My son Pierce is an enthusiastic fisherman. Since we moved to Florida, he’s acquired a cornucopia of lures…dull, dazzling, big, small, different colors, shapes, and textures. Some look like the real thing, while others are otherworldly, with appendages and odd features that don’t occur in nature. Depending on the catch, live bait may be better, and plenty of shops sell whatever your prey likes to eat. I’m told there’s a lure for every fish and habitat, all designed to draw fish to hook. The unsuspecting, starry-eyed creature bites and bam, it’s sleeping with the fishes, as they say.
Owning our Vulnerabilities
Sin is like that, too. I want to blame God, the devil, or somebody (please) for my pasta binge or petty criticism, but noooooooo, God says it’s on me.
James 1:14-16 outlines the process:
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.”
How very irritating! It seems I’m responsible for my choices!
Knowing Our Vulnerabilities
Here’s an illustration. One of my benign weaknesses is cheese. Used to be if I had good cheese in the house, one bite, and I could eat a whole wheel in a sitting. Something about the consistency, flavor, and general yumminess lures me. The texture of Brie’s tender rind contrasts the creamy bite of the smooth interior. See what I mean? Oh, my! Don’t get me started. I have half a wheel I got for company calling me from the Kenmore deli drawer.
There was a time that if I got started, I’d eat my weight in a sitting and then feel remorse at my reckless abandon. Maybe you have a weakness like that? Cookies, shoes, true crime, TikTok? Or more troublesome: wine, porn, guys, or gossip? Mostly, sin is symptomatic of God-given drives gone awry and the God-shaped hole we ache to fill.
There’s a remedy: More God. Less me. And other stuff.
Guarding Our Vulnerabilities
Whatever our weakness, Jesus Himself models combat from His face-off in the desert with the devil (Matthew 4:1-11).
• Look to God and His wisdom to temper and satisfy your deepest longings.
• Remember that all sin has consequences that God ultimately calls “death.” Eventually, the fleeting pleasure leads to something dying, even if it’s just the demise of our goal to lose twenty pounds.
• Our unchecked, errant longings can become godless gods we serve and worship above God. Sound extreme? If you can’t resist temptation, who’s in charge of you?
The goal here isn’t to shame or shock us into holiness because nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ. The many warnings against sin and calls for repentance remind us that all sin comes at a price, sometimes hellishly high, a bait-and-switch we want to avoid.
From a practical standpoint:
1. Know your weaknesses and avoid temptation! Don't fuel temptation, flee it.I can testify that if you resist, it will pass.
2. Don’t take the bait. Think it through. The first cookie leads to a binge. The first drink gets you drunk.
3. If you fall, promptly ask God for help and forgiveness. Don’t wallow in condemnation. Move on.
If you have a destructive habit you can’t kick, get help. Twelve Step and other recovery programs offer faith-friendly systems to get free of whatever ails you.
Temptation isn’t a sin, which is giving in. More of God offers lasting, safe, and shame-free satisfaction that never fails us or runs dry.
PRAYER:
Father: Forgive us for the myriad ways we seek satisfaction in something other than You. Lead us in the everlasting way of abundant life, a well that never runs dry. Please give us the wisdom to guard against temptation and re/turn to you when we lose battles. Let us not linger in condemnation, knowing Christ won the war. Amen. Thank You. I love You.💖
Comments