Temptation
Eve (Genesis 1)
v. 1
Listened
v. 3
was Lured
v. 3
Lied
v. 6
Looked
v. 6
Lusted
v. 8
Lost
Dun Gordy, Notes From the Margins of an Old Preacher’s Bible, (Circuit Rider Ministries, Leesburg, FL; 1997), p. 2
Christ Knows What Temptation Is
C. S. Lewis made these insightful observations about temptation: “No man knows how bad he is until he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. That is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is….Christ, because He was the only Man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only Man who knows to the full what temptation means.”
Today in the Word, November, 1998, p. 24
Resources
• C. Swindoll, One Step Forward, p. 85; also in file, “Problems”
• Ron Lee Davis, Courage to Begin Again, (Harvest House, Eugene, OR; 1978), pp. 157ff.
Arrest of Jose Rivera
Have you heard the folk story of the bandit Jose’ Rivera, who became notorious in several little towns in Texas for robbing their banks and businesses? Finally the townsfolk, weary of the constant plundering, hired a ranger to track down Jose’ Rivera in his hideout in Mexico and retrieve the money. The ranger at last arrived at a desolate, ramshackle cantina. At the counter he saw a young man enjoying his brew. At one of the tables, hands over his ample stomach, hat over his eyes, snored another patron. With much gusto, the ranger approached the young man at the bar and announced that he was on a mission to bring back Jose’ Rivera, dead or alive. “Can you help me find him?” he asked. The young man smiled, pointed to the other patron, and said, “That is Jose’ Rivera.”
The ranger shifted his southern girth and ambled over to the sleeping bandit, tapping him on the shoulder, “Are you Jose’ Rivera? he asked. The man mumbled, “No speak English.” The ranger beckoned to the young man to help him communicate his mission.
The ensuing conversation was tedious. First the ranger spoke in English and the young man translated it into Spanish. Jose’ Rivera responded in Spanish, and young man repeated the answer in English for the ranger.
Finally, the ranger warned Jose’ Rivera that he had two choices; the first was to let him know where all the loot he had stolen was hidden, in which case he could walk away a free man. The second choice was that if he would not reveal where the money was stashed, he would be shot dead instantly. The young man translated the ultimatum.
Jose’ Rivera pulled himself together and said to the young man, “Tell him to go out of the bar, turn to the right, go about a mile, and he will see a well. Near the well he will see a very tall tree. Beside the trunk of that tree is a large concrete slab. He will need help in removing it. Under the slab is a pit in the ground. If he carefully uncovers it he will find all the jewelry and most of the money I have taken.”
The young man turned to the ranger, opened his mouth…swallowed…paused—and then said, “Jose’ Rivera says…Jose’ Rivera says…’Go ahead and shoot!’”
Ravi Zacharias, Can Man Live Without God, (Word Publ., Dallas: 1994), pp. 98-99
That which moves us to sin. God cannot be tempted (James 1:13). But we can be tempted by our lusts (James 1:13–15), money (1 Tim. 6:9), lack of self examination (Gal. 6:1), and the boastful pride of life (1 John 2:16), to name a few. We are commanded to pray to be delivered from temptation (Matt. 6:13) for the Lord is capable of delivering us from it (2 Pet. 2:9).
Source unknown
The Pull of Sin
Background
As the compass needle is affected by magnetic attraction, so the Christian feels a pull by sin. This is illustrated by Israel’s desire to return to the “leeks and garlics” of Egypt (Numbers 11:5), and Demas, the young man the Apostle Paul mentions are “having loved this present world, and is departed…” (2 Timothy 4:10, KJV). Paul describes the Christian as having two natures, the old and the new, which constantly compete for supremacy. The Christian must understand this, and learn to confront this “magnetic pull” of his own sinful nature and Satan’s wiles.
