“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT)
What’s your strongest temptation? How long has it been an issue? Are you gaining victory or being sucked in even deeper? Temptation is not a sin, but it can quickly lead to sin if we don’t learn how to divert it – QUICKLY!
The irony is, Satan isn’t smarter or stronger than us, he’s just more persistent. He comes at us the same way over and over and over again, hoping to wear us down and cause us to sin, but we have Jesus and He will lead us to victory, if we’ll let Him. That’s why it’s so critical to know our limits.
We all have loved ones or friends who are addicts. Some may even profess faith. Some actually believe God has given them His blessing to continue in their sin. Because of social pressures some have begun to believe that having an addiction to alcohol, drugs, sex, or violence are just expressions of who they are. Sin has a numbing effect on us. We can believe almost anything we do habitually is okay; “otherwise,” our twisted logic goes, “why hasn’t God delivered me from it?” Or “why hasn’t He taken it away?”
When I was younger, I was addicted to lust. In my sick mind and heart every woman was more beautiful than my wife and I imagined doing things with them would be so much more satisfying than with my wife. Do you want to know when I got my “wake up call?” When my wife walked out the door into the arms of another man – a man who saw her for the wonderful, gorgeous woman she was.
Fortunately, sickness, even sin-sickness, has a cure. His name is Jesus and His chief Agent lives in us when we confess our sin and receive the Lord Jesus as our Savior, Lord, and cleanser of our sin. However, while yielding our lives and allegiance to Jesus immediately restores our right relationship with God, it doesn’t always immediately free us from our addictions.
It can and sometimes does, but knowing and learning to love Jesus sets in motion a journey of healing and wholeness that includes others who have wrestled with our sin of choice. The first and most helpful step is to admit we have a problem. And, yes, of course, it’s a “sin” problem, but like me with my lust, I couldn’t be set free until I admitted my need and sought help.
Am I healed of that “disease?” Yes and no. Yes, I’ve been forgiven, cleansed, and freed from the tentacles of a lust-filled mind, but as with any recovering addict, I’m always and only one thought from relapse. So, how do I handle wrong thoughts? First, by God’s grace I had to train my eyes. I can’t prevent my eyes from seeing attractive women, but I can train them to not look a second time or stare. I’m also compelled to redirect my thoughts.
Regardless of your sin of choice you have the tools you need to defeat Satan. First, your will must be aligned with God’s will. You’ve got to want to stop lusting, drinking, drugging, viewing pornography, participating in immorality – whether heterosexually or homosexually, gossiping, or whatever else you’re struggling with.
The only way you’ll be free is to confess whatever your sin is to God and to someone else who loves and is openly and unapologetically committed to Jesus. If you can align yourself with someone or even a group of believers who are now victorious over that sinful behavior, that would be great, but start with a Pastor or close friend you trust.
You have to get help in setting limits and training your heart and mind to desire Jesus more than your sin of choice. It’s worth the pain you’ll experience to finally be free.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 