Deal Wisely with Temptation

SOURCE:  Charles Stanley/In Touch Ministries

Read | 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Common sense dictates that a pilot trainee flying for the first time in a squall needs to be quite cautious. But a wise seasoned pilot knows that he must be just as watchful in his hundredth storm as in the first. Despite thousands of flight hours and years of experience, he can still be brought down by bad weather unless he is proactive.

Temptation is a lot like an unexpected storm that sweeps in and damages those who are caught unaware. Like a good pilot, a believer must be alert to the approach of temptation and prepared to ride it out. In this life, none of us reach a level of maturity at which sinful enticements lose all their power.

Understanding our own weaknesses is an important part of being watchful and prepared. In which areas are you most vulnerable? What we commonly think of as “huge sins”—like adultery and murder—are not what land most people in hot water. It’s usually a multitude of “little sins” that lead to big trouble. Temptation is an invitation to carry any God-given desire beyond its God-given limits. Take one step over the line, and soon there is inducement to take another. And then another. Unless you correct the course quickly, you could find yourself estranged from the Father and overwhelmed by guilt and shame.

The issue of temptation cannot be ignored. Know where you are vulnerable, so you can prepare a defense. Learn when and how you’re most likely to be lured, and take extra precautions in those situations. And always look for the escape route that God promised to those who are tempted (1 Cor. 10:13).

How an affair begins

SOURCE:  Andree Seu/World Magazine

A friend of mine told me that now she understands how adultery begins.

She went to a woman’s house to drop off a package as a favor to someone, but the woman was not home. The husband was, and they exchanged pleasantries for a few moments. My friend noticed the carpentry project the man was working on and commented on his artistry. She asked him a few questions about it, and it didn’t take much to encourage him to spill forth for an hour and a half about every aspect of the work. It was fun.

At some point in the conversation, the man made the comment that his wife doesn’t let him go on and on like that about his hobbies. That’s when my friend felt a curious check in her spirit. As she drove home, she thought with a shudder how she had enjoyed the flattery of being told she is a superior listener.

That was a narrow escape. We are warned of these sand traps:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith …” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

This is the substance of life, which you may choose to take seriously or not. The devil is real and is busy. Like one pastor said, “You should see the top of Satan’s desk: It’s covered with overflowing ashtrays, crumpled papers, and half-drunk cups of coffee.” Satan comes in like an angel of light and departs with a fiendish cackle over carcasses strewn in the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:5).

I personally know of an affair that started when a married woman I know told a married man I know that she had had a dream about him. That was one foot on the banana peel. It could have been nipped in the bud at that point but was not. Each small subsequent decision sealed their fate, and great was the destruction in the final scene.

Wives, love your husbands well, being their best friends. Husbands, love your wives well. A good marriage is a bulwark against the footholds of the Adversary.