Are you thirsty yet? I know I am thirsty. I don’t want to be thirsty, I just finished a drink. Why am I still thirsty? It might have something to do with the sixteen times I just typed the word thirsty.<--Seventeen. I can’t defeat my thirst by focusing on not being thirsty. I can only defeat it by going to get a drink, or by focusing on what I else I could be doing. Sin works the same way.
On my own, I can’t bottle up what tempts me and focus on not doing it. When I focus my mind on not focusing on a pretty lady, I am tempted to lust. I’ve met women who are well endowed and like to wear low cut tops. And I always tell myself “don’t look, don’t look, don’t look.” And that never works and I look. I apologize, I’m human. I can’t stop doing something that I’m focused on not doing, EVER. Focusing on not doing something only highlights it in my mind. As a matter of fact, I bet you’re the same way. If someone says to you ‘don’t look’ I bet you can’t not look.
That’s not how I’m supposed to defeat temptation. Just as there is a four step method to giving into temptation, (desire, doubt, deception, disobedience) there is a four step method to defeating temptation. It’s a 4R method. I’m going to cover them here, because if you don’t have the book, but are following the blog, you need to know them and apply them to your life.
The first is Refocus your attention on something else. Remember earlier, by focusing on not wanting to be thirsty, I made myself thirstier. By focusing on not noticing a woman’s cleavage, I made myself look. If I think about the work I have to do, I won’t be as thirsty. If I can refocus on her earrings I won’t be tempted to look. If I can simply call to mind scripture verses, I’ve refocused my mind on God and won’t be tempted. Sometimes, refocusing is difficult and the only way to refocus is to change the environment that you’re in, part of refocusing might be to run away. Like is says in the chapter, to avoid being stung, stay away from the bees.
The next step is to Reveal your struggle to a godly friend or support group. That is one of the best ways to get relief from temptation. You can’t get help for a problem you refuse to admit you have. Whatever you can’t talk about is already out of control in your life. Now, I’m not saying that this is the forum for me to talk about every temptation that I struggle with. I haven’t, and won’t. This is the internet, not a small support group of Godly friends. If you don’t have any godly friends in your life, you have one now.
God’s plan for defeating temptation made me laugh the way the author wrote it. Don’t repress it; confess it! Don’t conceal it; reveal it. Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. It’s the poet in me that is amused by that; but it also will make it easy for me to remember. When I shared my feelings with my pastor, and later with my mentor, they held me accountable, but they didn’t stop loving me. It was humbling for me to admit where I had fallen, but necessary if I wanted to get back up.
Next we are encouraged to Resist the Devil. I didn’t sit back and resign myself to temptation, and you shouldn’t either. James tells us ‘resist the devil and he will flee from you.’ The only way to fight the devil is with the Word of God. I can’t reason with him, or debate him, or even try to trick him. And, I can’t ignore him either. But like Jesus in the wilderness, if I have the Word of God as my weapon, I can foil every attack he makes. If you don’t have any Bible verses memorized, you’ve got no bullets in your gun!
‘The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want.’(Ps 23:1) ‘Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.’(Ps 37:4) Psalm 23 and Psalm 37 are good ones to know when the devil comes promising to give you the world. The devil cannot give you anything if you’ve given yourself to God. Try to memorize those two Psalms (in their entirety) to start building your arsenal.
The last “R” is Realize your vulnerability. This goes back to my pride again. Temptation comes at me all the time. And sometimes I invite it upon myself. Ultimately, I have control over what I watch, where I go, what music I listen to, etc. I can go into a bar and not be tempted to drink to excess, but when I start listening to ungodly music, I find myself cursing more. Given the right circumstances, any of us are capable of any sin. By avoiding the places where I’m likely to sin, I reduce the chance of me sinning. And, by hanging out with godly friends, I increase my protection against temptation.
The Bible verse comes from Paul writing to the Corinthians.
God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.Who could I ask to be a spiritual partner to help me defeat a persistent temptation by praying for me? I have several names that come to mind, my pastors, my wife, my “bet Freds”. This question really shows me how blessed I am. If you can’t think of one name to answer this question, let me answer it for you; “John will pray for me.” I will.
1 Cor 10:13b (NLT)
Remember: There is always a way out.
And, It is easier to avoid temptation then to get out of it.
You can go get that drink now. You're probably still thisty.
No comments:
Post a Comment