Toying with Temptation

Do you 'toy with' temptation? If you act carelessly when it comes to the things that tempt you, kind of ignoring them, and then find yourself 'playing with' the thing that is tempting you, you are probably not resisting temptation very well. It is meant to be resisted, not ignored or toyed with at all. 

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (I Corinthians 10:13)

Temptation comes in all forms. It can be something from 'without' such as cookies in the cookie jar 'calling' for you to eat them when you are trying to watch your weight. It can be from 'another' such as when a coworker wants to share some juicy gossip over lunch about your boss. It could even be from 'within' such as when you are feeling down on yourself and overspend on the online store.

Simply defined, temptation is the desire to do something, especially when it is unwise or just plain wrong. Sometimes we try to 'put lipstick on the pig' and tell ourselves the thing we are considering isn't 'all that bad' because you need to be happy once in a while. It doesn't matter the 'shade of lipstick' you try to use to dress up that pig we call sin; it is still sin!

Whenever we toy with temptation, we are allowing it to toy with us. If you are like so many others, there is a point of 'no return' when the temptation overtakes all manner of reason or will-power one may exhibit at other times. This is why God tells us to resist the devil, and he will flee the scene. (James 4:7) We aren't to entertain his wiles, nor are we to consider what he says as trustworthy. We are to resist - not in our own power, but in the power Christ gives when we call upon him for his help.

The more we 'toy with' temptation, forgoing the instruction to allow him to show us a way out of temptation's path, the more we will give into the wiles of our enemy. Just sayin!

Leaning in, leaning on, learning more

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it. (I Corinthians 10:13)

We should find a little reassurance in knowing the present temptation or trial we face is not dissimilar to what others have faced and survived. It may not be identical, but it could have been attempting to uncover similar issues within our character, just in a slightly different manner. The trial or temptation you face is meant to bring about one of two things: 1) bring out something within your character that needs to change; or 2) create something within your character that bolsters what is already there. God is either trying to rid us of something or allow something of greater depth to be produced within. Either way, we aren't to avoid these as much as allow them to draw us closer to where God desires us to be. When we reject the temptation, we draw near to him. When we embrace the trial, he creates a strength of character that likely didn't exist before the trial. Either way, we trust God, lean into his protection and provision, and grow. 

We lean into his provision whenever we seek to resist temptation - for he provides a way of escape for each one we face, regardless of how hard it may be in the natural to resist it. We just need to embrace the way of escape. It could be we struggle with some habitual response to a particular temptation, but God shows us what we could implement a particular action in order to break the 'chain' of temptation before we get bound by it. Example: We like to overeat or binge on snack foods. God's plan might be that we only buy our groceries online, avoiding the glitzy snack food items that are so prominently displayed on the end caps at the grocer. Another example is that we get angry when we arrive home to find dishes in the sink, countertops filled with crumbs and spills, and children just lazing around playing video games. We might find God tells us to send a text message 30-minutes before we are to arrive home, giving those who have made the mess the chance to 'clean up' before mom arrives. Breaking the cycle of sin is never easy, but it is possible, often with quite simple changes in our behavior. 

We lean into his protection whenever we go through a trial and refuse to lean on our own strength, know-how, and 'critical thinking' to get us through. We ask for his wisdom, listen intently, and then do what he prompts. We still go through the trial, but we are leaning on him all the while, refusing to take back the control we freely gave to him. It is easy to trust him early in the trial for his provision of all we will need to endure it, but it is much harder to do so when the trial gets long and arduous. Regardless of the length of the trial, we are being taught a great deal when we lean into his provision and trust him with the timing. Just sayin!

The fire

The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire. (Richard M. Nixon)

My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of trouble. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be. (James 1:2-4)

While none of us actually wants to embrace the 'furnace' of trials and troubles of all kinds, it is actually how we realize the greatest growth in our faith and inner character. Be that what it may be, we don't usually run right into the face of trials and get all up in their grill, so to speak. We actually might just want to turn tail and run when we see them coming - especially when they are coming so rapid fire that we just don't seem to have any breathing room in between them. God's plan isn't to leave us devastated by allowing these trials - though they be harder than we might want to endure, they ALWAYS bring something we might not have ever known possible!

Faith increases in the midst of trials. Somehow, we know that we need to turn to God, to seek his help, to listen closer to his voice. We dig in deeper in our prayer life, seek answers from scripture, and even spend more time with others who also believe. Why? We know we are toast without his help! Could we imagine a world without trials or troubles? Yes, but we'd all be selfish little brats, looking out for ourselves, and too caught up in all the 'stuff' around us to notice we had left God's side! Ease presents some very real challenges, just as trials present their own set of challenges! Neither state is without issue - but only one draws us to the bosom of Christ!

Faith is tested - not tempted. There is a difference between tests or trials and temptation. Temptation comes into play when our own desires and lusts get brought into play within our lives, luring us to give into something we know better than to do. Trials and tests carry an element of 'stretching us' beyond where we have become comfortable. They actually show us we have more 'capacity' for things God is teaching us, even when we think we are at 'full capacity' right now. In temptation there is very little patience, but in testing or trials, it is all about developing that deeper level of patience that actually results in a deeper faith.

We might not like the 'fire' of trials, but we will reap more than we imagined possible when we endure them with grace, hope, and trust. Just sayin!

I need to decelerate a bit, God!

