THE DECEPTION

There are 3 kinds of people reading this:
Those who love salty food,
Those who love sweet food,
And those who say, “ I don’t care, I’m hungry, give me both.”

When it comes to snack foods, we all have our own week spot. A weak spot is a specific food that we just can’t resist eating. Personally I am one of those people in the third group. I love salty things like beef jerky, but I could also eat the entire candy aisle at the grocery store. 

There are things we face in life that we feel powerless over. It goes way beyond junk food. We’re talking about that, “gotta have it” or “gotta do it” right now kind of real life temptation.

So, what’s your real life weak spot?

Take a few moments and think about it. Maybe for some of you it’s things like:
Money- Striving after it and always wanting more. 
Shopping- Binge shopping until you find you spent your entire savings.
Food- Eating way too much of it as it become a dangerous habit.
Gossip- You live for the next rumor that’s getting spread throughout your group of friends.
Cheating- You will do whatever you can to get good grades. 
Lying- It starts with one lie to get out of a problem, then you find yourself in a mess of lies.
Complaining- You always have a negative mindset.

READ JAMES 1:13- 15  
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

James tells us that it’s not a matter of IF we will be tempted, but WHEN. No one is excused from temptation. Even Jesus Christ himself faced temptation during his life on earth! 
Temptation doesn’t care if you are:
Young or old,
Boy or girl,
An A+ student or a D student, 
Athletic or nerdy,
Homeschooled or in public school,
All of us will face temptation. 

Now how many of you have gone fishing before? Fish don’t want to be caught, so the job of the fisherman is to make the bait that he throws in the water look as real and appealing as possible. You have to make this lure look so yummy and delicious that the fish can’t help themselves. They have to take a bite of it. The way you fool them into taking a bite of it is by hiding the hook. The more harmless you make it look, the more likely you are to get a bite. As soon as the fish bites, you reel them in.

There is a hook in every temptation. Learn to look for the hook. 
For example, lying often looks harmless. You are simply leaving out a detail or exaggerating another detail. However, that little lie leads to bigger lies. Those lies then lead to a whole lifestyle of luring where you have to keep previous lies going by piling more on top of them. This all leads to broken trust and losing close friends. Learn to look for the hook.  

God is not mad at you for facing temptations, He just wants you to know that giving in to temptation leads you to a hurtful place. He is heartbroken over sin because sin is so damaging and painful to you. You can fight temptation. Start by looking for the hook. God gives us His power to help fight temptation, and the forgiveness and grace when we fall to them.

TALK IT OUT 
Go through these questions with your circle. Be honest. Be open. Talk through the tough stuff.
Q1: Do you prefer sweet snacks or salty snacks? What snack is your weak spot snack?
Q2: Define temptation. Give some examples of things that tempt students our age.
Q3: “Look for the hook!” What are some examples of negative consequences that come from giving into a temptation?
Q4: What do you think a wise reaction to temptation looks like?
Q5: How can you enlist the help of other people when you feel tempted?

READING PLAN FOR THE DECEPTION
READ THESE PASSAGES IN ORDER EVERY DAY FOR THE NEXT TEN DAYS
James 1:13-18
Romans 8:1-4
1 John 1
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
1 Peter 5:8-10
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Hebrews 12:1-3
Psalm 44
Matthew 6:13
Psalm 34:17

Do the following with each passage: 
ASK – God to connect with you here. In prayer, start by slowing down, inviting God to be present. Begin with focus and openness to see what God has for you today.

READ – the selected section of Scripture slowly. Take note of the words and phrases that intrigue you, reading them a second time if necessary.

REFLECT – on what grabs you. How does this passage personally relate to your own life and experiences?

RESPOND – to the Scripture. Speak directly to God about what’s on your mind and heart. Look for ways to live out what you’ve uncovered.

Nate Fox
THIS DISCUSSION GUIDE WAS WRITTEN BY NATE FOX WITH THE HELP OF THE RESET TEAM.
@NATEJFOX