- We are living in a world which is full of temptations, allurements, trials and tribulations.
- If we were to ask this question to ourselves, ‘Why are we being tempted?’ or ‘what is the reason behind the temptation?’, how would you answer that?
- Let us first of all look at what temptation is. Temptation is some kind of force that propels one to break God’s commandments.
- Where does temptation come from? Or What is the source? There are two sources. 1) Satan 2) Our Heart. Therefore, we must understand temptation comes from within and without (inside and outside). Therefore we have an enemy that we have to battle against from within and without (outside). It is understandable that Satan is our enemy but it is shocking to know that our heart (flesh) is also our enemy (Matt 15: 19; Gen 6:5).
- Satan: Besides leading people astray, one of the main jobs of Satan is to throw temptations at us all the time (Gen 3:1-6, Matt 4:1-1, Rev 12:9). Unless we are heavily guarded, we cannot withstand Satan’s force.
- How does temptation lead us astray? This is what described ever so clearly here. When we are hit by a temptation, you wonder where it’s come from. The origin of temptation can either be Satan or our heart. It comes from nowhere apart from there. Therefore, definitely God is not the author of temptation.
- What temptation does to us? The reason why we are tempted is because we are carried away in our own thoughts. That is where danger lies, we cannot be carried away, and we must put some restraints on. What can be the best restraint than the word of God that is right there in our hearts? If we don’t do that, 1) we will be drawn away by our desires 2) Enticed 3) the desire is conceived 4) Gives birth to sin 5) Sin, when fully grown, gives birth to death. This is a Chain reaction. We must understand Sin doesn’t happen all of sudden!! This is what we call the ‘Deception of Sin’. Every sin we have given birth to will have brought forth death. We all know what ‘physical death’ is like. What about the kind of ‘Spiritual death’ that is brings forth every time we sin? We will be dead in sins and trespasses, the more we sin, the more we will become dead or insensitive to the spiritual activities. The story doesn’t end there, the more we sin, the more we gather God’s wrath to punish us later on.
- How come we don’t sense all that is happening within us? We have all become insensitive to sin, which means that we are used to living sinful lives some much that we do not sense all that is happening within our lives.
- What is the remedy? 1) Continuous Fellowship with God.
- 2) Kill the thought. ( sow a seed and reap a habit).
- 3) Ask for forgiveness.
- 4) Keep a clean heart.
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