On temptation

The other day, I was sitting in my room, when a sudden urge overcame me. Before the urge could get too powerful, I just began to quote 1 Timothy 4:16: "Watch your life and your doctrine closely. Perservere in them, because if you do you will save both yourself and your hearers." After that I just started going over a bunch of Scripture in my mind (i've recently memorized chapter 4 of 1 Timothy) and eventually the temptation dulled and disappeared. That was one battle won, Praise the Lord.

But then the very next day (i.e. yesterday), the same sudden urge attacked me. I tried to do the same thing, but even as I was trying to fight the temptation, the moment came and went. I'm not going to lie to myself and say before I knew it happened or something silly like that.

Obviously fighting temptation is more than just quoting Scriptures at times... there's other tactis (another great one being fleeing). But the realization that the only true way to fight temptation is to do what it says in Romans 12:2 - to be transformed by the renewing of your mind - is becoming more and more firm in my mind. The only REAL way to fight any temptation or addiction, whether it be something detrimental to your health like excessive drinking, smoking, or overeating, or whether it be something detrimental to your spiritual life like sexual sin, is to completely give yourself up to the LORD and submit to the power of the Holy Spirit to transform your attitudes and your minds.

And yet, another thought about that popped into my head as I was considering that... theoretically, doesn't that all transform when we become Christians? Why is it that it is a constant process (i.e. being Spirit-filled) instead of a one-time shot like salvation? Obviously we're human, obviously we struggle ("I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.") As I try to do the good I want to do, sin is right there beside me. The sin within me is manifesting itself. And yet Paul doesn't leave it at that, he continues on in chapter 8 to say that those who are controlled by the Spirit do what that Spirit desires and are dead in sin, but alive in righteousness. Paul also says elsewhere that we are crucified in Christ, and dead to sin. But if I'm dead to sin, why is it that it keeps coming back to haunt and taunt me? Did sin not get the memo?

You know, it's oftentimes internal struggles like this that cause me to wonder whether it's really worth it. Obviously it is... but in the short term it's so... *flamboozlingly*... hard. You know, the questions come. Is it better to sin and not have this gigantic internal struggle about whether we are really saved or not and why it's so annoyingly difficult to remain pure and righteous, or is it better to be repentent? Clearly, that's a no brainer considering the eternal perspective. But when one loses sight of that eternal perspective... that is Jesus... those of us that have stepped out of the boat start to see the storm around us and sink.

Praise the LORD that Jesus does not let us sink but comes over, grabs us, pulls us up, gently chastises us, and then gives us strength to go again.

Praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade - kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last times... now for a little while you may suffer griefs in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith... may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.
1 Peter 1:3-7