Temptation
The dictionary defines temptation as: “To try to make a person do something wrong by the offer of some pleasure or reward.” Let’s analyze the definition for just a moment.
Every temptation involves a provocation to do something we know is wrong. Why would we want to do something wrong? Because the tempter always lies to us!
The carrot that he uses is some pleasure or reward. However, if you read Genesis 3, which details the first temptation of mankind, you will find that the carrot quickly evaporates when we yield.According to the Bible there are three sources of temptation: My own sinful desire (Mark 7:14-23; James 1:12-16), the world system (I John 2:15-17) and Satan himself ( Acts 5:3, I Peter 5:8,9, Luke 4:1-13). Therefore, the Bible presents a complicated picture of how temptation works.
Temptation lurks at every corner (Proverbs 7:6-8), looking for an unsuspecting person to lure into its trap. The world’s values and beliefs become a powerful magnet that conspires with our inherent sinful heart to trap us into all sorts of sinful behaviors.
When we are facing strong temptation, rationalization is meaningless. In a saner moment we would recognize how foolish it is to yield to temptation, but in the conflict of strong passions it becomes very difficult to resist. Conversely, the more often we have yielded to the same temptation in the past, the more powerful temptation becomes. Thus we become increasingly dependent and enslaved to sin.
Is there no way out? Thankfully, God has given us both the resource and the wherewithal to win this battle. Don’t let sin reign in your mortal body to obey it in its passions. This is the Word of the Spirit speaking to us through the Apostle. This morning we learn again the “how”.
Because of grace,
Tim
