Wake the Faith up Slayer… This is Garth Heckman with the David Alliance and you can reach me at

[email protected] 

 

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Oscar Wilde was quoted as saying “I can resist everything except temptation”. But the thought still remains… how does one resist temptation… It might be easier and weirder than you think. 

 

What to do when you are tempted?

Run away like Joseph and Potiphars wife… sure

Pray? ok, thats a good one.

Confess to a strong Christian brother? not a bad idea

Block and stay away from the temptation… again smart move…

But what if I said there is another way that might seem a little weird?

 

Eph. 5:3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 

 

And Again in 

17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

What is temptation? 

Its wanting something, its a craving, its a sinful desire, its a deep pull.

Well yes but it goes much beyond that. Temptation is about what you want. Its is a selfish, greedy, self centered want.

Temptation is simply “all about you”. 

Temptation is me me me me

 

So when Paul says if you are facing all kinds of temptations give thanks it sounds weird until you realize that Thankfulness is selfless. it takes your focus off of you. You almost never hear anyone tell themselves how thankful they are for themselves. You never thank yourself because it just sounds self centered and honestly Pompous! 

You thank others for what they did. You thank them with words that go out of your ME ME ME ME zone and into a world of how they feel. I am giving thanks to make you feel good, to encourage you, to lift your spirits up. I am giving thanks to others, to God and Jesus for what they did. True thankfulness has nothing to do with what I want or what I did. 

The very nature of thankfulness destroys temptation because it changes your focus off of you and onto others. 

Its hard to be tempted when I am thinking about others. 

Are you feeling tempted? Start to practice thankfulness especially to God and watch how quickly your focus changes and how fast the temptation will die!