Trying too hard?

Temptation is as old as Eden and as common as a penny.  The call of the couch tempts us to just ‘let it do until tomorrow’ which often never comes. The frig beckons us to eat more without regard for the growing waistline. Money, sex, pleasure, and power hold out their exciting offers. The thing that tempts me may have no allure for you, but none of us escapes the lure away from God and good. 

The most subtle temptation is not to outright evil, but rather the misuse of good things.  While many like to blame the Devil for their sins, James says that the greater problem is ‘us!’ "Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." (James 1:14-15, NKJV)

The response to temptation is usually some form of restraint or regulation. We build walls that we hope will protect us. We develop strategies to avoid places or situations where we know we are weak. We invite accountability partners to question us to keep us honest.  These may be part of the answer, but they are not the solution to the problem.  Paul acknowledges the limits of self-regulation when he writes that all the rules we write for ourselves and others " are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence." (Colossians 2:22-23, NIV)

Toddler or mature adult – we are likely to forget ‘the rules’ if we think we can avoid the consequences of being caught!  That’s why Paul goes on to tell us to "set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:1-2, NIV)  As we love God, not sentimentally, but whole-heartedly, He fills us up and displaces the sinful nature.  Just as light replaces darkness, so the Spirit replaces the sinful nature.  The principle is clear - "if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." (Romans 8:13-14, NIV)

Let me illustrate from marriage. How does a person guard the fidelity of his vows?  Rules about who he spends time with and for how long and where are fine, but easily circumvented if the desire to wander exists. However, the husband who is fully engaged with loving his wife, who works at building healthy intimacy at home, displaces the temptation.  His affections are owned by his wife and temptation, when it visits, finds no place to stay.

Most of the time, temptation is an expression of lack.  Like pain, it signals a need for change. A binge of over-eating is probably less about food than stress.  A desire to escape into pleasure probably reveals some anxiety or fatigue from an imbalanced life.  That is why the Word says, we must ‘keep in step with the Spirit.’  He will lead us to wholeness and fullness.

Tempted today? Don’t beat yourself up.  Wrestling with something that you know is wrong, but it seems so right?  Don’t lie to yourself or try too hard to manage it with tighter controls. Instead, RUN to Jesus! Tell Him the story, open your heart to Him.  Ask Him to reveal the real need. And, pray for a new vision of the Holy God, one that captivates you -  heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Here’s the word from the Word. It’s the story of Isaiah’s vision. Note that when he saw the Lord, it brought his sinfulness to the forefront of his mind, and then take note of what happens.

"It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.
They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.

Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”

I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
(Isaiah 6:1-8, NLT)

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Fill All My Vision

Fill all my vision, Savior, I pray,

Let me see only Jesus today.

Though thro' the valley Thou leadest me,

Give me Thy glory and beauty to see.

Fill all my vision, let naught of sin,

Shadow the brightness shining within.

Let me see only Thy blessed face,

Feasting my soul on Thy infinite grace.

Fill all my vision, Savior, divine,

'Til with Thy glory my spirit shall shine.

Fill all my vision that all may see,

Thy holy image reflected in me.

Avis Marguerite Burgeson Christiansen | Homer A. Hammontree

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