We have been made right with God because of our faith. So we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through our faith, Christ has brought us into that blessing of God’s grace that we now enjoy. And we are very happy because of the hope we have of sharing God’s glory.  (Romans 5:1-2)

Been made right - that is past-tense, my friends. We have right-standing with God ALREADY. In the day-to-day living we continue to do on this earth, God is still at work in our lives, not to change our 'standing' with him, but to help bring us out old patterns of living into the freshness and joy of living by the standards he proclaims over our lives. Sin is still at work around us - temptation still exists. Our 'standing' with God is good in spite of all the evil around us, attempting to pull us back into old patterns of living. If we trust in Jesus, having placed our faith in his 'finished work' within us, we are 'made right' and stand 'right' in God's eyes. 

Do we always 'do right'? Unfortunately, no. We sometimes give into that temptation to live according to the old patterns sin had established so well in our lives. It doesn't make us any less 'right' with God, though. It makes us weak, in need of his strength to overcome those temptations, but it doesn't mean we are outside of God's grace. We may not 'feel' much different at times, simply because those old patterns have a way of leaving us feeling rather guilty or shameful over some of our actions. Know this - what God begins, he brings to fruition. He doesn't leave stuff 'half-done' in our lives. 

What we do with moments of weakness matters. If we wallow in the self-pity of 'woe is me, I've sinned again', we will soon wallow in all manner of shame and the heaviness of our guilt will somehow convince us it is 'impossible' to live without that sin in our lives. Nothing could be further from the truth, but it may be an uphill battle for a bit until we finally realize that God has a better plan, helping us break the cycle of temptation pulling us into sin one link at a time. Just as a car's engine must go through the gears one at a time in ever decreasing deceleration of the engine, we might find ourselves going through temptation's 'deceleration' one 'gear at a time'. 

Don't be overwhelmed by sin, but if you find yourself headed into that territory from time to time, know that you have a God who is merciful and wants to show you how to 'decelerate' when you are headed toward your next temptation! You might find you never reach your intended destination as he does! Just sayin!

No longer going east

Michael W. Smith has recorded a song that hits home in my heart every time I hear it. It is entitled "Go West Young Man", and it pictures the age-old dilemma of 'blazing a trail' into sin's path. The words that speak to me the loudest: "When the evil go east, go west young man". A question is posed: "Why must I wander like a cloud, following the crowd", then the need we all have is presented in the words, "Well I don't know but I'm asking for the will to fight." We all need the 'will' to fight, don't we? To resist the desire to head 'east' when evil entices us, instead choosing to head 'west' right into the arms of Jesus. 

The only temptations that you have are the same temptations that all people have. But you can trust God. He will not let you be tempted more than you can bear. But when you are tempted, God will also give you a way to escape that temptation. Then you will be able to endure it. (I Corinthians 10:13)

All of us face the same temptation to head 'east' - maybe with a different set of 'temptations', but always with the same intent - to draw us away from Jesus' arms. Nothing threatens Satan more than a child of God who is resting secure in the arms of Jesus, determined to head the opposite direction of sin's pull. Jesus told his followers to pray for strength against temptation because he knew we'd all face it at some point. (Luke 22:46) It isn't 'if' temptation will attempt to pull us 'east', but 'when'. We must stand ready to run the opposite direction. James 4:7 reminds us we need to resist the devil and he will flee from us, but wouldn't it be wise for each of us to choose to put as much space between us and evil as possible?

Ralph Waldo Emerson said it is necessary to aim above the mark in order to hit the mark. When evil heads 'east', aim high! Sometimes the easiest way to end the struggle with sin in our lives is to change our aim - to aim is good, but maybe we need to aim a little higher. To 'head west' means we not only allow distance between us and sin, but we are also creating additional distance through prayer, the intake of the Word of God, and times of listening to God's still small voice. Scripture reminds us that as far as the east is from the west, so are our sins removed from us. (Psalm 113:12) If God separates the guilt of our sins that far, maybe we should take that as a clue to not only remove temptation far away, but to actually move ourselves far away from sin's pull! Just sayin!

Resisting Temptation

"The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." (I Corinthians 10:13) 

We can all admit to being a little more than 'tempted' when we see some delicious dessert we crave, gaze upon a shiny new automobile we have been desiring or wanting to jump into the latest gossip session going on in the breakroom. We ALL are tempted - it is what we do with that temptation that matters. We can give into it, skirt our way around it without being too awfully scathed by it, or resist it entirely. I can say I have done all three! Skirted in my own efforts and barely avoided the temptation. Given in whole hog to satisfy some inner urge or desire. The 'resisting it entirely' hasn't always been my 'mode of operation' in life. How about you?

Give in and feel the guilt begin to mount. Barely escape by the skin of your teeth and you might feel a moment of victory, but you know the temptation is still lurking just barely behind you, tugging a bit on your 'will-power' to just 'give in'. Put God between you and the temptation and the matter at hand takes on a whole new appearance! The word for us today is that we CAN stand - we just need to be shown the way to endure temptation's pull without giving into its lure. Who better to show us the way to resist than the one who was tested in every way we could possibly be tested, but came out victorious each and every time?

It is not more than we can handle, but we don't 'handle it' in our own power. We need to nuzzle up close to Jesus if we are to resist jumping right in to share the latest piece of juicy gossip. He has given us the Holy Spirit to act as a sort of 'monitor' over our mouths, but we have to listen to the prompt he gives in the moment. When we start out by asking God to give us a sensitivity to the prompts of the Holy Spirit, we stand a better chance of avoiding the pull. Why? We have 'put first' the very thing we need to STAND as overcomers in the midst of compromising situations. Giving into temptation is most frequently linked directly to how well we have put Christ first in our lives. When he is in the lead - we stand. When we lead - we have no solid footing. Just sayin!

