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Temptation
Temptation
One
three-year-old’s explanation for being in the kitchen atop a chair
eating
cookies: “I just climbed up to smell them
and my tooth got caught.” ── Michael
P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Temptation
A
pastor warned his handsome new assistant about the dangers of immorality in the
ministry. The assistant said that he always did his socializing in a group
setting and concluded that “there is safety in numbers.” The wise pastor
replied
“Yes
that is so
but there is more safety in Exodus!” ── Michael P.
Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Temptation
A
father had to go on a trip for a few days and instructed his teenage son that
the car was not to be used while he was gone. When he returned
his son greeted
him and said
“While you were gone
I came very close to braking my promise to
not use the car while you were away. You left the keys
and I carried them for
three days
fighting temptation.”
The
father smiled
“Son
there’s nothing like temptation to show you what you’ll
do-if you are given the opportunity!” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Temptation
A
woodpecker is a very interesting bird. The loud rat-a-tat-tat noise he makes as
he drills into trees in search of bugs to eat always attracts attention. The
secret of his success is simple. When a woodpecker finds a suitable tree
he
begins to drill a hole. If the wood is too hard or no bugs are found
he simply
moves over a bit and starts again. Over and over he continues
until he meets
with success.
Satan uses temptation in much the same
way. He will try one temptation on us and then if not successful will move over
a bit and try another. And so he will continue
over and over again
until he
finds a soft spot in us that he can use to his advantage. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Protection from Temptation
In
a supermarket one day
a mother was pushing a shopping cart with a small child
in it. As she was not paying attention to where she was going
she turned down
an aisle and suddenly realized it was the candy aisle. Immediately she turned
completely around and went the other direction. She knew the small child would
not be able to handle the situation. In the same way
God protects us from
things we can’t handle. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Resisting Temptation
So
often we say Maybe to sin instead of “No
” leaving the option open for us to
say “Yes.” This is not resisting Satan or the temptations placed before us. We
are like the person trying to get rid of a salesman on his doorstep without
saying a firm “No” and closing the door. Though we say we are not interested in
buying Satan’s product-sin-we leave the door ajar and continue to discuss the
tempting wares. We leave open the possibility for the devil to make a sale. To
resist temptation we must say a firm “No” and shut the door. ── Michael P.
Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Resisting Temptation
A
little girl once said in response to a question about how to deal with
temptation: “When Satan comes knocking at the door of my heart
I send Jesus to
answer the door. When Satan sees Jesus
he says
‘Oops
I am sorry
I must have
the wrong house.’” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Resisting Temptation
When
tempted
learn the lesson of the dog. Anyone who has trained a dog to obey
knows this scene. A bit of meat or bread is placed on the floor near the dog
and the master says
“No!” which the dog knows means that he must not touch it.
The dog will usually take his eyes off the food
because the temptation to
disobey would be too great
and instead will fix his eyes on the master’s face.
That is the lesson of the dog. Always look to the Master’s face. ── Michael P.
Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Resisting Temptation
When
you flee temptation
leave no forwarding address. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Resisting Temptation
Physical
pressure is similar to the pressure of temptation in some respects. We can
often escape it on our own
but we all have limits.
For
example
even the atomic submarines built strongly enough to batter through the
ice at the North Pole have a maximum crush depth limit beyond which they may
not go with safety. The submarine Thresher exceeded that depth some years ago.
As the pressure increased
the seawater crushed the sub’s heavy steel bulkheads
as if they were made of cheap plastic. Searchers found only little pieces of
that huge submarine.
Yet
there are fish that live at the same depth in which the Thresher was crushed.
How can these fish survive? The answer is that they have equal pressure within
themselves. Thus it should be for all Christians. In ourselves we are doomed.
But
in Christ
there is no temptation beyond our ability to resist. ── Michael
P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Resisting Temptation
Master
Greenham
a Puritan divine
was once sought by a woman who was greatly tempted.
Upon making inquiries into her way of life
Greenham found that she had little
to do
and he told her: “That is the secret of your being so much tempted.
Sister
if you are very busy
Satan may tempt you
but he will not easily
prevail
and he will soon give up the attempt.”
Idle
Christians are not tempted of the devil so much as they tempt the devil to
tempt them. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Testing and Temptation
In
the New Testament
the word translated “temptation” (peirazo) has two
shades of meaning. When used of God’s tempting of man
it carries a positive
intention. However
when it refers to the temptation of man by Satan or another
person
the word implies a desire to bring out one’s bad points.
