Fighting Temptations? That's way Too Much Work! 😒
..which you are bound to fail at anyway. Don't Fight It.. FLEE FROM IT!
Yes! That's right! Flee from it!
I wish I had known this truth a while ago. I would have definitely avoided some unhealthy bonds/habits I had to deal with over the years.
First of all, what is Temptation?
According to Google:
First definition uses the keywords "Wrong", "Unwise".
Second looks at it more as an act of being lured, seduced etc..
Now these were some misconceptions I had earlier about temptations:
- I thought the Lord was testing my Faith/Loyalty in Him, so I openly welcomed temptations! *sigh*
- This was a chance to show that I was over this hurdle (object/person).
- This was an opportunity to prove to myself that I was a strong woman.
- I have outgrown this habit hence I can't fall for it again.
Every time I welcomed a temptation my way, I lost the battle. EVERY TIME. Regardless of whatever state of grace I was in, once I had it in my head that I was strong enough to fight it, I failed. woefully.
To strike out my first misconception about temptation, I came across this verse in the bible.
God doesn't tempt us. He cannot be tempted by evil and as such cannot tempt us with evil. James 1:13.
So where does this Temptation come from? The Devil?
No. It is not the devil. Yes, I am in shock as I write this but I write as I am led, and I can't wait to understand why I just wrote that the devil is not the source of my temptations.
James 1:14 -15 implies that
"I am tempted when I am lured & enticed by my own desire".
NIV classifies the desires as evil! KJV says .. when he is drawn away by his own Lusts and enticed.
New Living Translation just spells it out in simple English: "Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away"- away from God to the Devil.
So there I have it in my face: the source of my temptations is...ME??
How can this be PAPA! but I try to live a good life. I avoid Porn and the likes of the Adult industry. I don't even like Night Clubs! I pray, I read the bible, I listen/sing to Christian songs almost every time..If you look at my Deezer playlist and its' stateeztics you'll get the picture. I wouldn't necessarily and willingly want to offend you PAPA so why would I create my own temptations, fail, convict myself and feel horrible? why would I do any of that? It just doesn't make sense.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;Who can know it?" - KJV. NIV says the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure...
PS: it would be a good idea whenever you are studying the bible to read various versions. Thank God for the internet, the biblehub website has a wide range of versions so you can always see the various interpretations.
Mark 7:21-22 - This verse well sums it all up in the words of Jesus.
But Jesus was Tempted by the Devil, Yes?
Someone might point out that Jesus was tempted by the devil 3 times and the bible did say so. Yes, I agree, that was the first thought I had in my mind but then another came in as I finished that statement.
Jesus was human. He was Human.
Yes, He was the word made flesh. He was God but He was also 100% Human. He was tempted by his own fleshy desires. Matthew 4:1-11
He desired food when He was hungry and got tempted.
He desired that the stubborn Rulers/Scribes/People of Jerusalem would see that He was indeed the Son of God. What better way to prove to them than to Jump from the highest point of the temple and land with some awesome clouds of fire/lightening? Luke 4:9
He knew the great sacrifice His Father had sent him to do here on earth.. won't it be an easier option to just be the King of the people here on earth and rule over all of them?
Human cravings for Food, Influence and Power. He wasn't immune to them but by the power in the Word of God, He overcame. 1Corinthians 10:13 says that God in his goodness doesn't allow us to be tempted beyond our ability, that there is literally no temptation that comes our way that is not common to man plus HE ALWAYS PROVIDES A WAY OF ESCAPE that we may endure it.
Jesus' temptations is a lesson to us how to address them whenever they come up - with the WORD.
*Exhales*
How do I avoid temptations if I am the source of it?
Having accepted this truth, how do I go about living life in this world where there is always one thing or the other that is definitely going to attract me? I mean , I have blood and hormones within me.
This verse 2Timothy 2:22-24 states clearly that I should flee from it (whatever may provoke/seduce me to think impure thoughts which would lead to actions-Sin). How do I flee from my own fleshy desires and Lustful thoughts? I need to constantly renew my mind with the Word. Remember when Christ said If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out? Yup! He wasn't joking.
I need to avoid situations that would make me want to Sin.
I need to avoid desiring that really nice car too much to the extent that I start thinking of ill and quick ways to acquire it.
I need to avoid being alone in his company if he is too damn attractive especially with that his perfume that suspends my common senses.😡
If He sounds so smart and enchanting, I'd just thank the good Lord for such a beautiful creation and leave the scene! Lool! seriously though..My GOD I NEED YOU EVERY MOMENT I BREATHE BECAUSE I DEFINITELY DON'T KNOW HOW I CAN DO THIS ON MY OWN.
..and that is really what all these sums up to:
I cannot live an exceptional life if I do have God as my Core.
I need Him as much as my lungs need Oxygen. Truly. For without him, I'd be an attractive self-destruct time-bomb.
Comments