Into or out of temptation

Dear friends

I know I am not the only one tempted to sin……. as long as we are alive, as long as we are in a physical body consisting of flesh, we will be having a sinful nature!
Fair enough, your sinful nature may be weaker than mine and your spirit may be stronger than mine or you may have had more time to practice defeating your flesh or some of you may be better at mastering their flesh than me, or we may all fall sometimes – I am not sure, as I don’t see what you’re doing, only GOD knows, but I surely know what I’m doing and shouldn’t be doing and not doing what I want to do and I know that the relation between those two isn’t 100:0…..

Anyway, I was asking GOD how we can resist the temptations and HE invited me to explore this topic together in this post, so I am curious to find out as I write.

First of all, it may be a good start to remember how we have overcome a temptation in the past and in my own history, how GOD helped me to get rid of a very longstanding and sticky and nasty habit of mine, smoking cigarettes, came to mind.
You can read about it here and basically, HE replaced the destructive and toxic habit of mine with a healthy and nurturing and positive one and helped me through the process.

Another one was when HE revealed the truth to me about all the lies of the New Age and that set me free from their traps, as I wasn’t falling for the lies anymore and thus no longer attracted to their false thrills and promises.

Perhaps you can also remember something GOD brought you out of?

But how did HE do it exactly?

1 Corinthians 10:13
¹³ There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

So this is what the bible says about it.
That GOD will make a way to escape.
And HE did in these 2 cases.
One was by something more fulfilling and the other was by logic and exposing the fakeness or futileness or uselessness of it……

And both were with love.

I would have never thought I would give up smoking.
I loved it.
I didn’t care about the health risks or the money I was wasting or the bad breath or anything – I wanted to keep smoking, even after I had become a Christian, I was even trying to argue with GOD and trying to tell you that it doesn’t mean I can’t be serving HIM or that I don’t love HIM or that I am not a good Christian – and all HE answered was, “yes and you are going to stop and you are going to stop now.”
And HE helped me.
I still miss it sometimes….. but only in moments when I am very agitated, nervous, frustrated, discouraged or in the middle of other negative emotions.

I never miss it in my good moments.
In my good moments and when I am at PEACE, I thank GOD that HE brought me out of it and that I don’t have to do it anymore, that I am no longer a slave to it.
That’s the way I feel about everything HE brought me out of.
I feel FREE from it and I am grateful.

And I know that the process of getting rid of “it”, of old habits, of old thought patterns, beliefs, ways, language, items, accessories, etc. that it helps me.
Helps me to get closer to GOD.
To hear HIS VOICE more.
To understand more of HIS wisdom, of HIS plans, to become more aligned with HIS purpose for my life and with HIS will for others, too, the people I help, my clients, for instance.
Purification.
Sanctification.

Sometimes I feel I am getting better, sometimes I feel I am such a huge work in progress…..

I guess the way HE makes is by revealing the harm of the path of sin and the benefits of the way of purity, obedience and walking with HIM.
Benefiting from HIS protection, receiving HIS guidance, being loved and blessed by HIM.

What could be better than that?

And when I am honest with myself, the moments when I want to sin are never my good moments.
They are always moments when I feel weary, when I am frustrated about things not going my way, about something taking longer than I had hoped it would, when I doubt that what I am believing GOD for will come through.

It is almost like some self-sabotaging mechanism – some negative thought comes or something negative happens on the outside, and then, a voice says (the flesh or the enemy) – we need compensation!!!
It’s too hard to fast under these circumstances, let’s get some food and let’s get it NOW.

Some of the voices are “too loud” and it makes it easier to resist, as it is too clear where it will all lead and what the damage will be.

Take singleness for instance – it’s obvious that our entire life will be destroyed if we should become impatient and compromise for an unbeliever…. but it is also very common that people compromise, because the wait for their godly spouse takes too long, too many years……..

So sometimes it can become hard to focus on the “big picture”, the positive goal, hence it will be beneficial for us to remember the price of sin, the “wages”

Romans 6:23
²³ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When we sin, something will always die.
Perhaps not the first time.
But in the long run if we keep doing it.

And GOD will always love us, but HE may let us suffer the consequences of our sin.

I see this so many times in prison or with the clients I work with on the street – addiction will sooner or later make you lose everything, even your freedom.
And GOD loves all HIS children, even if they are under the oppression of addiction or even if they are in prison, but HE will not always get them out of there!

In this case, the “way to escape” is not literally meant as in a way to escape the prison, but HE will make a way to escape the addiction, I have seen HIM do it!
(Even in my case, smoking cigarettes is a very strong addiction, even if it isn’t as destructive as a drug addiction).

What can we learn from GOD then?

We could remember the positive things HE has done for us.
Use them as motivation to remain with HIM, in HIS kingdom, obeying HIS commandments, not losing HIS protection – as Adam and Eve have……

Ecclesiastes 10:8
Whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

And the serpent bit them – in fact, all of us are now living as “bitten people” with a fallen nature!

But who is leading us into temptation?
Is it always the devil?

Why do we pray to GOD not to lead us into temptation?

Could HE?

Would HE?

Many people say that GOD would never tempt anyone and so says the bible.

At the same time, it is also mentioned in many places in the bible that GOD tested people and it is spoken a lot of that his trials and tests produce endurance and that we are refined in the fire of trials.

Perhaps HE doesn’t tempt us and HE wants us to pass the tests, but when being under pressure is always a moment when we are more prone to fall, and the devil is no fool and will know when to strike, so for most of us there isn’t a big difference between tests and temptation.

In those times when we are the weakest, it will take the most to resist.

One last thought though: once we have truly mastered a certain temptation, it’s over.

Done.

No more temptation.

We won.

Our choice – if we want to take the long way home – like the Israelites, and take 40 years for a journey which could have been done in 2 weeks – or surrender now………

I’ll see you next to my tent in your tent in the wilderness, my friend, and perhaps we can ride next to each other on our camels tomorrow or for a few weeks or months or years…..? 😉

Father GOD, please help us to become stronger and to resist temptation and walk in YOUR WILL and be aligned with YOUR PURPOSE for our lives.
And please bless everyone reading this, keep them and shine YOUR face upon them and give them PEACE. In JESUS name I pray. AMEN.