The seven stages

1. The Look – drawn away.
2. The Lust – our own desires.
3. The Lure – the bait.
4. The Conception – awakening of desires.
5. The Birth – The following through with desire – committing the sin.
6. The growth – Sin has finished its deadly deed.
7. Death – Brings forth death.

The Birth – Quickly happens after conception in most cases

• Time between conception and birth is that one last chance to change your mind and not sin.
• The Holy Spirit will use this time to plead with you to stop!
• Conviction will become very strong.
• Mercy is offered – one more chance for the escape route to be taken.

At this point, WE MUST force ourselves to submit to the Holy Spirit before it is too late

James 4:1-10   From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?2  Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 5  Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?6  But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9  Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Verses 1-3 the result of our own lust
Vs. 4- Spiritual adultery – cheating on God
Vs. 5 – Our natural spirit is on of lustful desires
Vs. 6 – Grace is offered to those who will humble themselves
Vs. 7 – Submission is the result of humility.
Vs. 8 – 9 – Repentance – I John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgives us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Vs. 10 – Deliverance – total victory over the sin

I have concluded that OUR way is always the same route – Humility that leads to submission will ALWAYS lead you out.

1. Humility – the bowing before in subjection
   2. Submission – acceptance of another’s desires as more important than your own – accepting that His plan is always the best plan for my life.

James 4:11-17 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12  There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? 13  Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 5  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16  But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

• We become judgmental
• We begin to act like we are god over our own lives
• We stop considering God’s will.
• Pride takes over
• We no longer desire Him, but our own pleasure
  takes us away from Him.

At this point, we lose all sight of Him – (Sin has blinded us from the truth.)

Guilt and shame become our controllers.

The deceiver continues his full-scale attack.

James 4:13-20 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 17  Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. 19  Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

1. verse 16 – confess – Pray fervently (If need be, get counsel)
2. Take counsel
3. Return Home – He is always waiting with arms wide open

Let it stop here or it will continue to grow

The Growth

• Anger leads to wrath
• Wrath leads to murder
• Lust leads to adultery
• Covet leads to stealing
• Love of money leads to more evil

I Timothy 6:9-12  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.11  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

1. It will cause you to depart from what you know to be the truth – Faith
2. The result will lead you to greater sorrow
3. Flee and seek after

Righteousness – integrity, virtue, purity of life, correct thinking,

Romans 12:1-2 – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

b. Godliness – respect for the things that our God’s
c. Faith – Faithfulness of things of God
d. Love – brotherly love (loving others in Christ)
e. Patience – steadfastness, consistency, endurance
f. Meekness – humility

But you young man, run for your life from all this.  Pursue a righteous life, a life of wonder, faith, love, steadfastness courtesy.

The Message 1 Timothy 6:11

Keep His word