Throwing Gasoline on the Fire
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13
You can't avoid it, no matter how hard you try. Television commercials, newspaper articles, billboards on the road, window displays in the mall, even magazines in the supermarket checkout line— we are assaulted constantly with sexual images everywhere we turn. These media and cultural assaults are like throwing gasoline on the fire. It makes it even more challenging to live a life that is pleasing to God.
But even though these things add gasoline to the fire, realize that the "fire" is already there. Even if we lived alone on a desert island with no TV, no computer, no magazines, nobody else there, we're still going to struggle with the lusts of the flesh. We're still going to struggle with our thought life. We're always going to struggle with attitudes and drives that are displeasing to God! Avoiding outside temptations is certainly important in avoiding sin, but recognize that the real problem begins—and ends—with how we deal with temptation inside our own minds.
We can't stop being tempted, and temptation is not sin. Jesus was tempted in every way we are. But don't flirt with it. Show real courage and run from it. Ask the Lord to help you turn your thoughts over to Him, and you will be able to have the power to resist temptation.
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5 Comments
It is unbelievable how much we have made sex a focus of our exsistance and culture. It makes it extremely difficult to turn your head from the sin when you are bombarded by it every single day. The effects of it grow far beyond just looking at something lustfully. It's destructive to ourselves, our relationships with loved ones and our relationship with god. Period. - Matthew
People can't exert too much influence on what is out in the world but they can certainly have some control over what comes into their homes. People need to stop bringing "gasoline" into their homes. And when they go out into the world they need to remember always to wear the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). As verse 16 reads,"...take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Those temptations are flaming arrows that set the gasoline on fire. Images can be seen but not taken in (the gasoline that gets poured into the brain). As Christians we can understand this but there is a whole world of people out there who do not have the advantage of knowing God's word and His ways. I pray our culture can become more balanced in what is allowed in the public as far as images because it seems for a long time things have just gotten worse and worse and those without God don't have a chance to escape from those flaming arrows and the destruction they lead to. Good devotion. - Janice
Unfortunately, I don't think we will become more balanced and it will only become worse. Pornography, as an industry, is knocking right on the backdoor of being part of mainstream America and that door will be opened at some point. - Matthew
We are in the process of removing tv from our home. THe order was to shut it off today. It has taken many years of prayer to work on other members of our family, but I heard the voice tell me one day, tomorrow cut the cable off. It was a hard decision for my husband to make, but he did and since then he has had the chance to witness to others, even his mother. He made the best decision ever. Thank you God for answering prayers. - julie
Sexual perversion has been in the world after Adam and Eve was ran out of the Garden of Eden, not so much from them but their decendents. It has been used in many religous services of pagen gods. Today we can reject it if we excercise our faith in God to deliver us, all we have to do is ask Him and really mean it in our hearts. Face it it is just as hard on women as it is on men so we all need to pray hard and resist the devil. God bless all. - Jerry