A little boy was standing in an old-fashioned country store by the candy counter. The storekeeper had watched him for some time, and finally the clerk came down the aisle and said to him, “Trying to steal some candy, eh?”
To this question the little boy answered, “No, I’m trying not to steal it.”
Have we noticed that the longer we examine temptation, the more powerful it becomes in our life, and the more guilty we appear. There is an old saying that goes, “Look, but don’t touch.” The problem is, how do you look, and look again, and not touch the temptation you’re looking at. Its like a man looking at internet pornography but not lusting in his heart. It cannot be done.
The longer I allow temptation to be dangled in front of my eyes, the more powerful the urge to succumb. The obvious answer for the little boy is to run away fast.
Paul wrote to Timothy: “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and goodness” (1 Timothy 6:11).
Tell us how you learned about the power of temptation and how you overcame.
Tags: run away, stealing, temptation
How do you deal with temptation in your life? The more we are exposed to it, the more powerful the temptation becomes.
Several years ago in a Federal court in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a jury awarded $25,000 to a man who said he suffered a serious neck injury when he walked into a motel room occupied by a “skimpily clad” woman. James Hardy, of Texas, claimed in that lawsuit that a clerk gave him the wrong key during a family vacation trip in July 1981.
Hardy said he saw the woman when he walked in and wrenched his neck to avoid looking at her. Likely story! The jury believed him anyway. I wonder if his wife believed him.
How do you deal with temptation in your life?
Tags: avoid, humor, sin, temptation
In his book The Unchained Soul, Calvin Miller describes his own struggle with envy and pride. When he was pastoring, he and another church member listed their houses for sale at about the same time. It took Miller’s house a year to sell, while the other house sold in 3 days. When people asked the other man why his house sold so quickly, he always replied, “I just put that house in the hands of God, and the Lord sold it in 3 days.”
Miller confessed that every time he heard the man say that, he said to God, “Hey, God, what have You got against me?” He admitted to reacting defensively to this man’s boast about his 3-day sale. Miller would remind God of the depth of his own spirituality, compared with the shallowness of the other man’s. After all, he had held countless Bible studies in his home and led many people to the Lord, while the other man had done neither.
Comparing ourselves to others always gets us in trouble. Comparing ourselves to Jesus always humbles us. John 21:21 recounts: “Peter, seeing [John], said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” We each must give account for our own actions, not anyone else’s.
Tags: jealousy, temptation
The Devil was once crossing the Libyan Desert when he came upon a group of small friends who were tempting a holy hermit. They tried him with the seduction of the flesh, they sought to sow his mind with doubts and fears, they told him that all his austerities were worth nothing. But it was all in vain. The holy man was impeccable.
Then the Devil stepped forward. Addressing the imps he said, “Your methods are too crude. Permit me for one moment to make a recommendation.” Going up to the hermit, he asked, “Have you heard the news? Your brother has been made Bishop of Alexandria.” Then a scowl of malignant jealousy clouded the serene face of the holy man.
What do you think? Would that tactic work on you?
Tags: jealousy, Satan, temptation
‘A Mighty Fortress’, verse 3:
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure; one little word shall fell him.
Satan is depicted as the ultimate enemy, and he has filled the earth with demonic influences. At times, it appears that Satan, the Prince of Darkness, is winning, and we are about to fall. But we are to be encouraged that judgement day is coming and Satan shall surely be the one who falls.
So, Christian, you can endure Satan’s attacks! You can withstand his temptations! One little word shall cause him to fall. What do you think that little word is?
Tags: Satan, temptation, word