Have I corrected for that?

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 7:21-25)

When I want this, I do that. Sound familiar? It is a real struggle for all of us. No one is without some struggle with wanting to do what is right and somehow struggling to 'hit' that mark. Don't miss what Paul is saying - the battle or struggle is really within our minds. Our hearts are sure we want to do what is right, but our minds get all muddled up in the temptation that is pulling us in the opposite direction. When I was in high school, I took an archery course. It taught me one thing - aiming for the bullseye didn't ensure I would actually hit it!

So many factors played into hitting that center mark. I might not have enough tension on the bow and the arrow would fall short of the target. I would be aiming a bit too low and miss the rings totally. I might adjust my aim to a bit higher and way overshoot the target. Even when I managed to get within the circles of the target, I frequently did not hit 'dead center'. I saw where I wanted it to go. I adjusted my tension to take the arrow the distance. I refocused my aim, so it matched the 'placement' I desired for the arrow. Yet, I missed the mark! I considered a bunch of factors, but obviously didn't consider all of them! Did I adjust for crosswinds? Nope. Did I adjust for the pitch of the land? Nope. Did I consider my fatigue as the I took each subsequent shot? Nope. I 'thought' I had made all the necessary 'corrections', but as you can see from my illustration, we sometimes aren't even aware of the things that need 'correction'.

To be free from the domination of sin and the pull of our own flesh, we need something (or perhaps someone) with a better understanding of how this freedom is actually accomplished. Sometimes the correction we need is right there in front of us, but we just don't see it. We need God's help to know when our 'spirit' is right, but our 'flesh' is weak. We need his help in seeing how much that 'fleshly weakness' is pulling us toward sin. Our heart and mind aren't always 'sympatico' - they are at odds with each other sometimes! When all the 'right steps' aren't accomplishing the outcome we hoped for, we would be best served asking God if there are things we haven't 'corrected for' in our lives. Just sayin!

Barriers need a foundation

Sin cannot offer security! But if you live right, you will be as secure as a tree with deep roots. (Proverbs 12:3)

Security is really feeling like you are in a place where the "risks" are minimized - steps have been taken to reduce the possibility of something happening.  This is why those folks install locks, buy security doors, install cameras, and put bars on the windows - to minimize the risks. I want to challenge us to begin to think of security as not just minimization of risk, but the deep sense of confidence which comes from knowing we have a good foundation to whatever it is we are trusting in. If the foundation is faulty, then everything else is just not going to cut it when it comes to keeping us safe. Too many times we find ourselves setting out to accomplish one thing that we think will add security to our lives, but our "foundation" is just not secure!

Sin doesn't offer us much security in life, even though it appears to be something which would stand up to the pressure.  Sin has a way of convincing us we are on "solid footing".  I am not quite sure how that happens, but somehow we get to the place of thinking we are going to be "okay" even if we pursue some pretty "shady" stuff in life.  In fact, sometimes we think we are minimizing the risk we will give into temptation by some weirdly concocted plan, but we forget the plans are only good as the foundation onto which they are attached!  God's plan includes us getting rooted into a solid foundation by digging deeply into his word and then allowing it to get deeply into us.  As a tree sets down roots, it "takes into it" the things in which those roots are situated.  If the roots are deeply rooted, it also has a more solid hold against the things which would seek to uproot it.

To live right includes this idea of taking root and then continuing to "take root". If you look at the trees in my backyard, you will see they are kind of "limited" to the backyard.  Or at least you might think!  I have had to dig up sprinkler lines or dig holes for new trees I planted in my yard over the years.  In doing this digging, I came to discover roots from trees behind my property are invading the space known as "my yard"!  From all directions, roots are found coming into and going out of my yard.  Some belong to those trees I planted, while others belong to trees clearly outside the boundaries of my property!  I thought those "native" trees planted along the street behind my fence line were on "that side of the fence".  After a little digging, it was clear they were seeking out the water I provided!  No wonder they grow so well!  They are thieving the water I put down for my one developed tree and the two I have grown from seed!  

Sin is kind of like that - it invades territory we "think" is clearly delineated as "ours", taking every effort to mark out as ours (like I thought the fence did in my yard).  What we don't realize is how much what we believe to be security is really just a "partial barrier" of sorts and not really security.  Only God can give us the security against sin we so desperately need.  Unless we "tap into" his foundation, we have nothing more than "partial barriers" with which to resist temptation.  Just sayin!

Is this God's will?

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. (I John 2:15-16)

At times, people will ask me how they can know if a particular decision is 'in God's will'. I have found that using this verse as a guide to 'weed out' the ones that really aren't the best for us has helped me. If the craving is for some form of physical pleasure, I take a moment longer to consider the choice. If it is just because I see everyone is on the bandwagon to get something, I step back and wait to see if that 'thing' or 'activity' really is necessary or is just a nicety. If those two don't stop me in my tracks, I consider just how much my pride is motivating a particular decision. If it seems that pride is pushing me forward, I step back even further because I know pride comes before a downward trend!

It amazes me how much the enemy of our souls uses these three things to get us wrapped up in 'stuff' and 'relationships' that we just didn't need or shouldn't have pursued in the first place. The eyes take it all in, the emotions get us all wrapped up in knots over it, and our pride is just too heck-bent on getting its own way! Stop long enough to consider what you are allowing in through your 'eye gate' and you might just find you need to stop looking. Contemplate something long enough, allowing your emotions to override common sense and you might just end up regretting the choice all together. Get even the tiniest bit of pride behind your emotions or lust of the eyes and you might just be a goner!