The
second idea might be likened to Ralph Nader’s taking a G.M. car and running a
group of tests on it. The emphasis and aim of this testing would be to bring
out the bad traits of the car. However
if G.M. were to run tests on its own
car
the motivation would be to point out the good traits. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Testing and Temptation
When
the Union-Pacific railroad was under construction
an elaborate trestle bridge
was built over a certain large canyon in the West as part of the plan to
connect St. Louis and
So
too
does temptation prove our strength under pressure. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
It was F.B. Meyer
I believe
who once said that when we
see a brother or sister in sin
there are two things we do not know: First
we
do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin. And second
we do not know the
power of the forces that assailed him or her. We also do not know what we would
have done in the same circumstances. ── Stephen Brown
Christianity
Today
April 5
1993
p. 17.
A recent survey of
Discipleship Journal readers ranked areas of greatest spiritual challenge to
them:
1. Materialism.
2. Pride.
3. Self-centeredness.
4. Laziness.
5. (Tie) Anger/Bitterness.
5. (Tie) Sexual lust.
7. Envy.
8. Gluttony.
9. Lying.
Survey respondents
noted temptations were more potent when they had neglected their time with God
(81 percent) and when they were physically tired (57 percent). Resisting
temptation was accomplished by prayer (84 percent)
avoiding compromising
situations (76 percent)
Bible study (66 percent)
and being accountable to
someone (52 percent).
── Discipleship Journal
November / December
1992.
We can supplement
our accountability to others by reading slowly through literature designed to
challenge our Christian maturity. Consider
as an example
these questions
related to sexual purity that I had to read carefully as I read Kent Hughes'
Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome:
1. Are we being
desensitized by the present evil world? Do things that once shocked us now pass
us by with little notice? Have our sexual ethics slackened?
2. Where do our minds
wander when we have no duties to perform?
3. What are we reading?
Are there books or magazines or files in our libraries that we want no one else
to see?
4. What are we renting at
the local video stores? How many hours do we spend watching TV? How many
adulteries did we watch last week? How many murders? How many did we watch with
our children?
5. How many chapters of
the Bible did we read last week?
── Paul Borthwick
Leading
the Way
Navpress
1989
p. 120-121.
Historian Shelby
Foote tells of a soldier who was wounded at the battle of Shiloh during the
American Civil War and was ordered to go to the rear. The fighting was fierce
and within minutes he returned to his commanding officer. "Captain
give me
a gun!" he shouted. "This fight ain't got any rear!" ── Daily
Walk
July 10
1993.
Toad baked some
cookies. "These cookies smell very good
" said Toad. He ate one.
"And they taste even better
" he said. Toad ran to Frog's
house. "Frog
Frog
" cried Toad
"taste these cookies that I
have made."
Frog ate one of the
cookies
"These are the best cookies I have ever eaten!" said Frog.
Frog and Toad ate
many cookies
one after another. "You know
Toad
" said Frog
with
his mouth full
"I think we should stop eating. We will soon be
sick."
"You are right
"
said Toad. "Let us eat one last cookie
and then we will stop." Frog
and Toad ate one last cookie. There were many cookies left in the bowl.
"Frog
"
said Toad
"let us eat one very last cookie
and then we will stop."
Frog and Toad ate one very last cookie.
"We must stop
eating!" cried Toad as he ate another.
"Yes
"
said Frog
reaching for a cookie
"we need willpower."
"What is
willpower?" asked Toad.
"Willpower is
trying hard not to do something you really want to do
" said Frog.
"You mean like
trying hard not to eat all these cookies?" asked Toad.
"Right
"
said Frog.
Frog put the cookies
in a box. "There
" he said. "Now we will not eat any more
cookies."
"But we can
open the box
" said Toad.
"That is
true
" said Grog.
Frog tied some
string around the box. "There
" he said. "Now we will not eat
any more cookies."
"But we can cut
the string and open the box." said Toad.
"That is
true
" said Frog. Frog got a ladder. He put the box up on a high shelf.
"There
"
said Frog. "Now we will not eat any more cookies."
"But we can
climb the ladder and take the box down from the shelf and cut the string and
open the box
" said Toad.
"That is
true
" said Frog.
Frog climbed the
ladder and took the box down from the shelf. He cut the string and opened the
box. Frog took the box outside. He shouted in a loud voice. "Hey
birds
here are cookies!" Birds came from everywhere. They picked up all the
cookies in their beaks and flew away.
"Now we have no
more cookies to eat
" said Toad sadly.
