The Out of Balance BelieverSample

Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset – rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined] knowing that the same sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world. 1 Peter 5:9 – Amplified Bible

I recently read an article that listed 25 things humans cannot resist. A few things on the list I resonated with are petting puppies, eating warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies from the oven, and popping bubble wrap. If tempted by these, I will cave – especially if the puppy is a droopy, long-eared basset hound. That article got me thinking about how often Satan uses temptation to knock us off balance.

A 2009 study of 8,000 people reported that four out of five said they felt tempted up to ten times a day. That seemed extreme until I tracked the temptation in my life. In 24 hours, I was tempted to hit the snooze button, forego my prayer time, skip the gym, cheat on my diet, ignore a phone call, nap at work, scroll social media while in a meeting, and give one tip when I enjoyed two services at the spa. It did not stop there. I wanted to be jealous of a friend who got what I desired, I considered buying something out of my price range, and I really wanted to engage in gossip with a co-worker. The report wasn’t too far off; temptation is everywhere.

Satan is the master of temptation. He even tempted Jesus. He waited until Jesus was hungry, weak, and tired from fasting forty days and nights and tempted Him with turning stones into bread, jumping from a pinnacle, relying on angels to break His fall, and worshiping him in return for all the kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:1-11). Satan exploits the vulnerable in hopes they stumble into excessiveness and sin. He failed to accomplish his mission with Jesus, and he will fail with us too if we stay alert to his trickery. Remember, temptation itself is not sin; it’s the mishandling of it that gets us in trouble. Resisting temptation at its onset prevents the escalation of harmful behavior and avoids negative consequences.

Let us be encouraged by James who reminds us to subject ourselves to God and resist the devil. If we do this, Satan must flee (James 4:7). Further, we are promised that with every temptation, God provides a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). So, the next time we are tempted to snarf down a batch of warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies, we know that we have the power and strength to say no and walk away.