Temptations . . . .cave or resist?

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Genesis 3:1     Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.  He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden.’

Psalm 81:8-10     Hear me, my people, and I will warn you–if you would only listen to me, Israel!  You shall have no foreign god among you;  you shall not worship any god other than me.  “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

Matthew 4:1     Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Matthew 6:13     And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Mark 14:38     Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Romans 7:19      I do not do the good I want to do , but the evil I do not want to do.  So if I do things I do not want to do, then I am not the one doing them.  It is sin living in me that does those things.

Galatians 5:17, 24     For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to one another, to keep you from doing what you want to do. . . . Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Ephesians 4:27     And give no opportunity to the devil.

1 Corinthians 10:13     No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will provide a way of escape that you may be able to endure it.

2 Corinthians 5:17     Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have become new         

Hebrews 2:18     For because He himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to hep those who are being tempted.

James 1:13-15      When tempted no one should say, “God is tempting me.”  For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.  

James 4:7     Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

1 John 2:16       For all that is in the world–the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life–is not from the Father but is from the world.

 

***Bruce Wilkinson in Devotionals of Temptations: Overcome Your Temptations, Bible App Plan, October 2, 2018

 

I am usually a “want it and obtain it now” person.    Immediate gratification.    Truly, that has not always been possible in my life, or I am sure in anyone’s life.  Logistics, and finances always can interfere, but I do find that if I have a need/want, I will try to get the item as soon as possible.   I must admit this tends to frustrate my kids when they are looking for what they can get me for birthday, Christmas, or any other time.  Their feeling, and I understand it, is that would have been nice to get for such and such and obviously she wanted it.  

Frequently,  I do not need the item right away.  I have  plenty of clothing,  I can wait for a specific tool if I have broken one, and there is no urgency usually to my needs/wants.  Yet, I tend to identify something that can be useful and order it.  Order, done, and it arrives in a couple of days.  (I must admit I love Amazon!)   But truly, I understand the frustration my kids feel also when I have gone, purchased something and they now wonder what they can do as a gift I want, could use, and have already purchased.  Trust me, I am good with a card, we can have take out pizza or a sandwich or something.  I truly don’t need things bought for me.

But having the ability to order and pay for something right away is not always showing the control that God wants me to have.  There is little I lack that I need but I have the ability to order and get what I want, can use, may help me in a project, but I do not need.  This a selfish jumping to attain–it is spur of the moment of desire and spending.  It is a form of idol accumulation.  I justify sometimes with “I need the new bird feeders.  The ones I have had for the past 6-8 months has gotten so wet over time, that the seeds have rotted in the bottom and I cannot empty it and dry it.  I do not want to make birds sick.”  The birds are a visual gift God grants me daily; and I am very thankful to be able to see them and feed them.   But Amazon has made it easy for me to replace things within a few days.  And I tend to do that.

And once I do that then it is out of the back of my mind, it is ordered, will arrive soon, then I can replace whatever was broken/damaged/or no longer safe to use.  But I am satisfying my want need, not always being practical, and therefore succumbing to a temptation to purchase a desire–fast.  Which of course, leads into my patience versus impatience tendencies.

But, yes, I do purchase when I do not truly need–just to fill an urge, a desire, and that is more in line with idol worship.  Perhaps I liked the shirt, pants, shoes, or whatever.  I will order when I see something another will enjoy as a gift–usually to tuck away until an event–birthday, Christmas, or new house warming or whatever.  And I am blessed I can do that, but it is also showing no resistance to being tempted and warding that off.  Little time is spent in weighing IF I SHOULD make the purchase.  I see it, I think it is perfect, and it is ordered, and done.  That is sinful behavior; I am feeding immediate gratification, and it is a type of idol accumulation.