The very next verse says, "And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever." (v 17) Those things are elusive and oftentimes quite deceptive. Learning to do what please God begins by recognizing when we are getting caught up in one of those three traps we just discussed. The more we recognize behavior or choices that don't bring honor to God or edify our spirits, the quicker we will be to recognize the right choice or behavior. God doesn't make it hard for us to know his will, but he does know how much we struggle to recognize the things that are NOT of his will. Whenever our 'rational thought' gets put into the mix, the 'irrational behavior' is just around the corner. Sometimes the will of God doesn't seem all that 'rational', but we may just have to stop listening to our intellect and start listening to the still small voice of the Spirit within who urges us toward right behavior. Just sayin!

At the gate?

You can find lessons in the weirdest things or at the most unlikely spots in life. It helps us connect-the-dots spiritually to receive an object lesson. Imagine a gate that opens up for you to pass through that puts you in a cue in a long line where you are committing to stay in the line for as long as it takes because there is no other way out. One way in, one way out - no skirting the line, no turning around. It speaks of the way we enter into sin in our lives - there is some kind of gate which reminds us we are passing through into some place we may not want to be for very long, but when we do, we are there for the long haul!

Don’t blame God when you are tempted! God cannot be tempted by evil, and he doesn’t use evil to tempt others. We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us. Our desires make us sin, and when sin is finished with us, it leaves us dead. (James 1:13-15)
 
All temptation comes with a stopping spot before we enter fully into sin. Just like the gate, there is some form of "barrier" which stands between us and sin. You see the gate, go through it and then your are following a path of your choosing. You have a moment to go the other way, but you have to choose to do so BEFORE you enter the gate. There is that moment of decision OUTSIDE of sin's full action. It is what we do at that moment that makes all the difference in what we experience after that! Once we enter into the "experience" of sin, there is no going back. Sin has a cycle. We enter into a circle of sin that takes us places where we will have to make more decisions, pay an even greater price, and then the emotional turmoil of having to go "through" what we entered into begins. Sometimes we don't have a whole lot of time to decide on which "line" will be the best one for us. Quick decisions often don't "pay off" as we might have hoped. 

There is an element of the unknown in every temptation, because we cannot know how things will "play out" since we are not fully in control when we give into sin's enticement. All of life's temptations are really designed to produce some type of "test result". We might pass some of them, but there is always the chance we will not do as well on others! Sin has a way of taking over our lives. Sin has a way of taking control of what we may not want to just "hand over" to just anybody. I don't know about you, but moving out of the driver's seat makes me feel a little like I am losing control. Temptation lures us in - desires and passions drive us forward - and eventually we find ourselves out of control entirely!

Sin gets inside our heads and messes with our thoughts. We don't always know we are being "tapped into", but trust me, sin has a thought process we cannot dismiss - it gets inside us and we find ourselves "fully committed" at some point. Satan cannot read our minds, but we certainly do "tell" him a lot by the way we respond and the stories we "tell" ourselves! The last thing I want to remind us of is the cost of sin. Sin is never free! Once we commit to the path of sin, there is a cost we will pay to escape the clutches of sin. Although it may not seem significant in the short run, in the long run it all adds up! So, if we want to avoid the trap of sin, it begins before we even get to the gate. Once "inside" the cycle of sin, we ride it out - but we rarely come through without some cost to ourselves. Just sayin!

You here for me?

No way out - or at least that is what you begin to sense. We all come to those moments when we just cannot see the tree for the forest. Life throws daunting obstacles our way, some of which we can successfully maneuver, while others just trip us up - especially those we call temptations or the pull toward conduct that is unbecoming or downright wrong. We actually need another to come alongside, to take us by the hand, and to help us see the way 'out' of our troubling path, but we can resist this helping hand at times, either out of shame, pride, or anger. What we give up by not taking their help could just be the one thing we need most in order to move past some of the worst times in our lives.

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. (Galatians 6:1-3)

It is quite easy to be 'overcome' - things getting the better of us without us even noticing. Rarely do we set out with the purpose of indulging in some sinful behavior at the beginning of the day, but along comes the struggle a bit later, and it may just be that the 'internal conflict' with knowing what is right and actually doing what is right become real. At that moment, we can all give into the temptation or resist it, but if we choose to give in, be assured the guilt or shame that follows can almost be our undoing. That is why we need others in our lives - to help us with gentle reminders of God's grace and small 'pushes' to get us back on the right path.

Sharing each other's burdens is actually a very 'spiritual' thing to do. We may think we don't need anyone to help us with those burdens, but nothing could be further from the truth. We don't even know the weight of the burden - how it is affecting our mental, emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual health. We just stumble along under it, thinking it will 'get better' somewhere down the road. I have news for each of us - a longer path doesn't mean there will be healing at the end of it! It just means we walk under the burden for a while longer than we really have to. 

None of us likes to admit we struggle, fall short of the mark, or simply cannot get the 'wrong thoughts' out of our minds or hearts. There is something powerful about another actually 'seeing' the influence of those thoughts, laying it out there for us to see, and then reassuring us that they are there to help us walk through to the other side, isn't there? If you resist that help, it is likely you will not resist the temptation to engage in the wrong behavior once again somewhere else just down that path. Take the offered hand and see what a difference it makes to have another help with finding the right path once again. Can you do that? Just askin!