"Not even
one."
"Yes
"
said Frog
"but we have lots and lots of willpower."
"You may keep
it all
Frog
" said Toad. "I am going home now to bake a
cake."
── Ray & Anne Ortlund
Renewal
Navpress
1989
p. 73-74.
In the Australian
bush country grows a little plant called the "sundew." It has a
slender stem and tiny
round leaves fringed with hairs that glisten with bright
drops of liquid as delicate as fine dew. Woe to the insect
however
that dares
to dance on it. Although its attractive clusters of red
white
and pink
blossoms are harmless
the leaves are deadly. The shiny moisture on each leaf
is sticky and will imprison any bug that touches it. As an insect struggles to
free itself
the vibration causes the leaves to close tightly around it. This
innocent-looking plant then feeds on its victim. ── Our Daily Bread
December 11
1992.
What is temptation?
Seduction to evil
solicitation to wrong. It stands distinguished from
trial thus: trial tests
seeks to discover the man's moral qualities or
character; but temptation persuades to evil
deludes
that it may ruin. The one
means to undeceive
the other to deceive. The one aims at the man's good
making him conscious of his true moral self; but the other at his evil
leading
him more or less unconsciously into sin. God tries; Satan tempts. ── Fairbain
quoted in The Words and Works of Jesus Christ
J.D. Pentecost
p. 99.
While my wife and I
were shopping at a mall kiosk
a shapely young woman in a short
form-fitting
dress strolled by. My eyes followed her.
Without looking up
from the item she was examining
my wife asked
"Was it worth the trouble
you're in?" ── Drew Anderson (Tucson
AZ)
Reader's Digest.
In China's later Han
era
there lived a politician called Yang Zhen
a man known for his upright
character. After Yang Zhen was made a provincial governor
one of his earlier
patrons
Wang Mi
paid him an unexpected visit. As they talked over old times
Wang Mi brought out a large gold cup and presented it to Yang Zhen. Yang Zhen
refused to accept it
but Wang Mi persisted
saying
"There's no one here
tonight but you and me
so no one will know."
"You say that
no one will know
" Yang Zhen replied
"but that is not true. Heaven
will know
and you and I will know too."
Wang Mi was ashamed
and backed down. Subsequently Yang Zhen's integrity won increasing recognition
and he rose to a high post in the central government.
Human nature is
weak
and we tend to yield to temptation when we think nobody can see us. In
fact
if there was no police force
many people would not hesitate to steal.
This is not to say that when we do something bad
we feel no compunction at
all
just that man is weak and prone to yield to temptation. But even if nobody
witnesses our sins
and not a soul knows of them
we cannot hide the truth from
the eyes of our conscience. In the end
what is important is not that other
people know
but that we ourselves know. When Yang Zhen told Wang Mi that
"Heaven will know
" he meant that the gods would know what he had
done: in other words
his own conscience.
A person who sins
neither in thought nor deed
and is fair and just
gains enormous courage and
strength. As a leader
you need courage born of integrity in order to be
capable of powerful leadership. To achieve this courage
you must search your
heart
and make sure that your conscience is clear and your behavior is beyond
reproach. ── Konosuke Matsushita
founder of Panasonic in his book Velvet
Glove
Iron Fist (PHP Institute
Tokyo)
Bits & Pieces
June 25
1992.
In June 1989 a
19-year-old German named Mathias Rust created quite a stir when he flew a
Cessna 172 airplane more than 400 miles into Soviet airspace. Rust's five-hour
trip ended when he landed his plane near the Kremlin in Moscow. Soviet
officials then scrambled to find out how a teenage could slip past their air
defenses. Apparently radar had picked up the craft
but it was presumed to be a
Soviet plane and no attempt was made to identify it. Later
air force jets
twice flew around the intruding Cessna
but air defense commanders showed
"intolerable unconcern and indecision about cutting short the flight of the
violator plane without resorting to combat means
" the investigation
concluded.
──
Today in the Word
June 6
1992.
You may have to
fight a battle more than once to win it. ── Margaret Thatcher.
There are several
good protections against temptation
but the surest is cowardice. ── Mark
Twain.
John Piper says that
sin (lust for example) "gets its power by persuading me to believe that I
will be more happy if I follow it. The power of all temptation is the prospect
that it will make me happier."
── E. Lutzer
Putting
Your Past Behind You
Here's Life
1990
p.54.