A paragraph by Billy Graham helps put this into perspective: “God never promises to remove temptation from us, for even Christ was subject to it…There is a sense of achievement and assurance that results from victory over temptation that cannot come to us otherwise. Temptation shows what people really are. It does not make us Christian or unchristian. Overcoming does make the Christian stronger and causes him to discover resources of power…In times of temptation Christ can become more real to you than ever.”
Some Things to Remember About Temptation:
1. Temptation is common to all Christians. “But remember this—the wrong desires that come into your life aren’t anything new and different. Many others have faced exactly the same problems before you” (1 Corinthians 10:13, TLB).
2. Temptation is of the devil (see temptation of Jesus, Matthew 4:1–11).
3. Temptation itself is not sin, but succumbing to it is. Billy Graham says, “The sin is when we use the temptation for giving in.” None of us should deliberately place ourselves in a position to be tempted. Satan will always attack where we are the most vulnerable. “But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:14, 15, NIV). A thought enters; we pamper it; it germinates and grows into an evil act.
4. God does not lead us into temptation in the sense that He purposely and personally tempts. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man” (James 1:13, KJV) But, God does permit us to be tempted (see Job 1:6–12), so that we can face temptation, overcome it, and become stronger. “I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one” (1 John 2:14, KJV). We can also be blessed in victory (see James 1:12).
5. No temptation is irresistible. “You can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it, for he has promised this and will do what he says. He will show you how to escape temptation’s power so that you can bear up patiently against it” (1 Corinthians 10:13, TLB).
6. Whatever we experience, Jesus has been there before us. He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15, KJV).
Counseling Strategy
1. Ask if the inquirer is a Christian, one who has received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. If he is not, explain “Steps to Peace with God,” page 5. No one is strong enough in himself to overcome temptation, regardless of how high is ideals or motives.
2. Share ways to confront and overcome temptation.
A. We must resist the tempter: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7, KJV).
B. We must submit to God: “Submit yourselves…to God” (James 4:7, KJV). This we do by:
(1) Committing ourselves daily to God according to Romans 12:1, and by daily confession of sin so that there is no buildup (Psalm 51:10).
(2) Subjecting our minds to His control. “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2, KJV).”Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2, KJV).
(3) The discipline of prayer” Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16, NIV).”Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit’s wishes” (Ephesians 6:18, TLB).
(4) Reading, studying and memorizing the Word of God. D. L. Moody used to say, “Sin will keep you from this Book (the Bible), or this Book will keep you from sin.” “The word of God is living and active…It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12, NIV).
(5) Associating with the right kinds of friends: God’s people. “Do not be misled; bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33, NIV). “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24, 25, NIV).
(6) Putting on the whole armor of God (see Ephesians 6:13–18).
(7) Dependence upon the Holy Spirit. How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him” (Luke 11:13, KJV).”And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (one to stand alongside), that he may abide with you forever” (John 14:16, KJV).”When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13, KJV).
The Billy Graham Christian Worker’s Handbook, (Minneapolis: World Wide Publ., 1984), pp. 231-233
Red Baron
According to one report, the end of German’s famous “Red Baron,” Manfred von Richthofen, came because he pursued an Allied airplane “too long, too far, and too low into enemy territory.”
On April 21, 1918, von Richthofen, the celebrated World War I pilot who was responsible for shooting down 80 enemy aircraft, began chasing a British plane that was trying to escape the battle. As the Red Baron pursued his quarry behind Allied lines, gunfire from either machine-gun nests on the ground or another British pilot who had come to help killed von Richthofen.
Today in the Word, January 5, 1997, p. 10
Promise Keepers Survey
If you belong to a men’s group, you may not be surprised by the results of a survey of 1,500 men at the Promise Keepers gatherings last summer. Fifty-one percent of the sample reported a struggle with masturbation, and 51 percent also fantasize about having sex with women other than their wives. Seventy-four percent reported that their sexual thoughts concern them. Fifteen percent reported they were sexually unfaithful to their spouse. About 33 percent reported enjoyment in looking regularly at sexually oriented material, including videos and magazines.