Who's Fighting for Me?

It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin. So you see how it is: my new life tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin. Oh, what a terrible predicament I’m in! Who will free me from my slavery to this deadly lower nature? Thank God! It has been done by Jesus Christ our Lord. He has set me free. (Romans 7:21-25)

A fact of life...that I want to do what is right...but I choose what is wrong. Sound like anybody else's life story? There is a constant struggle of the 'will', isn't there? We find ourselves pulled this way and that, all the while wanting to go just one way - the right way. We actually hear this still small voice within telling us to do right, but then we listen to the louder voice within (our sinful nature) telling us to do something that will 'please' our sinful nature. The struggle is real, and it is constant for some, infrequent for others.

The multitude of times we have given into our sinful nature is probably too innumerable for any of us to list, but the truth of the matter is that we are likely choosing to respond to our sinful nature less and less the longer we are serving Jesus. How does that happen? There is a subtle, but consistent shift in our focus. We begin to see how much our sinful nature is pulling us 'off-center' in life and we focus more on what will keep us 'on-center'. How? Through prayer, time in the Word, good teaching, and solid relationships that build in accountability.

The one who struggles with these conflicting desires really needs to remember that our freedom isn't a 'wish' or a 'dream' - it is an accomplished fact through Christ Jesus. We are 'set free', not by our own willpower, but by the 'will of God' resident within us in Christ Jesus. That still small voice that is telling us to do 'right' isn't just a whim. It is the very voice of his Spirit within - helping us to choose the things that will honor him, in turn bringing honor to our lives. 

Freedom isn't fought for in our own strength or self-effort. It is accomplished in Christ Jesus, but we need to 'enforce' that freedom in our lives. When those taunting and 'pulling' voices want us to go one way, and we clearly hear it is the other way we are to choose, we need to rise up in the power of Christ to resist. That may look a little like us taking a moment to pray because prayer drives back the forces of wickedness. That may take on the form of us recounting a scripture we have read earlier in the day because the Word of God causes the devil to flee. Remember, we are given the tools to overcome sin's pull, we just need to use them when the struggle gets real! Just sayin!

Temptation Buddies

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (I Corinthians 10:13)

I am glad to know you also suffer from temptations. Oh, I am not happy that you are tempted, but it is good to know that we are all in the same boat on as it comes to facing temptations that sometimes threaten to be our undoing! Temptations are nothing more than choices - we can go one way or the other. Martha Beck reminds us, "Every day brings new choices." What are the choices you or I will be faced with today? Will they differ much from the ones we faced yesterday? If we didn't deal with the stuff that tempted us yesterday, what makes us think we will face them any differently today? We might face them differently today if we have prepared to face them - with the Word of God, the power of the Holy Spirit within, and a good friend or two to help us choose wisely.

While you and I face similar temptations, the method or means of the temptation may be quite dissimilar. I may be tempted to break a promise I made to live a low-carb lifestyle by indulging 'just once'. You may be tempted to break a promise you made to walk every day just because you have such a busy day today. We are both tempted to do something that is contrary to our good health, but in different ways. The choices are similar, but not the same. Both choices will affect our health in some manner, but the 'root' of the choice may be slightly different. This is why it is so important to involve the Holy Spirit in forming a 'plan' to avoid the wrong choice. 

Does scripture tell us to eat low-carb? No, but it does tell us to respect the Temple of the Holy Spirit which is declared to be our bodies. Does it tell us to get exercise daily? No, but if exercise makes the Temple stronger, then it is not a good thing to avoid it. The plan is important, but a plan that isn't backed with power is kind of wishy washy! God tells us with each temptation comes a means by which to overcome it. In simple terms, it a set of two choices. One leads us down the path that gives into our 'fleshly' desires and the other leads down a path that actually 'builds us up' in our inner man. Perhaps this is the best 'plan' for temptation - to have a plan that actually 'builds us up' and doesn't leave us 'torn down'. Let's make a plan to be 'temptation buddies' who help each other be 'built up' rather than 'torn down'. Just sayin!

What counts as sin?

For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20)

What 'counts' as sin? I have actually had some attempt to 'debate' this topic with me. What I found to be at the root of this question was their desire to 'justify' something that they didn't consider 'all that bad', and therefore it wasn't really 'sin'. Truth be told, if our conscience is actually causing us to ask that question, it is likely not the right path for us to be taking! I was raised in a church that 'graded' sin - in other words, there were 'degrees' to the 'badness' of your sin. There isn't anywhere in scripture that actually says sins are 'menial' - all sin is sin (small to large, small compromises or the biggies). As an ambassador of Christ, it is important for each of us to recognize this fact because 'grading' sin is just not biblical and that ALL sin 'counts'.

Does all sin require God's intervention to actually be free of it? I believe the answer to this one is a resounding "YES". We are incapable of wiping away our own sin - we might think we can just push it away and never pursue it again, but the stain of that sin remains. All sin, big or little, creates a 'stain' in our lives. It may not be visible to the naked eye, but there is a stain created within our subconscious and our 'conscience' that isn't dealt with by pushing it away. The only thing capable of removing the stain of that sin is the blood of Christ. We need to bring ALL sin to him and allow him to remove the stain.

