So I took my shower, and snuck downstairs to watch some TV until everyone else woke up. Well, they had satellite, but it only got a few channels. The best thing I could find was Joyce Meyer. I'm not gonna lie, I'm not usually a big fan. But there wasn't much else on, so I watched.
She was talking about temptation, and had some excellent points. So excellent, in fact, that I thought I'd share. So this is my summary / spin-off of what she said.
#1 - we needn't be afraid of facing temptation
or ask to not face temptation. Facing temptation is one of the ways God tests us to strengthen us and increase our faith.
"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." -- James 1:12
#2 - we tend to rely too much on our own strength to face temptation
Oftentimes a temptation is too strong for us to face on our own. We need to rely on God and ask Him to help us thru the temptation. It is thru Christ that we have strength to win our challenges.
Oftentimes a temptation is too strong for us to face on our own. We need to rely on God and ask Him to help us thru the temptation. It is thru Christ that we have strength to win our challenges.
"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" -- 1 Corinthians 10:12
"(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)" -- 2 Corinthians 10:4
#3 - nobody "falls" into temptation
The example she gave was classic. Nobody falls out of bed in the morning, into someone's pants. It begins small. It begins by giving in a little here & there, by letting our guard down gradually, by allowing cracks in the foundation. During this part of the show, she was speaking specifically about sexual temptation, but it can be applied anywhere.
Very rarely to affairs happen suddenly. They develop slowly over time. They start with a smile, a compliment, a conversation, a lunch, a friendship.
It's easy to say: "we're just friends" or "can't I be nice to someone else?" Well, yes, you can be nice to others. And you can be "just friends" with a member of the opposite sex. But you cannot let your guard down. You should be on guard, protecting your marriage, all. the. time. Constantly watching for the Enemy's efforts to tear it down.
I will admit it. I've been there myself. An innocent compliment from a co-worker, followed by glances over our desks. It all left me feeling a little too good about the attention I was getting from another man. I recognized that. And as flattered as I was, and as good as I was feeling about getting this attention, I stopped what I was doing, and called my husband. Because after all, he deserves my attention.
I loved the example Joyce Meyer gave. She had a male staffer that started bringing coffee & donuts to one of the female staffers. He was married. It started out as an innocent gesture. Then he started doing it every morning. Then it lead to long conversations at their desks. Then it led to some flirtation. I believe it was at this point that Ms. Meyer approached the male staffer and told him to knock it off, and no more coffee & donuts. She told him that if he wanted to bring coffee & donuts to a woman, why doesn't he go get it & bring it home to his wife before he comes to work.
Love it!
But it does bring up an excellent point: if we are doing something nice for someone else, have we made sure we have made that same (or similar) gesture to our spouse? After all, of all the people in the world, shouldn't we be giving our spouses the primary fruits of our kindness? Just something for all of us to keep in the back of our minds.
The example she gave was classic. Nobody falls out of bed in the morning, into someone's pants. It begins small. It begins by giving in a little here & there, by letting our guard down gradually, by allowing cracks in the foundation. During this part of the show, she was speaking specifically about sexual temptation, but it can be applied anywhere.
Very rarely to affairs happen suddenly. They develop slowly over time. They start with a smile, a compliment, a conversation, a lunch, a friendship.
It's easy to say: "we're just friends" or "can't I be nice to someone else?" Well, yes, you can be nice to others. And you can be "just friends" with a member of the opposite sex. But you cannot let your guard down. You should be on guard, protecting your marriage, all. the. time. Constantly watching for the Enemy's efforts to tear it down.
I will admit it. I've been there myself. An innocent compliment from a co-worker, followed by glances over our desks. It all left me feeling a little too good about the attention I was getting from another man. I recognized that. And as flattered as I was, and as good as I was feeling about getting this attention, I stopped what I was doing, and called my husband. Because after all, he deserves my attention.
I loved the example Joyce Meyer gave. She had a male staffer that started bringing coffee & donuts to one of the female staffers. He was married. It started out as an innocent gesture. Then he started doing it every morning. Then it lead to long conversations at their desks. Then it led to some flirtation. I believe it was at this point that Ms. Meyer approached the male staffer and told him to knock it off, and no more coffee & donuts. She told him that if he wanted to bring coffee & donuts to a woman, why doesn't he go get it & bring it home to his wife before he comes to work.
Love it!
But it does bring up an excellent point: if we are doing something nice for someone else, have we made sure we have made that same (or similar) gesture to our spouse? After all, of all the people in the world, shouldn't we be giving our spouses the primary fruits of our kindness? Just something for all of us to keep in the back of our minds.
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." -- James 4:7
#4 - specifically regarding food-related temptation
Because she acknowledged that food-related temptations are different than any others (ie. you can't quit cold turkey, you need food to survive), she spent a few minutes addressing this issue separately. What she recommended, that I think is a good idea, but just realized I have yet to implement (duh!) is that every morning, as you are starting your day, you pray that God will help you throughout the day to only eat what is necessary to sustain your body, no more, no less. Lean on Him. Rely on Him to resist your temptation. She also recommended that you pray this again each time you sit down to a meal.
Because she acknowledged that food-related temptations are different than any others (ie. you can't quit cold turkey, you need food to survive), she spent a few minutes addressing this issue separately. What she recommended, that I think is a good idea, but just realized I have yet to implement (duh!) is that every morning, as you are starting your day, you pray that God will help you throughout the day to only eat what is necessary to sustain your body, no more, no less. Lean on Him. Rely on Him to resist your temptation. She also recommended that you pray this again each time you sit down to a meal.
"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." -- 1 Corinthians 10:31
So there it is. Temptation. Sometimes difficult to resist. Never impossible to overcome
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." -- 1 Corinthians 10:13
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