Wednesday, August 16, 2006

I Corinthians 10

When you are tempted to sin, what is your response?

Do you fight it? Whine about it? Give into it? What is your response to it?

If you fight it, how do you go about doing so?
Do you use strategies that you've developed to help you not give in to the temptation?
Do you pray about it and let nature take it's course?
Or what?

Me, well, I do the combination of fight, whine and give in. Depends on the day, depends on whether I'm tired, whether I've spent time with God, and so forth.

When I chose to fight, I used to only do things through my own power. It was like... I can beat this! I can make a good choice here. Somedays, man I tell you.... it was SUCH a battle to "do good".

I still have days when I want to do it all my own way. I have learned though, that it's WAY better to say God... I need help with this. God can you provide for me a way out? If I do that, if I seek God first ... then my abilities are enhanced for staying within his will.

How did I learn to do that? Through passages like the one I read today.

Check it out:
1I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." 8We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
(emphasis mine)

I remember when I found this passage. I thought wow! I"m not in this alone. People have struggled against sin all along...and that's why all those passages where written down. So I could learn from them. So I could see how people continually had to turn to God for help.

God won't let you or me be tempted beyond what you or I can endure.
He will help us.
He will not leave us stranded in our sin.
He wrote the bible so that we could learn from the actions of other people how to live our Christians lives. Isn't that too cool? :)

All we need to know, to fight sin in our lives, to fight temptation, is to know God's word and to call upon him in times of struggle. He will help, regardless. :)

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