New Man, November/December, 1994, p. 8
The billows swell, the winds are high, Clouds overcast my wintry sky; Out of the depths to Thee I call,— My fears are great, my strength is small.
O Lord, the pilot’s part perform, And guard and guide me through the storm: Defend me from each threatening ill, Control the waves,—say, “Peace! be still.”
Amidst the roaring of the sea My soul still hangs her hope on Thee; Thy constant love, thy faithful care, Is all that saves me from despair.
Dangers of every shape and name Attend the followers of the Lamb, Who leave the world’s deceitful shore, And leave it to return no more.
Though tempest-toss’d and half a wreck, My Saviour through the floods I seek; Let neither winds nor stormy main Force back my shatter’d bark again.
Olney Hymns, William Cowper, from Cowper’s Poems, Sheldon & Company, New York
Orel Hershiser’s Theory of Pitching
In his book, Men at Work, George F. Will takes a close look at four baseball players. One of those examined is Orel Hershiser (of Dodgers fame), who talks about his philosophy of pitching.
“There are two theories of pitching,” Hershiser says. “One is that you try to convince the batter that a particular pitch is coming and you throw something different. The other theory, that you don’t hear as much, but that I use, is that if the batter expects a particular pitch, you throw it, but you throw it in a place where he can’t hit it.” That is: Know what a batter wants or expects and throw the ball almost there. If he is a highball hitter, throw it a bit too high. His eagerness will prevent him from laying off it, but it will be hard to hit well.
Isn’t that the way the enemy works in our life? He knows just what kind of pitch that we are a sucker for and then throws it our way. But, it is just a little higher or just a little bit more outside than where we like it, and most likely we will bite on it every time. After all, it looks so good. It feels so right.
Doug Cecil, Dallas Connection, Spring, 1995, p. 1
If a Brother Sins…
It was F. B. Meyer, I believe, who once said that when we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do not know: First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin. And second, we do not know the power of the forces that assailed him or her. We also do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances.
Stephen Brown, Christianity Today, April 5, 1993, p. 17
Greatest Spiritual Challenge
A recent survey of Discipleship Journal readers ranked areas of greatest spiritual challenge to them:
1. Materialism.
2. Pride.
3. Self-centeredness.
4. Laziness.
5. (Tie) Anger/Bitterness.
6. (Tie) Sexual lust.
7. Envy.
8. Gluttony.
9. 9. Lying.
Survey respondents noted temptations were more potent when they had neglected their time with God (81 percent) and when they were physically tired (57 percent). Resisting temptation was accomplished by prayer (84 percent), avoiding compromising situations (76 percent), Bible study (66 percent), and being accountable to someone (52 percent).
Discipleship Journal, 11–12/92
Read Carefully on Sexual Purity
We can supplement our accountability to others by reading slowly through literature designed to challenge our Christian maturity. Consider, as an example, these questions related to sexual purity that I had to read carefully as I read Kent Hughes’ Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome:
1. Are we being desensitized by the present evil world? Do things that once shocked us now pass us by with little notice? Have our sexual ethics slackened?
2. Where do our minds wander when we have no duties to perform?
3. What are we reading? Are there books or magazines or files in our libraries that we want no one else to see?
4. What are we renting at the local video stores? How many hours do we spend watching TV? How many adulteries did we watch last week? How many murders? How many did we watch with our children?
5. How many chapters of the Bible did we read last week?
Leading the Way by Paul Borthwick, Navpress, 1989, pp. 120-121
This Fight Ain’t Got Any Rear
Historian Shelby Foote tells of a soldier who was wounded at the battle of Shiloh during the American Civil War and was ordered to go to the rear. The fighting was fierce and within minutes he returned to his commanding officer. “Captain, give me a gun!” he shouted. “This fight ain’t got any rear!”
