One thing I find enjoyable about the summer is going to the beach, especially when it is hot. But the bad thing about the beach is having to put a bathing suit on. Maybe you have gained a few pounds over the winter and are a little reluctant to go out. Maybe you have even gone on a diet or are considering going on one.
The problem I have found with diets is they are fine until you are hungry. Anyone can go on a diet when they have a full stomach. But when temptation arrives in very appealing wrappings, it becomes very difficult to resist. That is because forbidden things have a certain charm.
In the same way, the enemy offers his temptation in packages that appeal to us. He knows how to market his wares and make bad things look good. A case in point: Eve lingering at the very Tree God told her to stay away from.
Sometimes we even feel guilty when we are tempted, but we need to recognize that everyone will be tempted. There is no sin in being tempted, because it is not the bait that constitutes temptation – it is the bite. So if you are being barraged by temptation of late, that may be an indication that you are doing something right, not wrong, because the enemy sees you as a threat to his kingdom. Thus he is trying to bring you down.
And here is something to consider: Though none of us likes temptation, it can actually have a positive effect in our lives. It can actually make us stronger. In fact, the Bible says that "God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him" (James 1:12 NLT).
So from this verse we learn three things about temptation: There is a reward for the person who endures temptation; you will be blessed (or "happy" as the word also can be translated); and temptation can be endured. God never will give you more than you can handle (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). It may not feel that way in the moment, because the fact is that when temptation is coming your way, it looks as though what would bring the most happiness would be giving in to it. The reality is that happiness comes from resisting and overcoming temptation. There is the initial euphoria that temptation can bring, but then you discover that what looks so appealing on the outside is actually filled with poison. That is how temptation works.
Martin Luther said, "One tempted Christian is more profitable and useful to other Christians than a hundred that have not known the depths of Satan, that have not been in the school of temptation." It has also been said that Christians are a lot like teabags: You don't know what they are made of until you put them into hot water.
Are you in "hot water" right now? Are you being tempted? Everyone will face it in some way, shape, or form. No one is exempt. And while we have all faced temptation ineffectively, it is possible to resist it effectively.
The problem is that we become "frenemies" with the world. A "frenemy" is a person whom you normally don't get along with, but perhaps if it serves both of your purposes, you temporarily become friends. It might be a relationship that is short of love-hate. Then again, it just might be a description of a relationship that is poisonous, and whenever you are around that person, it drags you down spiritually. Thus, they become a frenemy. Such a person is not really a friend, but in reality, an enemy. And some of us have become frenemies with this world.
What I mean by "the world" is what the Bible describes as "a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions" (1 John 2:16 NLT). When the Bible speaks of "the world," it doesn't mean the planet Earth; it is speaking of a mentality, a pervasive philosophy that infects everything everywhere.
Yes, the world is enticing. But for its temptation to work, we must desire what it is offering. The answer is not within; the problem is within. And we have ourselves to thank when we give in to temptation, because it is just our nature, just as it is the nature of a scorpion to strike.
Why do we do the stupid stuff that we do? It is just our nature – our human, combustible, evil, sinful nature that is inside every one of us. When we face temptation, we have to be aware of that, because one moment of giving in to temptation could lead to a lifetime of regret. We will end up serving what we worship. That is why Jesus would not even give a moment of worship at the altar of the devil. Neither should we.
