Temptation is a battle for the desires of the heart. You must be aware of your bent towards sin. But not all temptation is created equal. You and I are the same in some respects. We are made of flesh and bone, but our battle is not with humanity. Our struggle is with the spiritual world and its attacks. We will all face some form of sinful temptation. But therein also lies the difference between you and me. We are tempted or drawn away, as James 1 says, by different longings and desires of our hearts.
Consider with me something Tim Challies recently said in his post on the temptation to give in to forms of pornography. He says, “There are several places in the Bible where you, Christian, are commanded to flee, to turn tail and run from an enemy far more vicious than any bear. You are told to flee from sin. Some sins are so strong and so dangerous that you simply cannot mess around with them. Just like you can’t fight a bear and expect to win, you can’t tangle with these sins and hope to emerge unscathed. Yes, you are to put sin to death and yes, you can have confidence in the inward work of the Holy Spirit. But you always need to respect the power and deceptiveness of sin, and you always need to acknowledge your weakness and proneness to depravity. For your soul to survive and thrive in this world, you need to learn to flee.” I agree with him. And we have to know our danger zones when it comes to temptation.
But Challies also notes that these passages on running from the evil that would ensnare us also include a command to follow after that which is good. 1 Timothy 6:11, 2 Timothy 2:22, 1 Corinthians 14:1, and Romans 14:19 are four such passages. See the whole article here.
I am always encouraged when someone who is attacking the realm of sensuality and the temptation to sexual immorality includes this part of the biblical pattern for success against temptation. What I believe God is reminding us of in many of these places in Scripture is that our heart must be bent from its self-love towards love for God. Our inner man must begin to pursue and to rejoice in the God who has made us. The love for God that will change us forever is the passion for His character and the longing for His likeness to be formed within.
It is true, there are times we simply must RUN! The cost is too great. The price too steep. Then there are other times that we should RESIST! the devil so that he flees. We are to say NO! We tell him to hit the road and not to bother us. Finally, we will enjoy the periods of time where we do not experience the pull of temptation. We REJOICE! God, YHWH Shalom (The LORD, Our Peace) is our soul’s satisfaction. YHWH Tsidkenu (The LORD, Our Righteousness) has made us to enjoy the righteous character of our God.