Can we actually be free of sin? I know for a fact that sin remains a constant struggle while we live and breathe on this earth. We are asked to compromise time and time again, even when we have no real desire to do so. There will be weak moments when sin gets the best of us. Temptation urges us into compromise, and we oblige. As much as we might think we can never be free of sin, the more accurate way to look at it is that we can never be totally free of temptation. Temptation will remain - even after we no longer desire to follow that path of sin. What we are assured of is that Christ can help us resist that temptation, but we might actually have to do the work of 'fleeing from it'! I Corinthians 10:13 - "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure."

Ambassadors do their very best to represent the one they serve. The longer we serve Christ, we will eventually come to the conclusion there can be no room for compromise in our lives. What if we compromise? We confess it, ask forgiveness, and then ask Jesus to give us a plan to not be duped by that temptation again. Then we work the plan! Just sayin!

Not IF, but WHEN

Do you have anyone who really 'stands up for you' through thick and thin? In good times and bad - they are just THERE. I know the power of a good friend - a close friend who is there through thick and thin, but I also know the supreme power of a God who is ALWAYS there for me. How about you? Do you know that supreme power - the amazing grace of God? What or who will stand up FOR you and WITH you when all manner of wickedness comes against you? When evil comes from all sides, who will be there? If you are a follower of Christ, having said 'yes' to Jesus, you know the answer to that one.

Who stood up for me against the wicked? Who took my side against evil workers? If God hadn’t been there for me, I never would have made it. The minute I said, “I’m slipping, I’m falling,” your love, God, took hold and held me fast. When I was upset and beside myself, you calmed me down and cheered me up. (Psalm 94:18-19)

When all manner of evil or wickedness seems to be unleashed around you, your natural instinct is to begin to feel the emotional turmoil this creates - you become 'upset'. Something or someone that is 'upset' is 'turned over' - no longer standing upright and steady. That is exactly what the enemy of our souls desires to do more than anything else - get us to a place where we are no longer standing upright and steady - where we will cave and give into compromise and sin. No wonder we need someone 'alongside' when attacks come - we aren't able to steady ourselves!

We will slip on occasion - we are human, after all. We will fall on others. Why are we so hard on ourselves when we begin to slip or find we are falling headlong into compromise or sin? We will always feel the tug of our enemy's pull - but we don't always have to fall. What our psalmist reminds us today is that we can just call out - rescue is as close as that. We can try to 'right' ourselves all on our own, too prideful to admit we need some 'steadying' help, but we shouldn't be surprised when we actually still fall. We aren't always equipped to 'right' ourselves alone!

I think we are always going to deal with temptation in this lifetime - slips will occur. We don't want to admit it, but we are only human. Our pride can keep us from asking for the help we so desperately need. Surround yourself with good friends, others who will support you with their faith when yours is a bit wobbly. Get into God's Word and let it get into you. Stand as best you can but remember this - you don't stand alone - God's protection awaits you WHEN you begin to wobble. Not IF, but WHEN. Just sayin!

We need a playbook here

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it. (I Corinthians 10:13)

Pay close attention to the words here - nowhere in scripture does it ever say a Christian will be 'problem-free' in life, nor that temptation and testing will somehow just magically never come our way. In fact, it promises there will be both testing and temptation - trials of our faith; testing of our conviction and dedication. What is promised is that God will ALWAYS be right there to help us come THROUGH it. He never leaves us defenseless - he expects us to set up good defenses BEFORE we have to go THROUGH them!

All of us have to face trials and temptations - there is no way to escape the fact they will come our way. If we prepare AHEAD of time, going THROUGH them with Christ at our side will mean we stand a much better chance of resisting temptation and standing strong in the midst of trials. There is more to being 'prepared' for temptation than just 'trusting Jesus to help us make it through'. While I will never discount the importance of trusting Jesus, I also will never be so naive as to believe Jesus doesn't expect us to be READY for temptation.

Having a defense prepared ahead of time means we give some thought to what breaks our defenses down the easiest. For me, it is fatigue. I just don't do well when fatigue sets in. My answers become shorter, curt, and sometimes lacking in kindness. My desire to see something through to the end wanes and I leave things undone. I know this is one of the areas in my life where the enemy can find an advantage, so I have to prepare for those moments when I will become fatigued. 

I have learned to recognize them earlier than I used to, then I take a short break from what I am doing in order to renew my mind and energy levels. I might need a quick snack and some hydration because I have ignored both while I have been 'hard at work'. I might need to do something else for a while, so my mind is taken away from the things that are so fatiguing. My plan begins with recognizing the signs of fatigue and then exercising some 'good judgment steps' to avoid going down that path that leads to wrong behavior. 

You might have heard the saying, "the best offense is a good defense", and this remains true in our spiritual lives, as well as on the sporting field. We don't avoid trials - they will come. We don't resist temptation by good thoughts alone. We need a plan - a 'play-book'. When we are prepared, we recognize when trial or temptation is upon us and we begin to 'respond' rather than 'react'. Ask God to help you develop your 'play-book' in those areas where you are most tempted or frequently tested. He won't let you down - he even provides the resources we need to overcome. Just sayin!

Prepare for the worst

Guilt is banished through love and truth; Fear-of-God deflects evil. (Proverbs 16:6)

Guilt is a tough opponent, isn't it? That guilt we all carry around in our lives is like a 'cling-on' - kind of undetected but wearing away at us as time goes by - it resists separation at all cost. I have some sweaters that have those balled up pieces of lint that gathers everywhere and make them look a little less than stellar. They are comfortable, but they don't look very nice anymore. Those 'cling-on' bits and pieces refuse to separate themselves from those sweaters - even when I pluck them away, it just leaves a place for another bit or piece of lint to gather. Guilt is kind of like that - we get rid of some of it, but it leaves 'raw places' in our lives that seem to get 'filled' again with memories of the 'bits and pieces' that were shed from that spot.

