I have a friend who one day saw an unfamiliar dog sniffing around
in his back yard. The dog was a beauty --- seemingly thoroughbred, with clean
lines and friendly disposition. My friend called the dog over to him and saw
there was a dog collar which had the name, address and phone number of a person,
apparently the owner, who lived on the other side of town.
My friend said he then had two conflicting thoughts. Should he call the
person identified on the dog collar to come and collect this dog? Or, should he
take the collar off and adopt this beautiful animal for himself? Clearly, my
friend was being tempted.
What is "temptation"? Webster says that to "tempt" is "to entice to do
wrong by the promise of pleasure or gain." It seems to start when we become
aware of a desire inside of us. It may be a sinful desire, like the
desire to get revenge or to control others. Or, it may be a legitimate, normal
desire, like the desire to be loved and valued, or to feel pleasure. But
"desire" starts to become "temptation" when we think about giving in to
evil desire, or to fulfill a legitimate desire in a wrong way or
at the wrong time. Temptation always starts in one's mind, not in the
circumstances outside of us.
Next, in the progress of temptation, some doubt arises about whether
what we are tempted to do is really wrong. Clearly, this dog was the
property of another person, but every dog needs shelter, food and love, and my
friend was ready, willing and able to provide those things. Did God really say
not to keep the dog? Didn't God mean this prohibition for someone else or some
other time? Didn't God want my friend to be happy!?
The next step would be deception, a step that some people attribute
to the work of Satan. In this view, Satan is incapable of telling the truth.
Satan offers his lie to replace what God has already said in his Word. One can
expect Satan's little voice inside us to say things like: "You can get away with
it. No one will ever know. It will solve your problem. Besides, everyone else
is doing it. It is only a little sin." But a little sin is like being a little
pregnant ---- it will eventually show itself.
Finally, my friend would need to act, or not act, on the thought he
had been toying with in his mind. Would what began as an idea, get born into
behavior? Would he now give in to the desire to keep the dog?
Understanding how temptation works is in itself helpful, but there are
specific steps one can take to prevent wrong choices.
In his book, "The Purpose Driven Life," Pastor Rick Warren says that
some Christians feel ashamed just for being tempted. This is a
misunderstanding, says Pastor Warren. One never outgrows temptation. It
is not a sin to be tempted. Jesus was tempted. Temptation only becomes a sin
when one gives in to it, says Warren.
Pastor Warren goes on to urge us to recognize our patterns of temptation
and be prepared for them. He says there are certain situations that make us
more vulnerable to temptation than others. Some circumstances will cause us to
stumble almost immediately, he says, while others don't bother us much. Ask
yourself, "When am I most tempted? What day of the week? What time of day?
Where am I most tempted? At work? At home? At a sports bar?" It may be when
we are tired or lonely or bored or depressed or under stress. It may be when we
have been hurt, or are angry, or after a big success or spiritual high. Wise
planning reduces bad outcomes from temptation, urges Pastor Warren.
Importantly, Rick Warren says that heaven has a twenty-four hour emergency
hot line. Pastor Warren believes God wants us to ask for assistance in
preventing bad temptation choices. When temptation choices develop, he says,
you may not have time for a long conversation with God ---- you simply cry
out!
Rick Warren concludes by asking, "If God is waiting to help us defeat the
unwise temptation choice, why don't we turn to him more often? Perhaps sometimes
we don't want to be helped. We may want to give in to temptation even though we
know our choice is wrong. At that moment we think we know what's best for us
more than God does. At other times we are embarrassed to ask God for help
because we keep giving in to the same temptation choice over and over.
Oh, and what did my friend finally do about the temptation to keep that
handsome, wandering dog? Just then, his wife came home and found him struggling
with the temptation. "Don't be silly," she said, "give me the dog collar so I
can call the dog's owner !"
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These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development
Team, hoping to encourage some personal growth this year at CPC.
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