Daily Walk, July 10, 1993
Willpower
Toad baked some cookies. “These cookies smell very good,” said Toad. He ate one. “And they taste even better,” he said. Toad ran to Frog’s house. “Frog, Frog,” cried Toad, “taste these cookies that I have made.” Frog ate one of the cookies, “These are the best cookies I have ever eaten!” said Frog. Frog and Toad ate many cookies, one after another. “You know, Toad,” said Frog, with his mouth full, “I think we should stop eating. We will soon be sick.” “You are right,” said Toad. “Let us eat one last cookie, and then we will stop.” Frog and Toad ate one last cookie. There were many cookies left in the bowl. “Frog,” said Toad, “let us eat one very last cookie, and then we will stop.” Frog and Toad ate one very last cookie. “We must stop eating!” cried Toad as he ate another. “Yes,” said Frog, reaching for a cookie, “we need willpower.” “What is willpower?” asked Toad. “Willpower is trying hard not to do something you really want to do,” said Frog. “You mean like trying hard not to eat all these cookies?” asked Toad. “Right,” said Frog. Frog put the cookies in a box. “There,” he said. “Now we will not eat any more cookies.” “ But we can open the box,” said Toad. “That is true,” said Grog. Frog tied some string around the box. “There,” he said. “Now we will not eat any more cookies.” “ But we can cut the string and open the box.” said Toad. “That is true,” said Frog. Frog got a ladder. He put the box up on a high shelf. “There,” said Frog. “Now we will not eat any more cookies.” “ But we can climb the ladder and take the box down from the shelf and cut the string and open the box,” said Toad. “That is true,” said Frog. Frog climbed the ladder and took the box down from the shelf. He cut the string and opened the box. Frog took the box outside. He shouted in a loud voice. “Hey, birds, here are cookies!” Birds came from everywhere. They picked up all the cookies in their beaks and flew away. “Now we have no more cookies to eat,” said Toad sadly. “Not even one.” “Yes,” said Frog, “but we have lots and lots of willpower.” “You may keep it all, Frog,” said Toad. “I am going home now to bake a cake.”
Renewal, Ray & Anne Ortlund, 1989, Navpress, pp. 73-74
Sundew Flower
In the Australian bush country grows a little plant called the “sundew.” It has a slender stem and tiny, round leaves fringed with hairs that glisten with bright drops of liquid as delicate as fine dew. Woe to the insect, however, that dares to dance on it. Although its attractive clusters of red, white, and pink blossoms are harmless, the leaves are deadly. The shiny moisture on each leaf is sticky and will imprison any bug that touches it. As an insect struggles to free itself, the vibration causes the leaves to close tightly around it. This innocent-looking plant then feeds on its victim
Our Daily Bread, December 11, 1992
What Is
What is temptation? Seduction to evil, solicitation to wrong. It stands distinguished from trial thus: trial tests, seeks to discover the man’s moral qualities or character; but temptation persuades to evil, deludes, that it may ruin. The one means to undeceive, the other to deceive. The one aims at the man’s good, making him conscious of his true moral self; but the other at his evil, leading him more or less unconsciously into sin. God tries; Satan tempts.
Fairbain, quoted in The Words and Works of Jesus Christ, J. D. Pentecost, p. 99
Was it Worth the Trouble?
While my wife and I were shopping at a mall kiosk, a shapely young woman in a short, form-fitting dress strolled by. My eyes followed her. Without looking up from the item she was examining, my wife asked, “Was it worth the trouble you’re in?”
Drew Anderson (Tucson, AZ), Reader’s Digest
Refused a Gold Cup
In China’s later Han era, there lived a politician called Yang Zhen, a man known for his upright character. After Yang Zhen was made a provincial governor, one of his earlier patrons, Wang Mi, paid him an unexpected visit. As they talked over old times, Wang Mi brought out a large gold cup and presented it to Yang Zhen. Yang Zhen refused to accept it, but Wang Mi persisted, saying, “There’s no one here tonight but you and me, so no one will know.”
