Temptations - Part 1

We all face them!

Temptation is no respecter of age, maturity, sense of self-discipline, background, upbringing, or religious belief.

One of the books in the Bible is a letter written by a man named John, written when he was somewhat elderly, and he writes with much affection to those he addresses as his “children” or his “beloved”.

He tells them that the desires (temptations) of this world fall into three main categories:

Lust of the Flesh
Lust of the Eyes
Pride of Life

Lusts of the flesh are desires that appeal to our bodies. Desires, which for some of us are destructive but make us feel good, e.g. food, drink, adrenaline, drugs, fitness, sex, self-abuse, physical comforts, etc.

Lust of the Eyes are things that we see which we desire: we are moved to respond, to take action, to buy something. The eyes are powerful! That is why advertising is such a multimillion dollar industry. We are constantly being tempted to buy, do, act based on cleverly designed images!

Pride of Life is how we feel! This is the desire for, and pride in, our influence, power, superiority, leadership, accomplishments, self-righteousness, self-pity, self-loathing, security, etc.

It’s amazing that some temptations are so base – i.e. drink this, your body will feel amazing. Others are so intellectually complex that they are only an invitation to meditate on a thought, and yet that thought is so powerful it can destroy a life, hijack a destiny, pull on a little thread and unravel an entire garment.

Don’t be surprised when you face temptation – rather anticipate and pause…. at it stares you down….. analyze it. Is this appealing to my eyes, to my flesh, or to the pride of life. Part of resisting temptation is recognizing it for what it is.

More to come on this topic.

justdonlon