Temptation

Temptation
"Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren." James 1:12-16 NKJV

Temptation. Here is one thing we all have in common, and no one is exempt.

So how do we control and combat temptation? Well, I believe it begins by what we allow to be a desire of ours and how we control those desires. Desires that are good and natural have a place where they are allowed to be carried out. Jesus Himself was tempted by satan in Matthew 4. Reading over how He handled the temptation shows us how we must also combat satan when temptation rears its head in our lives.
Let's consider one that particularly plagues our culture, sexual desire. This one is strong and if we don't stay in control of it then it is extremely dangerous (1Cor.6). We have boundaries for acting on this desire, those boundaries are within marriage. That's it. Nowhere else are we allowed to act on this desire. So, what do we do? For us all, particularly men (since we are very visual), it can begin by making a covenant with our eyes (Job 31:1; Matt.5:27-30). Control the desire, be in control of yourself and your own desires, and you better control the ability to be led away or not.

One way I have found to be in control of self is by bodily exercise. No, I'm not going to launch into a sales pitch about the best exercise routine, but I do believe bodily exercise is vital to aiding the heart in being controlled as well. When we tame our bodies, make them do hard things and push through challenges, we gain the strength to let that same control and determination spill over to other areas of our life. We tell our bodies that we are in control, we control what it does, and we make it do difficult tasks. When we've experienced control over our body, we then have the experience to use the same methodology to tame the mind as well.

Look to the scripture and see:

"Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one  who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." I Corinthians 9:26-27 NKJV

The word rendered "discipline", or "buffet", here carries with it the idea of treating it roughly in order to better control it. Our goal is self-control, which allows us to then do the will of God. Without self-control we're subject to the will of the flesh and fall repeatedly as a result. We cannot, no matter how hard we may try, control someone else. However, we can, and must, control ourselves.

How much time do you and I spend in the pursuit of controlling and reigning over our mortal flesh? Do we even try, or do we allow our flesh to have rule over our spirit? There is an internal fight going on daily within us all, who is winning that fight? Are we enduring, as James 1 speaks of, or are we just giving in and giving up? God calls each of us to be in control of ourselves, our lives, our actions, our thoughts, our words. Do we dare, by our lack of discipline, tell God that He expects too much of us; thereby condemning the One who gave us life and the ability to live it as He instructed? Dare we tell our Lord that He was mistaken in expecting the best of us so that we may reach eternal life? Dare we live as if we have no hope?

Our actions show our declaration to God. We can say all the right things, but God expects action. He knows our hearts, our thoughts, our every move. Let's be true to Him and avoid sin by being in control of ourselves and fleeing temptation. We can do this, we must do this! Follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and we shall indeed overcome. Let's fight for every step, friends, and reach heaven, our home.

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