“You say that no one will know,” Yang Zhen replied, “but that is not true. Heaven will know, and you and I will know too.”
Wang Mi was ashamed, and backed down. Subsequently Yang Zhen’s integrity won increasing recognition, and he rose to a high post in the central government.
Human nature is weak, and we tend to yield to temptation when we think nobody can see us. In fact, if there was no police force, many people would not hesitate to steal. This is not to say that when we do something bad, we feel no compunction at all, just that man is weak and prone to yield to temptation.
But even if nobody witnesses our sins, and not a soul knows of them, we cannot hide the truth from the eyes of our conscience. In the end, what is important is not that other people know, but that we ourselves know. When Yang Zhen told Wang Mi that “Heaven will know,” he meant that the gods would know what he had done: in other words, his own conscience.
A person who sins neither in thought nor deed, and is fair and just, gains enormous courage and strength. As a leader, you need courage born of integrity in order to be capable of powerful leadership. To achieve this courage, you must search your heart, and make sure that your conscience is clear and your behavior is beyond reproach.
Konosuke Matsushita, founder of Panasonic in his book Velvet Glove, Iron Fist (PHP Institute, Tokyo), Bits & Pieces, June 25, 1992
Flew a Plane Into Russia
In June 1989 a 19-year-old German named Mathias Rust created quite a stir when he flew a Cessna 172 airplane more than 400 miles into Soviet airspace. Rust’s five-hour trip ended when he landed his plane near the Kremlin in Moscow. Soviet officials then scrambled to find out how a teenage could slip past their air defenses. Apparently radar had picked up the craft, but it was presumed to be a Soviet plane and no attempt was made to identify it. Later, air force jets twice flew around the intruding Cessna, but air defense commanders showed “intolerable unconcern and indecision about cutting short the flight of the violator plane without resorting to combat means,” the investigation concluded
Today in the Word, June 6, 1992
Lust
John Piper says that sin (lust for example) “gets its power by persuading me to believe that I will be more happy if I follow it. The power of all temptation is the prospect that it will make me happier.”
Quoted in Putting Your Past Behind You, E. Lutzer, Here’s Life, 1990, p. 54
Your Pet Sin Can Kill You
Children grow up with teddy bears and often figure that since the toys are cuddly, the real things might also be so. In 1990 two boys scaled the fence at the Bronx Zoo in New York City and went into the polar bear compound. The next day they were found dead. Your pet sin can kill!
Source unknown
Satan Tries to Quench Faith but Christ Keeps it Alive
A scene from Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress portrays Interpreter bringing Christian to a wall where fire is blazing from a grate. A man is trying to douse the fire with water. Then Interpreter shows Christian the other side of the wall, where another man is secretly pouring oil on the fire to keep it ablaze. Interpreter says, “You saw the man standing behind the wall to maintain the fire, teaching you that it is hard for the tempted to see how this work of grace is maintained in the soul.” Satan tries to quench faith, but Christ keeps it alive.
Source unknown
Trying to Prove the Bridge Won’t Break
As the Union Pacific Railroad was being constructed, an elaborate trestle bridge was built across a large canyon in the West. Wanting to test the bridge, the builder loaded a train with enough extra cars and equipment to double its normal payload. The train was then driven to the middle of the bridge, where it stayed an entire day. One worker asked, “Are you trying to break this bridge?” “No,” the builder replied, “I’m trying to prove that the bridge won’t break.” In the same way, the temptations Jesus faced weren’t designed to see if He would sin, but to prove that He couldn’t.
Today in the Word, March 14, 1991
Good Advice
• What settings are you in when you fall? Avoid them.
• What props do you have that support your sin? Eliminate them.
• What people are you usually with? Avoid them.
