Every one of us is tempted in one way
or other. None of us are fool-proof to temptation. It is not a sin to be
tempted. However, how we respond to temptation makes all the difference in the
world.
Great people have been tempted, passed
the test and went on to do great things. Great people have been tempted, made
the wrong choice and diminished their future. When we are tempted, it is a test
of our character that will determine if we belong to the big league. When we
learn to handle temptation the right way, God will give us more authority and
influence in our lives.
The story of the whole human race
started with a temptation. When Adam and Eve failed their test in the Garden of
Eden, we entered into a curse. But when Jesus defeated the serpent in the
desert, we entered into the blessings of God. There are some big areas of
temptations that we’re all aware of but today we’ll ponder at some less
sinister issues that trips us every day.
Anger
is a great area of temptation in many lives.
You may not believe this but I used to have a terrible anger problem. I was a
passive aggressive person. I didn’t get angry very easily but when I did, I
went for the kill. I didn’t get up in the morning wanting to be mad at someone.
I just didn’t know how to read the signs and how to walk away from conflicting
situations. Over the years, I’ve done extensive research and learnt that anger
is a fruit of insecurity. If you’re prone to anger, deal with your insecurity.
Ask God to give you the wisdom to pull away when a potentially explosive
situation is in the making. Anger is an emotion best kept under control.
Another
dangerous area is temptation is our thought life.
Our thoughts are private but they’re not hidden from God. We sin with our
thoughts that are keeping us from going up higher. We become what we
continually think about. If we do not pass the tests in our thought life, we
will not amount to much. The Bible teaches us to pull down strongholds of wrong
thinking. The more positive thoughts you
process in your mind the less temptation you’ll have to deal with. Poverty
minded thinking will keep us poor. A false humility will keep us sick. And a
mediocre thinking will stifle the plans God has for us. One of the best ways to
overcome wrong thinking is to fill our minds with the Word of God. Human brain
is capable of thinking only one thought at a time. If you meditate on the
righteous, wholesome and peaceful thoughts, evil will have no place in your
mind.
A great area of temptation is self-control. Benjamin Franklin said, “If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.” Whether be it our tongue, over spending or over eating, we all
need self-control. An undisciplined life is like a great city
without protective walls. One of the areas we often fall is our inability to keep
our mouth shut. We like to speak our minds because it feels good to our flesh.
When we let our guards down and say everything we feel, we’re walking on
dangerous grounds. When we pronounce mean, ugly words in anger we are
committing murder. While physical death kills us once, mean words can “kill” a person time and over for many
years. Self-control in our eating and spending habits, dealing with our
children patiently, honoring God with our thought life is a great way overcome
temptation.
One
of the keys to overcoming temptation is to avoid it.
It is better to be prayed up and gets reinforcement before you enter into temptation. This is where most people miss it.
They try to run from the ice-cream after they bring home a gallon of it. We
pray only after we get into a heated debate. God will hear us any time but a
better strategy is to pray first so that we don’t enter into temptation in the first
place. Friend, no matter what areas of life you are tempted in, you’re not
alone. There’s hope for all of us. If we admit our faults, God is faithful and
just to forgive us and give us the
strength to overcome. Be strong, stay prayed up. You can overcome any
temptation in your life. In case you haven’t heard it lately, I’m praying for
you!
"Watch and pray so that you will
not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).
No comments:
Post a Comment