Don't Tempt Me...

During a phone call with a friend, she said that the two of us should just run away for a week, buy plane tickets to somewhere with a non-oiled beach, and just use our credit cards to buy us a little sun-infused happiness. "Don't tempt me" was my reply. It struck me just how often I use this little turn of phrase. I usually mean it non-literally, a way of saying no in a fun manner. Truthfully, though, it's something I should say seriously more often than I do.

Everyone gets tempted (even Jesus!). It's really easy to rationalize our way into giving in, too. It's just one brownie. I am really hungry. No one really gives speeding tickets for going four miles over the speed limit. It's just one kiss. No one will ever know. It all comes down to one big misconception: I can handle this. The problem is that no matter what the temptation is, if it's tempting, then we can't handle it. If we could, it wouldn't be a problem.

Satan knows our weaknesses. I don't have any problems with illegal drugs, so he doesn't use those against me. He does tempt me with eating way too much junk food (especially chocolate) because he knows it's something that can have an effect on me. He will tempt us to make unwise decisions. Maybe it's spending money we don't really have or wasting the time that we do have. Maybe it's putting some desire ahead of God and His plans. Maybe it's just the right stressors to distract us from the love and peace in His service. Maybe it's all of the above. He will lie to us, tantalizing our senses with harmful thoughts and actions that seem perfectly "normal" or "appropriate." The truth is that even sugar-coated lies are still that--lies. They may feel good going down, but the havoc they wreak on our digestion, as well as the lack of nutrients they offer for our body and soul, is hardly worth the moments of bliss.

I challenged myself to write down the specific sins I have trouble with--and the list was eye-opening. I started to see little habits, subtle changes in behavior or lifestyle, that reflected not God but a temptation taken too far. For someone who felt that she was pretty much "good with God," I got a wake-up call to my active sinful nature running amok in the background. If you're feeling brave, try this for yourself. You may be shocked at what turns up.

Erecting new boundaries, rules, and protective "bubbles" around certain areas of my life to keep me from falling back into these sinful patterns isn't easy or fun. It's much easier to just let myself have a few wild moments here and there and deal with the slight repercussions later--after all, how much can it matter in the long run? Unfortunately, it matters a lot. I can't afford to be callous to my struggles. Separating me from the one true rock in my life only puts me at greater risk of being swept out to sea during the next great storm. I nearly drowned once before. Momentary pleasures aren't worth dying for.