Everyone, Scripture tells us, will fall victim to temptation at one time or another in our lives. And there are temptations of every kind out there just waiting to snag us like a trap or a snare left partially hidden to spring shut when we get a little too close. Temptation is the desire to act or to speak contrary to Godly principles. Yes, we will all be tempted but temptation itself is not a sin. We would do well to write that down. All the circumstances we are faced with are not unique to us; others have faced these same circumstances or ones like them. We would do well to use Stanley's H.A.L.T. method we looked at yesterday. We can rid ourselves of many or maybe most of these tempting circumstances by eating regularly, experiencing the peace that God gives, keeping in fellowship with other believers, and getting adequate rest.
Where does this urge to sin come from, anyway, we may wonder. Sin's source is found in the world we live in, from Satan who roams about as a lion seeking to devour us (1Peter 5:8), and from deep inside, down in our sinful nature (Eph 2:3). The world wants us to join in and 'share the fun' and live as unbelievers live. Satan desires nothing so much as turning our gaze off the Lord and onto tempting, selfish, and sensual things. And our sinful nature wants us to be in control instead of us letting God be in control. Temptation can come from just about everything and every situation we may encounter. Circumstances that start out in total innocence can turn in a heartbeat to that ugly thing we call temptation.
A fair question to ask is whether or not God ever tempts us. Very quickly the answer is, "NO!" God does not desire us to do evil so temptation never comes from our heavenly Father (James 1:13). However He may sometimes test us to bring about our realization of our own attitudes, motives, and actions. He also will use times of temptation to mature us in Christlikeness. But His actions toward us is always for our good, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'" (Jer 29:11).
Although temptation is not the same as committing the actual sin, it should certainly get our attention. Remember Jesus was tempted and it got His attention: He renounced the devil on the spot. Likewise, we shouldn't just ignore temptation but we should recognize it for what it is and take steps against it. We can pray and lay it all out before the Lord, look up relevant Scriptures, and perhaps share our plight with a believer that we respect and admire. And remember too that when Jesus was tempted the devil took advantage of the fact that Jesus had spent the previous 40 days in the wilderness without food and He was very weak and tired. Again we should remember Stanley's H.A.L.T. And we shouldn't judge ourselves harshly when we feel tempted toward ungodliness. Only when we cross the line and actually commit the act does it become sin. And remember Christ Jesus knows exactly what we're up against. He desires only the best for us and if we make it a matter of prayer, God is faithful and the Holy Spirit will guide us over or around the devil's snare.
********
Another day. Another blog. LOL. I enjoy them, it's just that by the time I get them written and then retyped into my computer they've lost a little bit of their shine for me. Only my readers will be able to tell me if I've succeeded at writing my own blogs (i.e., not borrowing bits and pieces from other writers). Hopefully they aren't pedantic or pedestrian now that I'm doing all the writing myself. Well, it's fun anyway. I'm just hoping they are still giving people insight into spiritual things and glorifying the Lord.
We are still deep into the 40-Days of Purpose campaign at church and I am still enjoying it very much. Reading through The Purpose Driven Life again has been very beneficial for me. I'm taking it nice and slow. Pausing at the end of just about every sentence in the book to let points sink into my dense gray matter. The book is filled with simple yet profound statements and truths. If you haven't read that book by Rick Warren, I would strongly encourage you to read it. You won't be sorry.
Well, I'm going to cut this short. I have several things that need to be done today and I need to get my chores done first. (I've given up on getting them done before I blog because I always get up before Michael and so I can't very well make up the bed with him still in it.) I just happened to think, the 18th is our 35th wedding anniversary. I had thought I might throw ourselves a little party since 35 years seems to be a pivotal year that not too many can boast about, but since money's so tight this month it doesn't look like we'll be able to do that. Oh well, I don't really feel like having a party this month anyway. I get my fill of parties by attending my grandkids birthday parties. I always thought birthday parties were for little kids. Didn't know they keep on having them after becoming adults. Well, I'm not getting anything done sitting here so until tomorrow...
No comments:
Post a Comment