When mom was alive, she used to buy things from one of those places that sent the catalogs all the time. She bought a 'lint shaver' once that was battery operated. It promised to remove all the 'cling-on' lint from your clothing. I used it a couple of times, but honestly it didn't do all that good of a job. It made things look good for about one or two wears, but then I was right back at it again. The issue wasn't the lint remover, it was the fact the garments were just going to make those 'cling-on' lint gatherings! It is kind of like that with us - we get free of our sin and guilt, only to embrace a little bit of sin later on, allowing the guilt to gather up and 'cling-on'. As long as we are on this earth there will be temptation and we don't always do our best to avoid it.

I have mentioned on more than one occasion the importance of 'preparing for' our eventual tangle with temptation. It is that preparatory work that keeps us from getting pulled into the tangle of sin in the first place. Emotions will ride high when all is well in our lives, but when we give into temptation the emotional upheaval makes all the highs a distant memory. We succumb to the guilt load - the cling-on that just keeps on giving. Knowing where our emotional weak spots exist doesn't mean we are helpless or hopeless - it means we can prepare for them and be ready when they come. Guilt is banished (eliminated, eradicated, driven away) where love and truth are free to work.

This means we need to make truth part of our preparatory work. Truth is found in God's Word. Get into it and allow it to get into you. Know what scripture says about your weak areas - how they are overcome. Then when they come, use truth to dispel the desire to give into those thoughts, emotions, or cravings that come. It took me a long time to know I could tell my emotions how to respond - I didn't need to give into them all the time. Instead of riding an emotional roller-coaster all the time, I asked God to show me how to get ahead of those troubling emotions. It took a bit of effort, but when we ask God to lovingly show us how to 'prepare for the worst', he doesn't ignore such a request. Just sayin!

Planning for Temptation

Leonardo da Vinci reminds us, "It's easier to resist at the beginning than at the end." Thinking on that one for a moment, we all probably could benefit from keeping that in mind because most of us try to resist closer to the end than at the beginning of the temptation. We go to the store hungry - then wonder why we are tempted to buy all the things we aren't supposed to be snacking on if we are to maintain our healthy lifestyle. Now, if we had planned a little better, having a nice breakfast before we head out to do the shopping, we are likely going to stick closer to the shopping list and avoid those unhealthy choices! Why? We resisted by planning on the temptation to be there!

So give yourselves to God. Stand against the devil, and he will run away from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. You are sinners, so clean sin out of your lives. You are trying to follow God and the world at the same time. Make your thinking pure. Be sad, be sorry, and cry! Change your laughter into crying. Change your joy into sadness. Be humble before the Lord, and he will make you great. (James 4:7-10 ERV)

Resistance takes on meaning when we 'come near' to God - why? Because God comes near to us - giving us the ability to resist (flee from) temptation. Come near - what does that mean? Do we have to go to church to be 'near to God'? No - but God encourages us to gather together because 'corporate worship' is important to help us grow in Christ. There is to be a sharing of our lives with each other, but we don't have to 'go to church' to come near to God. We can do it in our everyday trust in him - in our time, talent, and treasures. We learn to trust him with our time - giving him the first part of it each day. We trust him with our talent - those things he gives us skills to do - because they are what help us be productive and find purpose in our daily lives. We trust him with our treasures - because our heart will follow our money!

Sin has a way of 'getting into' our lives in ways we may not readily see at first, but the fact is that it is there. Sin has a way of 'getting us to do something' because we don't resist it very well BEFORE the temptation has a chance to appeal to the desires of our flesh. Sin needs to be 'cleaned out' much like when we do spring cleaning of our closets. We go through, get rid of stuff that has just gathered in those places that doesn't belong, things that don't work well anymore, etc. Then we organize what is left - leaving us with a sense of feeling accomplished and satisfied. Why does 'spring cleaning' of our closet or drawers make us feel accomplished? There is order again! Sin creates disorder in our lives - we need to get rid of it if we are to feel 'order' again.

Make your thinking pure - the temptation begins with our thinking. We don't entertain the unhealthy snack until we see the end-cap display. This is the purpose behind using end-caps - to draw us into purchasing what we didn't even know we needed or wanted! The truth is that Satan uses a whole lot of 'end-cap' tactics to get us to 'buy into' things we don't need to buy into, my friends. The temptation isn't new - it is 'usual' and 'typical' of all the things we have been thinking on, my friends. The way to overcome the temptation begins in changing the way we have been thinking about the 'end-cap' appeals! This begins by drawing near to God - because he helps to change our focus. He helps to change what is on those 'end-caps' in our lives.

The truth is that we are ALL tempted to sin. We ALL have to change our thinking. We ALL change it not by being 'more religious', but by 'drawing near' to the one who changes our thinking. It is God that takes what the enemy means for evil in our lives and turns it for good. He is the one who changes what we cannot change on our own. He is the one who not only helps us recognize our temptations, but to turn away by 'pre-planning' for their eventual occurrence in our lives! It isn't that we won't have temptations - we will just have thought through how we will respond to them in a way that keeps us from giving into them! Just sayin!

