“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
There isn’t a Christian alive, or dead either for that matter, who hasn’t succumbed to temptation from time to time. After all, we live in the world, and occasionally, the world gets the better of us.
When I was younger, I remember watching The Flip Wilson Show. Flip Wilson was known for one of the characters he played, Geraldine. Who from our generation will ever forget the immortal words of Geraldine when justifying her fatal attraction to temptation? “The devil made me do it,” she would explain.
We often use the devil as blame for our misdeeds, and there are certainly times when he has a direct role in our folly. But most of the time, we only need to look in the mirror. The one to blame for the temptation for which we just fell is staring right back at us. The truth is free will can help us find the cross or chart a course for hell. It’s our choice!
Temptation has three major purposes in the life of a believer. First and foremost, it lures us to commit sin, which brings shame, guilt, sickness, misery, pain, and bondage. It looked like it would be fun at the time, but ultimately our failure to resist temptation will make us miserable, which points to the second purpose of temptation. It’s a constant source of discouragement. Think about it. How did you feel when you went off your last diet, all for a lousy piece of cake, or a bowl of ice cream? It’s one sick feeling, isn’t it?
But the real damage that comes from falling for temptation is it forces us to take our eyes off of Jesus. We only have to look at Peter to understand what will happen next. We sink like rocks. That’s because the product of temptation is an inability to focus on our relationship with Christ. We become self-absorbed, self-centered for obvious reasons. Our sinful lifestyle requires our full attention. We’re no longer capable of becoming conquerors. We’re victims.
So how do we overcome temptation? The strongest motivator may very well be the damage we see it cause in our own lives from our failure to overcome it. In some cases, some of us or some parts of our lives may be too far gone to recover. For example, I have adult onset diabetes and my disease is brought solely by my lifestyle. I can’t blame it on God, nor can I say that the devil made me do it. I could choose to live differently and that choice would more than likely add years to my life. At some point, however, it will be too late for a change to make a difference.
The pathology of sin is much the same way. “Do not be deceived,” the Bible says, “God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) We all have the opportunity to turn from temptation and avoid all the pitfalls that it will bring, but if we don’t, we can rest assure that we will reap what we have sown.
The secret to overcoming temptation can also be found in God’s Word. The Bible says that we should take every thought captive. (2 Corinthians 10:5) In other words, as soon as we recognize what’s going on, the best way to stop the damage that will come from temptation, is to resist it immediately. It’s hard to do, but well worth the effort.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “We gain the strength of the temptation we resist.” He was right. Try taking the thought captive and enjoy the strength that comes with it.
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