We are Called to Flee from Temptation, Not Flirt with it.
We are called to flee from temptation, not flirt with it.
Keeping doors open like following your ex on Instagram isn’t helping you.
Keeping doors open like texting a guy you know will only bring about bad conversation and bad decisions aren’t helping you.
Keeping doors open like watching shows about sex isn’t helping your lust problem.
We make these decisions consciously and subconsciously that truly affect our heart and our decisions. (Read Matthew 12:33-35)
What we decide to bring into our heart is what our actions will reflect. So no, the “mistake” you make isn’t actually a mistake. There are seeds that are planted and by choosing to keep the doors open, those seeds are being watered and will eventually bloom. For example:
A mistake is accidentally showing up to a meeting an hour late because you wrote the time wrong.
But sleeping with your ex is not a mistake, it was a preconceived thought that you entertained and let go too far.
But hear me right now: there. is. grace. for. what. has. happened.
I am not condemning or judging you. I, out of all people know how badly I need grace and forgiveness. So I pray you hear my love for you when I say these things. I hope you understand the urgency of my words, as well. The reality is that yes, there IS grace. BUT, there is grace so that you can repent & sin no more. (John 8:11) And let me tell you, walking in His grace is the most liberating, humbling, and sweet feeling you can experience on this earth. Because you (and I) do not deserve it. We also cannot do anything to earn it. Therefore, it is a free gift that was paid for us..that we will NEVER be able to pay back.
With all of that, I encourage you to take steps to where you don’t have to get yourself into a situation like this. The Lord is always going to want to protect your heart, but you also need to do the work in listening to His wisdom and guidance in order to guard your heart.
If I am being honest, this blog post was hard to write. The Lord really challenged me and made sure my own heart was practicing what I was preaching. Jesus, in His kindness, convicted my heart for the purpose of intimacy. He was allowing me to make the decision I should have made years ago: Blocking specific guys’ phone numbers. Guys that are not fruitful for me. Guys that only bring about bad fruit. Guys that are not good for my walk with the Lord. Guys that lead me away from God.
I haven’t blocked them because I wanted a back up plan if God didn’t come through. I wanted a back up plan just in case a friendship could grow. I wanted a back up plan because I knew they could instantly give me what I wanted. So the Lord in His kindness reminded me that faith is a choice. Trusting Him is a choice I get to make. What was taking place was the exchange of fleshly desires and flesh- filled fears for trusting Jesus in who He says He is. Faith is not just reading what the word says, but also living it out.
What was the Lord inviting me into? He wasn’t telling me what to do so I was limited in my fun that I could have. He wasn’t condemning me for the sinner I am. He wasn’t trying to deface or belittle the guys from my past. He was simply inviting me into intimacy and deeper dependency on Him. He was allowing me to have the opportunity to start seeing Him as my sustainer. I could not see the fullness of who God says He is because of the guys who were in my life.
Because the reality is that there is nothing wrong with our desire to be wanted! It’s how we were created. But it is crucial to go to the right place to receive what we need. It’s like if you are REALLY dehydrated and your body NEEDS water, yet you go get cold brew (lol ME). You will momentarily be satisfied with thirst, but you will soon realize that you 1. Still are not satisfied 2. In even more desperation of the real source: Water.
Jesus is our water. John 4:14 says, “But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jesus is the one who fulfills our soul, body, mind, heart, and everything we are. He is the one we go to. He is the way and the truth to not only our lives here on earth, but in eternity.
So how does this have anything to do with temptation?
Temptation is “the desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise.”
Meaning that the temptation we are facing is a desire we have.
That desire is going to be met one way or another. We can either choose to give in to temptation and our flesh to “fulfill” that desire or we can choose to go to God to fulfill the desire. What I want to encourage you with: Choose God.
Choose God’s truth. Choose God’s love. Choose God’s faithfulness. Because when you choose God, He will sustain you. He will fulfill the desires of your heart. That boy won’t fulfill anything. Yeah, he may make you feel like a 10 for 5 seconds, but what happens when that feeling goes away? You need to continue to strive and compromise to keep that feeling there.
But God already calls you His. He calls you worthy. He has said you are a 10 through His son. In Ephesians 1:5, “he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”
Meaning, once you believe in Jesus and are saved through faith, you are adopted as a SON or DAUGHTER. Not through being good or earning it, but by simple faith in Jesus. So no, Jesus doesn’t look at you with condemnation in His eyes. He looks at you with love and compassion because you are His child. Notice how Jesus then called His disciples FRIEND, instead of sinners? Because you receive a new name when you are born again through faith. You are looked at differently because of whose you are.
So friend, your temptation is not your identity. Your temptation is normal. Your temptation is just a block that you get to jump over with the Lord’s help. Choose God. He is worth it.