Unlearn that Sin

If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin. But remember that the temptations that come into your life are not different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it. (I Cor. 10:12-13)

I think we could all agree that no one is immune to temptation or 'above it' because it is a tool Satan uses to trip us in our walk with the Lord - he delights in nothing more than seeing us fall flat each and every time. When you are “immune” to something, it has no affect on you - it cannot get an inroad. As we grow up in Jesus, that temptation we struggle with today will become less inviting to us – but as we grow up, the very nature of the temptations we struggle with will change - they just get a little different inroad. The old temptations will not have the same appeal, but be assured, Satan will continue to find ways to tempt us and our own human nature will still struggle with stuff!

We don't always resist, though, do we? Guilt is associated with temptation because it is an end result of our inability or unwillingness to resist. As we grow up in Jesus, we will come to the place where we understand God is helping us to no longer be “caught off guard” when the temptation comes.  Satan’s ability to even make us feel guilty that we are “being tempted” is one of his tactics. Satan wants us to feel that I we are not really changing – growing into a new creature – so he uses that temptation over and over again to attempt to get us to believe the lie that we are not truly a new creation in Christ - we are the 'same old us'.

Satan has a way of bringing up old sins that are already forgiven to make us feel guilty for them again and again! That guilt is a means of keeping us bound – allowing doubt, frustration, and fear to enter in – focusing us away from our deliverance and toward our PAST bondage. It is important for us to remember that temptation only becomes sin when we allow our emotions and imaginations to have free rein to entertain the tempting suggestions the enemy brings. We can reject the thoughts – or we can give place to them in our minds and see them through to actions. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything that you do.” When we entertain the thought – we begin to give into the temptation. It begins with rejecting the thought – because our thoughts eventually become our attitudes and those attitudes influence our actions.

All of us want to know how to overcome temptation. Recognizing that it exists and has an effect on us is the first step in overcoming – but the main way to deal with temptation is to take responsibility for it. When we blame others for our temptation, we deny our need – we are assigning the responsibility for the sinful temptation to another (even if it is Satan) and that limits our ability to see our need (getting from God what we NEED to overcome). When we acknowledge our need, God’s resources are at our disposal to do the work of overcoming the sinful temptation. God wants us to rely on him, not our self-directed ability (or inability) to resist. James tells us, “Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires.” (James 1:14) Sometimes we need to cry out to God to deliver us from OURSELVES.

As we learn to rely upon the Holy Spirit’s assistance in recognizing the temptation, we are able to respond obediently to the truth we have come to learn in our times of spiritual discipline. It is the Spirit’s presence in our lives that helps us to conform to the image of Christ in us, learning to respond differently to the temptation’s pull, so that we are no longer pursuing it. Obedience reinforces our spiritual integrity – our character is transformed, removing the diseased part of us, chunk by chunk, until it is completely gone and we enjoy the total freedom of spiritual health in that area of our life. Integrity is a state of being undivided – not serving two masters – giving of ourselves to obedience to only one master. It is true - we can count on God to unmask what Satan has masked as excuses or "I will never change" thoughts in our lives! Just sayin!

There will always be that "one tree"

But remember this—the wrong desires that come into your life aren’t anything new and different. Many others have faced exactly the same problems before you. And no temptation is irresistible. You can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it, for he has promised this and will do what he says. He will show you how to escape temptation’s power so that you can bear up patiently against it. (1 Corinthians 10:13 TLB)

There are times we think the particular temptation we face in life is unique to just us. No one else could possibly be faced with the same degree or intensity of temptation as we are. Spoiler alert... there is no "new" or "unique" temptation known to man! At the center of it all is our will. At the most basic level we find it "our way" pitted against God's. We may see temptation different today than it was fifty years ago, but trust me on this - lust was still lust back then, lying has been around since Eden, and there isn't anything new under the sun!

The frustrating part is that we don't resist it! We might find temptation comes in a slightly different way from one day to the next, but the root of all sin begins within the will of man - there is a desire to demand one's own way. Resistance is harder at times than others. Be alone with your temptation, no one watching you, and your "degree" of resistance is much lower. Be in a crowd with your temptation, with all eyes on you, and suddenly your "degree" of resistance rises to astronomically powerful proportions! But...is it true resistance, or just embarrassment and pride that keep us from actually giving into that temptation in "public view"?

To resist with consistency, not just because we might be "caught in the act", is what we probably all desire, but have no idea how to attain. Notice again those words in our passage today - there is no promise of "zero" temptation, but rather a reliable and consistent way to bear up as temptation comes our way. As far back as Eden, the "two trees" have existed. Most of us would rather the "one tree" we shouldn't eat from be removed entirely from the garden and be so far out of our reach that we would never even see it! The reality is that the "one tree" is right there in the grove and it isn't going away.

What will change in the course of time is how much "focus" that "tree" gets in our life. This is how God changes us as we "bear up" under his power to resist the temptation. The "one tree" is still there (the temptation still exists), but because we are more focused on him we don't even feel the desire to go toward its branches any longer! Until we reach that point, those branches hold some "promise" to us, though. They have us convinced the "fruit" they offer will be "okay" for us, or even "desirable". Little by little, as we redirect our focus away from the "one tree" we aren't supposed to partake of, we find we begin to notice all he has provided which is more than fine for us to enjoy!

Escaping temptation isn't about the tree no longer existing - it is about the desire to partake of it changing so much that it no longer appeals to us. This is only possible as we change our focus - the resistance "against" temptation really begins when we begin to appreciate the many other ways God has chosen to bless us. There is a whole "garden" awaiting us - that "one tree" doesn't have to be our whole focus! Just sayin!