The Many Shades of Temptation

from Start Marriage Right by Renee Johnson Fisher
 

Recently, I read about the many shades of temptation in my devotional time.

I read in One Year Alone With God by Ava Pennington  that,

…despite impeccable leadership, non-Christians would still not recognize true purity because their minds are defiled. They preferred stereotypes, because the alternative leads to truth, which leads to Christ. They would rather deny Him than bow to Him.”

The gray area
Have you ever heard of the gray area? I have. It’s when a situation or a person is no longer considered black and white. Sin will easily tell you there’s many shades of gray—but instead, God gives you a way out. In other words, we’re supposed to runaway from temptation.

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body (1 Corinthians 6:18, NIV84 ).”

That verse sounds pretty black and white–don’t you think?

Temptation’s many shades
If you grew up in the church, you probably heard many illustrations, stories, or sermons on 1 Corinthians 6:18. Why? Because the Bible doesn’t mess around with temptation. God knows how weak we are and wants to protect us. Reading 1 Corinthians 6:18 in my devotional time felt differently this time—because I’m married.

No longer can Paul use this verse to tell me not to have sex.
No longer do I have to flee or run away.

So how then does this verse apply to those who are already married?

Repetition, repetition, repetition
In another devotional, Seize the day  with Dietrich Bonhoffer, that I read on that same day, Bonhoffer wrote,

There is no resistance to Satan other than flight. Flee—that can indeed only mean flee to that place where you can find protection and help, flee to the Crucified.

Maybe those of us who are married no longer struggle with the temptation of sex, but if we’re not careful—we can easily be lured away by another:
Greed
Power
Lust of the eyes
Jealousy
Fame
 

The list goes on and on.

Third time’s a charm
I went to church later on that day and heard the pastor talk about temptation—three times I heard the same message and three times I paid attention.

Sometimes, God gives us the same message multiple times to drill into our puny brains. He wants to help us–if we’re willing to listen and pay attention. My whole life I had heard the message,

Don’t have sex.

So when I got married, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to believe.

Yes, God designed sex inside of marriage.
Yes, sex is a beautiful thing.

However, for thousands of years Satan has tainted the act of sex. Now, instead of viewing sex as black and white–we have many shades of Gray and whole lot of pornography.

What happens if you struggle?
Temptation is not a sin until you act on it. Therefore, do not be ashamed if you have or still continue to struggle. There is hope and freedom for you. So what was it my pastor said on that Sunday morning about temptation? He said the word for church used in the New Testament is Ecclesia, which simply means “called out.”

Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever (2 Corinthians 6:17-18, 1 John 2:15-17, NIV84 ).”

Maybe this is a message you have been waiting to hear, but didn’t know until you heard it–like me. In life there are many temptations that can trap us up. Many places to hide behind. Today—it’s time to come out and seek help! We can refuse to no longer allow the gray areas to turn into a stronghold or worse—an idol. Let’s smash anything that takes a higher place than God in our life.

As I mentioned earlier—the temptation of sex looks differently to me now that I’m married, but it doesn’t mean I’m given a hall pass to do as I please. The enemy is pretty slick. He’s good at luring us out into the open and tearing us into pieces (See: 1 Peter 5:8 ).

Question: What temptation might you be struggling with today and how can you run away from it?