“Temptations increase their persuasive power by adding enticement.”  Bruce Wilkinson in “Overcome Your Temptations” day 4 in Bible App Devotionalse

A need is not a want.  A want is a desire, and admiration of something attractive in some mode–taste, sight, or even hope.  (I hope this cream will really work on these wrinkles….)   There are so many in this world that cannot fill some of the necessary and simple needs in their life.  Water is a 20-30 minute walk from home, so a member of the family makes the walk with a couple of pails, and carries it home.  How much sloshes out on the way?  Food is also not plentiful.  Parents watch their young children starve to death, a slow, uncomfortable death, leaving them with hopelessness, anger, guilt, and knowing it can easily happen again.  Birth control is certainly not plentiful in most of these countries, most medications are not readily available to keep children from developing a fatal illness

But I don’t live in a third world country, in a tent of a couple blankets set over some saplings, with no green grass around, only dry dusty dirt.  Are these couples happy they are expecting a child?   How do you have hope in that situation.  How often do I think of a situation like this when I grab my phone and put in an order for something. . . and there are parents in another part of the world who have no freedoms to do any of this.  They cannot even provide their children with clean water, food, milk — only a hug as the child suffers in hunger.  And the parent suffers in hunger, anger, despair and hopelessness.

Once we believe in Jesus and trust Him as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to reside within us.  Are all our old desires to put to rest?  No.  Some are, and many may have the blessing of completely changing or discarding the bad, unhealthy things they were doing.  But for many, that is not the way.  We have to stumble over our different temptations, and determine if we want to give in to a desire which may be harmful to us; overspending, drugs, alcohol, over-working and not enough down time, no quality time with family.  Perhaps you work 10-12 hours daily, put in a few hours on a Saturday, then go play pickle ball/ touch football/ or basketball/softball, or something.  But it is not with your family, your wife and children, or perhaps husband and children.  Fulfilling your desire to spend your time and energies in this manner is filling your temptation–and blatantly showing your family THEY are not worth you spending time with them.

That is one of the things with idols.  It shows your preference is that object (fill in the blank), and not God first, then family, then work.  I know bosses can be tremendously unreasonable when it comes to your time, your family.  Unfortunately, our culture has encouraged more work, less family time. ‘Get ahead, work harder, move on this NOW, and so forth.’   But that is NOT what God wants for Him or for us.  He wants to be number ONE in our lives, then He will help all other pieces fall into the best place for you and your family.   Drop the idols of over-work, alcohol, drugs, spending money, and put your priorities in the order that God ordained.

As mentioned, addictions come in MANY forms –alcohol, drugs, eating unhealthily, spending too much money, hoarding, smoking, sex/pornography.  All addictions pull your attention and heart from God.  And because the Holy Sp0irit comes to live within you when you choose and accept the invitation from God, you have the power to work with the Holy Spirit and ask for help in healing these addictions.  God may not STOP our addictions like magic.  He allows us to stumble until we seek to end them with HIs help.   Sometimes it is a process, others may decide to give up an addiction, turn their minds away from it–and never wrestle with that decision.  

Quitting smoking was a process for me.  I enjoyed smoking–relaxed in a bunch of people I didn’t know who also smoked, and I was unsure of what to say, who to talk with, and my shyness was rearing its FEAR, and the deep breathing, and having something to do with my hands, made me feel slightly more confident in a crowd.  It felt like it soothed when I was stressed to have that cigarette pack.  But, although I tried to quit it took several attempts before I was successful, and I had a plethora of things I did to beat the cravings, the anxiety, and the other symptoms both physical and emotional, as well as spiritual as Satan was loudly and ferociously trying to suck me back into having “just one.”  But with the help of the Holy Spirit, we did defeat this addiction.

Sweets are another addiction I have, although most of the time, I can have one or even a half of a serving, and want no more.  It may then be days before I want a sweet again.  And  if I am busy have therefore tell my mind I will get in when done as a reward–usually, I forget and thereby don’t have it.  

I have many flaws and pray that God will use a hammer and chisel and a coarse sandpaper to remove them.  And although I can see progress from where I was to where I am, I get discouraged with what still needs to be changed.  But we are all a work in progress.   

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I give in to temptation too often.  Things are easy for us to purchase here compared to many other countries.  WE are blessed–for now.  There are so many things in my home that I can donate

I am a work in progress.  And I thank You, Lord, that you have a long ways to go before the flaws are smoothed, I am thankful You hare there always walking with me, and helping me curb my addictive desires, and have always been with me and ‘mybellaviews.’