Children grow up
with teddy bears and often figure that since the toys are cuddly
the real
things might also be so. In 1990 two boys scaled the fence at the Bronx Zoo in
New York City and went into the polar bear compound. The next day they were
found dead. Your pet sin can kill! ── Source Unknown.
A scene from
Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress portrays Interpreter bringing Christian to a wall
where fire is blazing from a grate. A man is trying to douse the fire
with water. Then Interpreter shows Christian the other side of the wall
where
another man is secretly pouring oil on the fire to keep it ablaze. Interpreter
says
"You saw the man standing behind the wall to maintain the fire
teaching you that it is hard for the tempted to see how this work of grace is
maintained in the soul." Satan tries to quench faith
but Christ keeps it
alive. ── Pilgrim's Progress.
As the Union Pacific
Railroad was being constructed
an elaborate trestle bridge was built across a
large canyon in the West. Wanting to test the bridge
the builder loaded
a train with enough extra cars and equipment to double its normal payload. The
train was then driven to the middle of the bridge
where it stayed an entire
day. One worker asked
"Are you trying to break this bridge?"
"No
" the builder replied
"I'm trying to prove that the bridge
won't break." In the same way
the temptations Jesus faced weren't
designed to see if He would sin
but to prove that He couldn't. ── Today
in the Word
March 14
1991.
What settings are you in when
you fall? Avoid them. What props do you have that support your sin?
Eliminate them. What people are you usually with? Avoid them.
There are two equally damning lies Satan wants us to believe: 1) Just once
won't hurt. 2) Now that you have ruined your life
you are beyond God's use
and might as well enjoy sinning.
"Learn to say
no. It will be of more use to you than to be able to read Latin." ──
Charles Spurgeon.
On the TV show
"Hee Haw
" Doc Campbell is confronted by a patient who says he broke
his arm in two places. The doc replies
"Well then
stay out of them
places!"
He may have
something there. We cannot regularly put ourselves in the face of temptation
and not be affected. When faced with the problem of temptation
we need to take
the good doctor's advice and "stay out of them places." ── Source
Unknown.
It is easier to
suppress the first desire than to satisfy all that follow it. ── Benjamin
Franklin
Satan will seldom
come to a Christian with a gross temptation. A green log and a candle may be
safely left together
but a few shavings
some small sticks and then larger
and you may bring the green log to ashes. ── John Newton.
When you flee
temptation
be sure you don't leave a forwarding address. ── Source Unknown.
Reports the DENVER
POST: "Like many sheep ranchers in the West
Lexy Fowler has tried just
about everything to stop crafty coyotes from killing her sheep. She has used
odor sprays
electric fences
and 'scare-coyotes.' She has slept with her lambs
during the summer and has placed battery-operated radios near them. She has
corralled them at night
herded them at day. But the southern Montana rancher
has lost scores of lambs--fifty last year alone. "Then she discovered the
llama--the aggressive
funny-looking
afraid-of-nothing llama...'Llamas don't
appear to be afraid of anything
' she said. 'When they see something
they put
their head up and walk straight toward it. That is aggressive behavior as far
as the coyote is concerned
and they won't have anything to do with that...
Coyotes are opportunists
and llamas take that opportunity away.'"
Apparently llamas know the
truth of what James writes: "Resist the Devil
and he will flee from you"
(4:7). The moment we sense his attack through temptation is the moment we
should face it and deal with it for what it is. ── Barry McGee.
The thing that makes
men and rivers crooked is following the line of least resistance. ── Source
Unknown.
Men
who trap animals in Africa for zoos in America say that one of the hardest
animals to catch is the ringtailed monkey. For the Zulus of that continent
however
it's simple. They've been catching this agile little animal with ease
for years. The method the Zulus use is based on knowledge of the animal. Their
trap is nothing more than a melon growing on a vine. The seeds of this melon
are a favorite of the monkey. Knowing this
the Zulus simply cut a hole in the
melon
just large enough for the monkey to insert his hand to reach the seeds
inside. The monkey will stick his hand in
grab as many seeds as he can
then
start to withdraw it. This he cannot do. His fist is now larger than the hole.
The monkey will pull and tug
screech and fight the melon for hours. But he
can't get free of the trap unless he gives up the seeds
which he refuses to
do. Meanwhile
the Zulus sneak up and nab him. ── Source Unknown.
"Fire tries
Iron
and temptation tries a just man." ── Thomas A. Kempis.
Where there is no
temptation
there can be little claim to virtue. ── C. Swindoll
Sanctity of
Life
Word
1990
p. 51.
The Great Wall of
China is a gigantic structure which cost an immense amount of money and labor.
