Every sin is an inside job…
The Devil, like Christ, is a fisher of men…and he has some very shiny bait...but whereas Christ desires to save us the Devil desires to destroy us. He promises power, position and pleasure; however, just as fish must bite the worm in order to be caught so must we give into our own fleshly desires in order to fall into the pit of sin.
Think of it as a triangle…the three points being Desire, Temptation and Opportunity. If you have a desire but have no opportunity you won’t go down. Strip away desire and it doesn’t matter how many opportunities you have, you won’t fall away.
So, instead of trying to combat all three at once, strip away just one. Opportunity is the easiest to start with. If you have an issue with alcohol, don’t go into bars or buy booze for yourself.
Perhaps you could mail a letter to all the bars stating that you are an alcoholic and wish not to be served any strong drink should you so be tempted to waltz in the front door on a Friday night in a momentary lapse of self-control; don’t forget to enclose a picture of yourself.
Maybe your issue is with pornography…if so I have written extensively on that topic so you can simply click here to view some of my advice for you in particular.
Desire is a bit more difficult to quash. It takes a complete change of lifestyle in order to change your desires. You must start by looking into the reflective pool of God’s cool, crystal clear water each and every morning. You must avoid (or at least understand that) the reflection the world shows you is that which is convoluted and murky as if from a swamp of deceit.
Once you understand, I mean really understand, that nothing the world can offer you tastes quite as sweet or quenches you thirst as fully as what God offers you. The forgetful fancies of firewater or the swiftly fleeting island of euphoria offered by pornography offer us nothing but temporal sweetness with a bitter aftertaste.
I think of the famous story “The Little Match Girl”. A poor young girl is selling matches on the side of the road to anyone who will buy them. Soon the day turns to bitter night and she begins to shiver. With no place to go, no home to speak of…she begins to light the matches for warmth.
Each match, if but for a moment, gives her warmth… both body and soul… as she pictures a home…complete with loving arms and a warm fireplace. Soon, however, the matches burn out and she must light another and another to stay warm…until she runs out and the cold overtakes her.
Dear friends…soon you too will run out of matches. You may be warm now, but it is only temporary. Christ is waiting to offer you a seat by the fireplace…all you have to do is put down your matches and accept it.
