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TEMPTATION AND ITS EDGE

By F. Jay Pearson

 

We all face temptation every day. Temptation entices us to desire what we know we should avoid. Temptation also prevents us from doing what we know we should do. Although we are constantly confronted with temptation, we don't have to submit to it.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13:
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

We will all be tempted, but God will make a way to escape temptation.

I used to bass fish a lot. As the shiny fishing lure wiggles through the water, it sparkles and entices. So the hungry fish goes for it. The next thing he knows he's hooked and headed for the frying pan.

Not doing what you know to do in the Word of God, or doing what you know you should not do is a sin. Sin is not something to play around with. Temptation is the "shiny lure" of sin. It is the thing that looks good until it latches onto you.

Proverbs 7:21-23:
With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

When I trained to be a motorcycle safety instructor for the Riders Edge Program of Harley Davidson of Baton Rouge, I received a shirt that says LIFE STARTS ON THE EDGE. I'm sure you've heard similar sayings about living on the edge and the adrenalin "rush" of it. It's the edge of danger that excites the doer. The natural man may enjoy temptation and its luster and short lived pleasures. Not so for you and me. To the Christian, living on the edge of sin is dating the devil. By flirting with sin we risk the opportunity of rewards and crowns to lay at our Lord's feet when we stand before him on that day.

Proverbs 5:1-9 :
My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:

God enables us to resist temptation by providing armor for our battles.

Ephesians 6:10-13:
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

In his Word God tells us how to avoid the lure of temptation in our lives. The book of James tells us to be doers of the word and not hearers only.

James 1:22:
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Hearing God's Word is important. But the reason we need to hear the Word is so that we can do the Word. When we are busy doing God's Word, we are not as easily distracted by temptation.

Doing God's Word requires diligence and faithfulness. We must endure hardship as a good soldier of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 2:3-4
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

We also need to take responsibility for our own actions.

James 1:13-15:
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

The circumstances we embrace and the choices we make affect the consequences of our actions. Playing around on the edge of something makes it easier to fall into. We are instructed to stand on the Word and avoid temptation.

1 Corinthians 10:12:
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations beyond our control, but many of our circumstances are self made. We put ourselves in places or activities that we know we should avoid. Circumstances, controlled or uncontrolled, real or imagined, physical or spiritual, offer a multitude of choices. Temptation is to be avoided. Choose where you go and how you spend your time with discretion. Don't hang around or play on the edge of sin; escape.

Here is my confession: Instead of turning away from sin, there have been times I saw how close I could get to the edge without falling in. We all have certain areas of vulnerability. Identify those areas in your life so that you are aware of where your weaknesses are. Think about times when you have yielded to temptation and suffered consequences. Ask yourself the question posed in Romans 6:

Romans 6:21:
What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

When we do fall into temptation, we need to seek the Lord's way to escape. There is a joy in overcoming temptation.

James 1:2-4:
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Walk circumspectly. Consider the consequence of your choice before you act.

Ephesians 5:15-17:
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ your deliverer.

2 Peter 2:9:
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Remember these three verses when tempted to court the edge of temptation:

1 Corinthians 10:12-13:
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Thank God we have a merciful Lord and Savior. Life does not start on the edge. Life thrives in the center of God's will!

 

 


From the March 2012 issue of The Vine & Branches