will happen in our lives in the year to come. I am pretty sure that we all had things happen to us or in our lives in 2024 that we never would have imagined at the beginning of that year. What will this year bring? Who but God knows? We will, no doubt, have some blessings, and we will have some disappointments. Let’s just pray that we have more blessings than disappointments this year. There is one thing I can guarantee, though, and that is the fact that during the coming year we will all face testings and temptations. I can guarantee it because the Word of God tells us so. James 1:13-15 says, “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: (14) But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. (15) Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” "Tempted refres to being tested, enticed, scrutinized. It originates from a word that means “to pierce through.” When you are tempted, do you ever feel like you have been pierced through? "Entice" speaks of being trapped, or caught with a bait. Satan works on the lust that is a part of the old nature to entice us, often when we are enticed we give in, and it brings forth sin. I Corinthians 10:13a tells us, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man . . . ” "Temptation" here is a form of the word in James 1 and refers to a solicitation, provocation; or a putting to the proof. "COMMON TO MAN" just means human. Too often we are like the woman who said, “I can overcome anything but temptation.” But be of good cheer! God makes it possible to overcome temptation. Look at the rest of the verse in I Corinthians 10:13b: “. . . but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” "Will not suffer" means allow, permit; leave alone. (God will not leave you alone in the temptation.) And "escape" simply refers to an exit, a way out. In this first message of 2025 we are going to examine temptation, see the source of temptation, and share some principles for overcoming temptation in the year ahead. We'll see:

I. THE PROBLEM OF TEMPTATION.

II. THE PROCESS OF THESE TEMPTATIONS.

III. PRINCIPLES FOR OVERCOMING TEMPTATION.