When it was finished
it appeared impregnable. But the enemy breached it. Not
by breaking it down or going around it. They did it by bribing the gatekeepers.
── Source Unknown.
Some people fall
into temptation
but a great many make plans for disaster ahead of time.
"Son
" ordered a father
"Don't swim in that canal."
"OK
Dad
"
he answered. But he came home carrying a wet bathing suit that evening.
"Where have you
been?" demanded the father.
"Swimming in
the canal
" answered the boy. "Didn't I tell you not to swim
there?" asked the father.
"Yes
Sir
" answered the boy.
"Why did
you?" he asked.
"Well
Dad
" he explained
"I had my bathing suit with me and I couldn't
resist the temptation."
"Why did you
take your bathing suit with you?" he questioned.
"So I'd be
prepared to swim
in case I was tempted
" he replied.
Too many of us
expect to sin and excite sin. The remedy for such dangerous action is found in
Romans 13:14
"But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ
and make not provision
for the flesh
to fulfill the lusts thereof." Whenever we play with
temptation
it is easy to drift into great danger. A woman was bathing in the
Gulf of Mexico. She was enjoying the comfort of relaxing on an inflated cushion
that kept her afloat. When she realized that she had been swept about a half
mile out from the beach
she began to scream
but no one heard her. A coast
guard craft found her five miles from the place where she first entered the
water. She did not see her danger until she was beyond her own strength and
ability. ── C. Swindoll
One Step Forward
p. 85.
Ronald Meredith
in
his book
Hurryin' Big for Little Reasons
describes one quiet night in
early spring: Suddenly out of the night came the sound of wild geese flying. I
ran to the house and breathlessly announced the excitement I felt. What is to
compare with wild geese across the moon? It might have ended there except for
the sight of our tame mallards on the pond. They heard the wild call they had
once known. The honking out of the night sent little arrows of prompting deep
into their wild yesterdays. Their wings fluttered a feeble response. The urge
to fly--to take their place in the sky for which God made them-- was sounding
in their feathered breasts
but they never raised from the water. The matter
had been settled long ago. The corn of the barnyard was too tempting! Now their
desire to fly only made them uncomfortable. Temptation is always enjoyed at the
price of losing the capacity for flight. ── Jim Moss.
Iron Eyes Cody is a
native American actor who once did a TV spot for the Keep America Beautiful
campaign. He was an Indian drifting alone in a canoe. As he saw how our waters
are being polluted
a single tear rolled down his cheek
telling the whole
story. This powerful public service commercial still shows up on TV screens
after 17 years.
In 1988 Cody
repeated an old Indian legend in Guideposts magazine. Here it is: Many years
ago
Indian youths would go away in solitude to prepare for manhood. One
such youth hiked into a beautiful valley
green with trees
bright with
flowers. There he fasted. But on the third day
as he looked up at the
surrounding mountains
he noticed one tall rugged peak
capped with dazzling
snow. I will test myself against that mountain
he thought. He put on his
buffalo-hide shirt
threw his blanket over his shoulders and set off to climb
the peak. When he reached the top he stood on the rim of the world. He could
see forever
and his heart swelled with pride. Then he heard a rustle at his
feet
and looking down
he saw a snake. Before he could move
the snake
spoke.
"I am about to
die
" said the snake. "It is too cold for me up here and I am
freezing. There is no food and I am starving. Put me under your shirt and take
me down to the valley."
"No
" said
the youth. "I am forewarned. I know your kind. You are a rattlesnake. If I
pick you up
you will bite
and your bite will kill me."
"Not so
"
said the snake. "I will treat you differently. If you do this for me
you
will be special. I will not harm you."
The youth resisted
awhile
but this was a very persuasive snake with beautiful markings. At last
the youth tucked it under his shirt and carried it down to the valley. There he
laid it gently on the grass
when suddenly the snake coiled
rattled
and
leapt
biting him on the leg.
"But you
promised..." cried the youth.
"You knew what
I was when you picked me up." said the snake as it slithered
away." ── Bits and Pieces
June
1990
p. 5-7.
Misunderstandings
regarding temptation:
Temptation itself is
sin.
We fall into
temptation.
God is disappointed
and displeased when we are tempted.
To be strongly
tempted means we are as guilty as if we had actually committed sin.
We overcome all
temptation by separation from it.
When I am
spiritually mature
I will no longer be harassed by temptation.
── Charles Stanley
tape
AU146
In Touch
June 1988
p. 13.