THE PROVERBIAL PURSUIT: Temptation On the Terrain

Every one of us struggles with temptation. Let me restate that...every one of us REALLY struggles with temptation. If we have been exposed to any type of Christianity...whether on a Sunday morning at church or by a 2:30am TV evangelist rocking a Heaven-sized combover riding his white stallion asking for your money (Jesus is not a fan of these people...in case you were wondering!)...you have probably heard a lot about sin (the 2:30am TV evangelist pronounces it "si-en-uh"with 3 syllables requiring spit to fly from your mouth for correct pronunciation) and temptation. The truth of the matter is, temptation is nothing more than an opportunity for me to attempt to short-circuit God's incredible plan for my life.

At this point, we probably need to back up a little bit and ask the obvious question, "What incredible plan?" Jesus told His followers, that He "came to give life--life in all its fullness (John 10:10)." Later on, Paul tells the people of Corinth that "no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him (I Corinthians 2:9)." I believe that too many people have taken these two promises and have tragically misapplied them...they act and live as if these promises only come into play after we die. I do believe that these promises speak of Heaven, but that's only half the story. I don't believe for an instant, that God looks down on a mopey, dopey, Eeyore of a Christian and beams with pride, "That's my boy...liven' life just like I designed it to be lived...no fun, no passion, no excitement, no joy...just endless pipe organ and church services until I say it's time for a funeral!" Jesus did not come to rob us of life, He came to give us life...after we die, yes; but also while we live here on earth. While we still receive our mail here on earth, know that God has an absolutely incredible plan for you! For those that are single, God has an absolutely incredible spouse in mind for you. For those that are drowning in purposelessness, God has an absolutely incredible way of doing life in mind for you. God wants to use you to do things you never thought were possible for you, take you places you never thought you would ever go, place in the midst of people you never thought you would be around...all for His glory! So, we come back to the nutshell definition of temptations: "Opportunities for me to attempt to short-circuit God's absolutely incredible plan for my life."

I know for me, it would be a whole lot easier if the temptations in my life didn't look, well, so tempting. I really wish that they were unattractive...it would really make following Jesus a lot easier! But I also find some of the most encouraging words in all the Bible to be I Corinthians 10:13...


"The only temptation that has come to you is that which everyone has. But you can trust God, who       will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, He will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to stand it."

I find this verse so encouraging for several reasons:

• I'm not sure why, but it's good for me to know that I'm not the only one struggling. Have you ever walked into a church or been around other Christians and feel like the "black sheep" of the group...the only one struggling...the only one that doesn't have a perfect life...singing in your head "Which One of These Is Not Like the Other, Which One of These Does Not Belong" and you think that song is about you? Well, good news (in a strange way)! We all struggle. You are not the only one tempted with what you are tempted with...which also means, like others have (or are in the process of doing), you too can overcome that temptation.  
• I also really like the five words toward the beginning of the verse, "...but you can trust God..." Know that God knows exactly what He's doing. He does not seek to rob us of life, but rather to give us life at its absolute best. And as the author and creator of life, He is more than qualified to define what life at its best really looks like.
• This verse also removes some crutches for me. The crutches I like to lean on are "the-temptation-is-too-great-for-me-to-say-no-to-it" crutch under my right arm and the "I'm-only-human" crutch under my left arm. But Paul writes that God knows exactly what I can bear before I break, and in His mercy, God will not put too much on me...even if I think I'm about to break. In other words, God knows that I am stronger than I think I am, and every time I withstand temptation I start to see in me what God already knows to be true about me.
• But without a doubt, when facing temptation, the part of this verse that is most amazing to me is that part about God always providing an "escape-hatch" for me when I am tempted. This escape-hatch may be the first really "mystical" experience that you have had with God, and its around us every time we are tempted...we just have to look for it. Let me give you an example, have you ever noticed how many times that when you are in the midst of being tempted by something, the phone rings, or there is a knock at the door, etc.? You really think that's coincidence? I, for one, don't have that measure of faith in coincidence to chalk it up to coincidence! God has the very best in mind for you and knows the devastation of attempting to short-circuit His plans for our lives, so as a loving Father, He provides rescue in the middle of potential disaster.

So how do we overcome temptation when (not "if") if comes our way?

1. Begin each day with a prayer asking for God to protect you...this does not eliminate temptation, it simply makes us aware of God's presence and promise in our lives as well as keeps us on the look-out for anything that might attempt to short-circuit God's plan for me that day.
2. Make every effort to avoid "tempting settings"...for example, if you are struggling with materialism, the mall is probably not the best place for you to kill a few hours in the afternoon! If you are struggling with lust, being alone on the internet is not the wisest choice you can make! If you are struggling with gossip, spending hours on the phone is really not the best idea! You get the point.
3. When you are tempted, ask God to show you the escape-hatch...I guarantee you that He will and you will be amazed!
4. Just because you see the escape-hatch, that doesn't mean that you've overcome that temptation...you have to intentionally choose to walk with God (and use the escape-hatch) and intentionally choose to reject the "alternate route"...the temptation.

Overcoming temptation is a life-long endeavor...however, life is a choice-by-choice choice...so, start rejecting any opportunity for you to attempt to short-circuit God's plans for you; and live well as God unfolds His absolutely incredible plans for your life.