Tempting but deadly

I was on a plane several years back and I was going to New York City for a couple of days. I happened to be sitting next to a very pretty lady and we struck up a conversation. She was very intelligent, witty, and pretty, (oops I already said that, didn’t I?) She was heading to New York City on business as well, and it turned out that she commuted from her home in Tampa up there every week. We engaged in lively conversation the entire trip and as we neared the airport and prepared to land, she asked me how long I would be in town. I told her a couple of days and she invited me to a party that night.

I showed her my wedding band and told her that I was married and that I would have to decline. She said, “That’s all right, so am I, and besides this is a “friction” party with some friends of hers from New York. Not wanting to appear to be too much of a hick from Loganville Georgia, but curious, I told her that I was not familiar with the term, “friction” party. She explained that it is a party for primarily married couples whereby pretty much anything goes except sexual intercourse. She said that about thirty couples more or less attend the party. She stated that the party is designed to sexually stimulate each other without actually committing adultery, and that they get undressed, kiss, touch, etc. with the one exception that no one can go too far. Hmmm

I was astounded! Here I was on my own in New York City where I did not know a soul and I was getting invited to a “friction” party by this beautiful woman. I cannot say that I was not tempted to take her up on it. Satan was whispering in my ear that no one would ever know and after all it was just a “friction” party and “no one goes too far”, etc. etc. My heart was pounding and suddenly I had a splitting headache. God was hammering me between the eyes that it was definitely wrong and that He would know and I would know etc. etc.

What to do? I declined and she flashed me a devilish grin and departed from the plane and I never saw her again, (except maybe in my dreams a time or two). Whew! I still feel as though I escaped a five alarm fire.

Temptation can be well tempting, can it not? Mankind has struggled with it since Eve succumbed to temptation from the source of all temptation, satan himself. David succumbed to it with Bathsheba and even Abraham had a bout with it after having a little too much wine. We are all faced with it and sometimes we succeed, and sometimes we do not.

I have learned in life that there is always a consequence to sin and my desire to avoid those consequences helps me enormously in my daily struggles, but nothing is foolproof. The Bible teaches that we must arm ourselves with the complete armor of God, (attending church and fellowship with other Christians, Bible study, prayer, and faith), because we are no match for satan alone. Satan and his fallen angel army were created much higher than us, and we are simply no match for them unless that power of God encircles and protects us.

I was talking to a friend this weekend who is heading to Wyoming to go elk hunting. He will miss church for several weeks, depending upon how difficult and time consuming it is to get his bull elk. He told me that he hated missing church for that long and it always took a toll on him. I know exactly how he feels. I absolutely hate to miss church because the following week is always more difficult. The same is true for Bible study and prayer. The Bible tells us that we can win our daily battle but we must submit to God and resist and we must employ all of the resources that God gives us to fight the good fight.

Part of the resistance is realizing from whence temptation comes. The Bible clearly tells us that all temptation comes from below and that God is incapable of tempting anyone or being tempted Himself. It all comes from satan and his hordes and we need to understand the source. If you are tempted today, recognize if for what it is and from whence it comes and draw near to God and satan will make like a ghost and disappear

James 4:7
Therefore submit to God, Resist
the devil and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God and he will
draw near to you.