Temptation can come when you least expect it. We have talked earlier about how to resist temptation and how to anticipate temptation. We have also talked about a young man intentionally using something holy to sin as well as tempt others to sin.
It is clear that temptation occurs and it is also clear that temptation itself is not sin. If you remember, Jesus was tempted and He was sinless.
Temptation can come out of nowhere and it is important to keep one's head so that temptation does not take you down. We would like to think temptation cannot occur during a Holy event. However, those times are not devoid of opportunities to be tempted.
Let me give you an example from my own life.
The service was over, and I was sitting in a pew talking to someone in another pew, preparing to leave. Karyn had gone to get the boys because I was busy talking as usual. The next thing I knew, an attractive blond woman came over and sat next to me and started talking to me. That was OK but then, she put her hand on my leg.
My radar went up because I kinda liked it. There were very few people around. However, a thought came into my head. "Get outta there, now!" And that's what I did.
So, what do I do now? This woman attends this church. How can I prevent this temptation from occurring again?
The answer is honesty.
Later that day, I had an honest conversation with Karyn. I told her what happened and how I felt. She had a great suggestion for helping me with this temptation. She said, "If I see this woman talking to you after church, I will send one of the boys to come and get you." And that's what happened. The woman approached me the next week and one of my boys came running over to me and said, "hey, Mom needs you!" I excused myself and took off with my son.
Do you know what happened after that? The woman didn't approach me anymore. Temptation is not always avoided this easily, but this time one simple suggestion worked marvelously.
There are important principles to remember here.
- Don't toy with temptation.
- Don't think that you can handle temptation by yourself.
- Be honest about your temptation to someone you can trust who can help you not fall prey to sin.
- Ask God to give you His wisdom so that you can recognize when temptation comes along.
BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.
It is clear that temptation occurs and it is also clear that temptation itself is not sin. If you remember, Jesus was tempted and He was sinless.
Temptation can come out of nowhere and it is important to keep one's head so that temptation does not take you down. We would like to think temptation cannot occur during a Holy event. However, those times are not devoid of opportunities to be tempted.
Let me give you an example from my own life.
The service was over, and I was sitting in a pew talking to someone in another pew, preparing to leave. Karyn had gone to get the boys because I was busy talking as usual. The next thing I knew, an attractive blond woman came over and sat next to me and started talking to me. That was OK but then, she put her hand on my leg.
My radar went up because I kinda liked it. There were very few people around. However, a thought came into my head. "Get outta there, now!" And that's what I did.
So, what do I do now? This woman attends this church. How can I prevent this temptation from occurring again?
The answer is honesty.
Later that day, I had an honest conversation with Karyn. I told her what happened and how I felt. She had a great suggestion for helping me with this temptation. She said, "If I see this woman talking to you after church, I will send one of the boys to come and get you." And that's what happened. The woman approached me the next week and one of my boys came running over to me and said, "hey, Mom needs you!" I excused myself and took off with my son.
Do you know what happened after that? The woman didn't approach me anymore. Temptation is not always avoided this easily, but this time one simple suggestion worked marvelously.
There are important principles to remember here.
- Don't toy with temptation.
- Don't think that you can handle temptation by yourself.
- Be honest about your temptation to someone you can trust who can help you not fall prey to sin.
- Ask God to give you His wisdom so that you can recognize when temptation comes along.
BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.
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