January 10, 2020 – Click here to listen
I’ve made several goals and resolutions for the New Year. As is customary I have already violated some of them. One was to get back on my pre-holiday diet. I went out last night and had prime rib and a monster size baked potato and then came home and ate some dessert, a big bowl of ice cream. I only gained five pounds over the holidays and prior to last night I’d already lost 3 of it, so it is not an earth-shattering event in my life, but nonetheless, it irks me to no end that my willpower was so weak.
I’ve found that it is difficult to avoid temptation; it is just so tempting. The mechanics of temptation is that we have the ability to envision the pleasure derived from whatever we desire that is not good for us, while effectively blocking out the consequences of our yielding to it. We envision how terrific that huge bowl of banana pudding will be but not how hard it will be to button our pants with that big belly protruding after gorging.
It is a clever design that Satan has devised to lead us astray. It is easy to envision an ice-cold beer and think how nice it would be to have a jet cold beer and relax. Staggering around the house the next morning with a bad taste in your mouth looking for a bottle of aspirin after consuming a 12 pack or so, not so much.
The Bible declares that spiritual warfare is fought primarily in the mind. If we dwell on sin long enough it can lead to destruction; and you will find this satanic formula manifest itself in our lives. How do we beat it?
It begins with putting an end to stinking thinking as Zig Ziglar once said. James 1:15 But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires, he is lured away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
So, knowing this how do we avoid it? The best defense against giving in to temptation is to flee at the first suggestion. Joseph is a great example of someone who did not allow temptation to become sin. Although tempted to sin sexually, he did not give the temptation time to take root. He used the legs God gave him and physically fled. Rather than stay in a potentially dangerous situation with another man’s wife, a cougar if you will, and try to envision how nice it would be to romp in bed with her and thus weaken his resolve, Joseph took off like a demon was chasing him. The temptation was not sin for him because he dealt with it in a God-honoring way. It could easily have become sin if Joseph had stayed around and tried to overcome the temptation in his own strength. I believe that the realization that there are two sides to temptation. There is the ecstatic moment we dream about and there is the next day of cold hard reality.
Control your thoughts and think about the right things in life.
Phil. 4:7
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!