Source unknown
There are Two Lies Satan Wants Us to Believe
1. Just once won’t hurt.
2. Now that you have ruined your life, you are beyond God’s use, and might as well enjoy sinning.
Source unknown
Quotes
• David Gelman cites a study that demonstrated that the area of the brain controlling the reading finger of people who became blind and learned braille grew larger. – Newsweek, Feb. 24, 1992, pp. 46-53
• Let no man think himself to be holy because he is not tempted, for the holiest and highest in life have the most temptations. How much higher the hill is, so much is the wind there greater; so, how much higher the life is, so much the stronger is the temptation of the enemy. – John Wycliffe
• You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it. – Margaret Thatcher
• There are several good protections against temptation, but the surest is cowardice. – Mark Twain
• Learn to say no. It will be of more use to you than to be able to read Latin. – Charles Spurgeon
• It is easier to suppress the first desire than to satisfy all that follow it – B. Franklin
• Satan will seldom come to a Christian with a gross temptation. A green log and a candle may be safely left together, but a few shavings, some small sticks and then larger, and you may bring the green log to ashes. -John Newton
• When you flee temptation, be sure you don’t leave a forwarding address.
• “Fire tries Iron, and temptation tries a just man.” – Thomas A. Kempis
• Where there is no temptation, there can be little claim to virtue. – Sanctity of Life, C. Swindoll, Word, 1990, pp. 51ff
• The thing that makes men and rivers crooked is following the line of least resistance. – Anon.
Stay Out of Those Places
On the TV show “Hee Haw,” Doc Campbell is confronted by a patient who says he broke his arm in two places. The doc replies, “Well then, stay out of them places!”
He may have something there. We cannot regularly put ourselves in the face of temptation and not be affected. When faced with the problem of temptation, we need to take the good doctor’s advice and “stay out of them places.”
Source unknown
Use Llamas to Scare Coyotes
Reports the DENVER POST: “Like many sheep ranchers in the West, Lexy Fowler has tried just about everything to stop crafty coyotes from killing her sheep. She has used odor sprays, electric fences, and ‘scare-coyotes.’ She has slept with her lambs during the summer and has placed battery-operated radios near them. She has corralled them at night, herded them at day. But the southern Montana rancher has lost scores of lambs—fifty last year alone.
“Then she discovered the llama—the aggressive, funny-looking, afraid-of-nothing llama…’Llamas don’t appear to be afraid of anything,’ she said. ‘When they see something, they put their head up and walk straight toward it. That is aggressive behavior as far as the coyote is concerned, and they won’t have anything to do with that… Coyotes are opportunists, and llamas take that opportunity away.’“
Apparently llamas know the truth of what James writes: “Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” (4:7). The moment we sense his attack through temptation is the moment we should face it and deal with it for what it is.
Barry McGee
Catching Ringtailed Monkeys
Men who trap animals in Africa for zoos in America say that one of the hardest animals to catch is the ringtailed monkey. For the Zulus of that continent, however, it’s simple. They’ve been catching this agile little animal with ease for years. The method the Zulus use is based on knowledge of the animal. Their trap is nothing more than a melon growing on a vine. The seeds of this melon are a favorite of the monkey. Knowing this, the Zulus simply cut a hole in the melon, just large enough for the monkey to insert his hand to reach the seeds inside. The monkey will stick his hand in, grab as many seeds as he can, then start to withdraw it. This he cannot do. His fist is now larger than the hole. The monkey will pull and tug, screech and fight the melon for hours. But he can’t get free of the trap unless he gives up the seeds, which he refuses to do. Meanwhile, the Zulus sneak up and nab him.
Source unknown
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a gigantic structure which cost an immense amount of money and labor. When it was finished, it appeared impregnable. But the enemy breached it. Not by breaking it down or going around it. They did it by bribing the gatekeepers.
