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, presumably 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 a 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 well. Would
God really not want my friend 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 will need to act, or not act,
on the thought he has been toying with in his mind. What will happen?
Will a mere idea now be born into behavior? Will he now give-in to the
desire to keep the dog?
Understanding how temptation works is helpful in
itself. 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 into it, says Warren.
Pastor Warren goes on to urge us to recognize our patterns
of temptation and to 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 our feelings have been hurt, or we are angry, or
after a big success or on a 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 willing 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
bad 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 your personal growth this fall
at CPC.
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