We all know the struggle between right and wrong, the tug ‘o war that pulls us between the two, don’t we? Oscar Wilde once said, “I can resist everything except temptation.” He went on to say that he was “a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” I can identify with him. Can you? That gossipy word begs to be repeated. That surge of prideful superiority tempts us to avoid those we consider ‘less’ than ourselves. The indulgence of some temporal desire threatens to overwhelm our convictions in an unguarded moment.
A basic part of dealing successfully with temptation is
telling ourselves the truth! Paul said
that our spiritual leaders have a responsibility to teach us the truth and
"Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds
about what we believe because someone has told us something different or
because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth.
Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way
like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church." (Ephesians
4:14-15, NLT)
Our desires for love, security, esteem, food, comfort, warmth and such things are not wrong, at all! God made us with these desires, but they can quickly be bent towards wrong-doing and that is temptation. Temptation is not sin; it is the result of living in a sinful world. Here’s what the Scripture says- "God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, no one who wants to do wrong should ever say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else either. Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death. So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven’s lights. Unlike them, he never changes or casts shifting shadows. In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his choice possession." (James 1:12-18, NLT)
What truth do we learn from that passage?
a. There are blessings found in resisting the lure of temptation!
b. We cannot blame God for our temptation!
c. Temptation finds a place to grow in our desires!
d. God does not change His mind about right and wrong to fit our present desire!
e. The True
Word (Jesus Christ) makes us God’s children!
There are many ways to deal with temptation but primary among them is to know and live in the Truth. Temptation is born in our thoughts and is most easily defeated in that same arena.
We need to know what is right and wrong,
having a
well-developed understanding of the Scripture.
We need to know our personality and our particular
strengths,
our unique vulnerabilities.
As we learn those things, we accept them
– without excuse.
We need to know, by faith, the truth of who
Christ Jesus has
made us, by the work of the Spirit.
There is little power over temptation found in just trying harder. Forty years ago, the drug scourge in America was met with a simplistic slogan, “Just say no!” Needless to say, it did not work very well. The pleasure of a “high” that allows a person to escape life’s sometimes grim realities is often stronger than the no. And once addiction took hold, human will alone lost the battle most of the time. The power of addiction is broken with a process of relearning, of discovery of new ways to think, of discovery of what is actually true. Christians who would defeat the lure of temptation will not find much success in just saying no. At some moment of weakness, when the right set of circumstances exist – the sinful nature and the powers of darkness will combine their forces to overwhelm every good intent … UNLESS the one tempted knows the truth!
This passage is packed with God’s wisdom. "Surely
you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is
in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put
off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be
made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to
be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put
off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of
one body." (Ephesians 4:21-25, NIV)
How does that happen?
The first step in God’s way is conversion, a complete change in us,
brought about by the powerful Presence of the Holy Spirit Who gives us life,
something Jesus called being ‘born again.’
We are not just reformed, we are ‘new creations.’ In days gone by the
church I grew up in talked about ‘getting saved.’ It’s a good phrase we need to recapture. We are, indeed, saved from the spiritual
death in sin and given new life through Christ Jesus.
But, the transformation is ongoing. In times of reflection, prayer, confession,
and worship we learn to think
differently. The Word says to "Set
your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life
is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then
you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever
belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires
and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You
used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid
yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and
filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken
off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is
being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." (Colossians
3:2-10, NIV)
How I wish those things were a ‘once and done’ experience, but they are not. I must ‘put on Christ’ everyday. I choose life over death everyday. (And sometimes I fail to do so, and in confession, I find forgiveness and renewal.) We grow in the grace of God and live more fully in the Truth as we mature, when we choose the Truth over the Lie.
Finally, we must focus on the truthful declaration of who
God says we are, so that we will live up to our high calling. I may fail from time to time, sinning, but I
am no longer a helpless victim of the World, the Sinful Nature, or the Evil
One. Our word from the Word is the Truth about the God-given identify we have
through Christ. So when you are tempted tell yourself the Truth. "You
are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to
God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness
into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the
people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received
mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to
abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives
among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your
good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." (1 Peter 2:9-12,
NIV) Amen.
Let’s live in the Truth, not hide in the Lies.
_________
(Video of this blog at this link)
Jesus The Very Thought Of Thee
Jesus the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills my breast
But sweeter far Thy face to see
And in Thy presence rest
Nor voice can sing nor heart can frame
Nor can the memory find
A sweeter sound than Thy blest name
O Saviour of mankind
O Hope of every contrite heart
O Joy of all the meek
To those who fall how kind Thou art
How good to those who seek
But what to those who find
Ah this nor tongue nor pen can show
The love of Jesus what it is
None but His loved ones know
Jesus our only joy be Thou
As Thou our prize wilt be
Jesus be Thou our Glory now
And thru eternity
Amen
Bernard of Clairvaux, Edward Caswall
© Public Domain