Source unknown
Yield Not to
Some people fall into temptation, but a great many make plans for disaster ahead of time. “Son,” ordered a father, “Don’t swim in that canal.” “OK, Dad,” he answered. But he came home carrying a wet bathing suit that evening. “Where have you been?” demanded the father. “Swimming in the canal,” answered the boy. “Didn’t I tell you not to swim there?” asked the father. “Yes, Sir,” answered the boy. “Why did you?” he asked. “Well, Dad,” he explained, “I had my bathing suit with me and I couldn’t resist the temptation.” “Why did you take your bathing suit with you?” he questioned. “So I’d be prepared to swim, in case I was tempted,” he replied. Too many of us expect to sin and excite sin. The remedy for such dangerous action is found in Romans 13:14, “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” Whenever we play with temptation, it is easy to drift into great danger. A woman was bathing in the Gulf of Mexico. She was enjoying the comfort of relaxing on an inflated cushion that kept her afloat. When she realized that she had been swept about a half mile out from the beach, she began to scream, but no one heard her. A coast guard craft found her five miles from the place where she first entered the water. She did not see her danger until she was beyond her own strength and ability.
Source unknown
The Comfort of the Barnyard
Ronald Meredith, in his book Hurryin’ Big For Little Reasons, describes one quiet night in early spring: Suddenly out of the night came the sound of wild geese flying. I ran to the house and breathlessly announced the excitement I felt. What is to compare with wild geese across the moon? It might have ended there except for the sight of our tame mallards on the pond. They heard the wild call they had once known. The honking out of the night sent little arrows of prompting deep into their wild yesterdays. Their wings fluttered a feeble response. The urge to fly—to take their place in the sky for which God made them—was sounding in their feathered breasts, but they never raised from the water. The matter had been settled long ago. The comfort of the barnyard was too tempting! Now their desire to fly only made them uncomfortable. Temptation is always enjoyed at the price of losing the capacity for flight.
Jim Moss
Picked Up the Snake
Iron Eyes Cody is a native American actor who once did a TV spot for the Keep America Beautiful campaign. He was an Indian drifting alone in a canoe. As he saw how our waters are being polluted, a single tear rolled down his cheek, telling the whole story. This powerful public service commercial still shows up on TV screens after 17 years. In 1988 Cody repeated an old Indian legend in Guideposts magazine. Here it is:
Many years ago, Indian youths would go away in solitude to prepare for manhood. One such youth hiked into a beautiful valley, green with trees, bright with flowers. There he fasted. But on the third day, as he looked up at the surrounding mountains, he noticed one tall rugged peak, capped with dazzling snow. I will test myself against that mountain, he thought. He put on his buffalo-hide shirt, threw his blanket over his shoulders and set off to climb the peak. When he reached the top he stood on the rim of the world. He could see forever, and his heart swelled with pride. Then he heard a rustle at his feet, and looking down, he saw a snake. Before he could move, the snake spoke. “I am about to die,” said the snake. “It is too cold for me up here and I am freezing. There is no food and I am starving. Put me under your shirt and take me down to the valley.” “No,” said the youth. “I am forewarned. I know your kind. You are a rattlesnake. If I pick you up, you will bite, and your bite will kill me.” “Not so,” said the snake. “I will treat you differently. If you do this for me, you will be special. I will not harm you.” The youth resisted awhile, but this was a very persuasive snake with beautiful markings. At last the youth tucked it under his shirt and carried it down to the valley. There he laid it gently on the grass, when suddenly the snake coiled, rattled, and leapt, biting him on the leg. “But you promised…” cried the youth. “You knew what I was when you picked me up.” said the snake as it slithered away.”
Bits and Pieces, June, 1990, pp. 5-7
Misunderstandings Regarding
• temptation itself is sin
• We fall into temptation
• God is disappointed and displeased when we are tempted
• To be strongly tempted means we are as guilty as if we had actually committed sin.
• We overcome all temptation by separation from it
• When I am spiritually mature, I will no longer be harassed by temptation
Charles Stanley, tape AU146, in IN TOUCH, June 1988, p. 13