As I walk through the front door of my house, I find myself gasping at the sight of the shredded mess strewn across the living room floor. My gaze quickly lands upon the four-legged offender. Catching her eyes, I scold her with my tone, “What have you done?!”
Her little black ears droop and her head lowers. Then, with her tail tucked, she sulks out of sight—ashamed of herself for giving into the temptation. But there it was…sitting right in her line of sight on the top of the trash…a hamburger wrapper. She knows its “empty” by human standards, but she’s certain there’s remnant-enough inside for her to get just a little taste.
In my head, I can see a replay of how it happened…at first she moved in slowly, trying to withstand the urge, but with her heightened sense of smell, the overpowering scent of forbidden pleasures lured her in. Just a little lick…or two. She wants so much to be a good dog, but that wrapper. How could she resist the wrapper?! In her attempts to get just one small taste, the wrapper (and a few other various items) “fell” onto the floor and she brought her paws into the mix.
Now clawing at the wrapper, she develops a hole that is releasing the previously trapped, grease-laden aroma of burger paradise! Like a shark tasting blood in the water, she enters into a feeding frenzy…paws and teeth wildly ripping and shredding, feasting upon the delicious morsels left behind by her careless family. Nom, nom, nom!
When it was all over, she barely got a taste of some old lettuce, ketchup residue, and maybe just a smidge of grease paper. But no hamburger was to be found anywhere. Now, here she was, surrounded by the evidence of her failure and she could do nothing but just wait for the consequences. Oh, the shame! And now…the sound of gravel in the driveway tells her the jig is up.
I don’t know about you, but I can relate to this dog. The enemy is constantly putting temptation right in our direct line of sight. He wants us to see it, to smell it, and to envision ourselves partaking of it before we ever touch it. The only thing I have over my little canine is that I know a God who not only CAN, but WILL help me when temptation arises.
1. You are Able to Resist Temptation. In our moments of weakness, we can easily find ourselves salivating over a little taste of the forbidden. Although it can be, it doesn’t always HAVE to be a big thing—like an affair or an addiction. It can be something as simple as fasting, then remembering that piece of cake you didn’t have room for at the restaurant the other day. I mean, you can’t let cake go to waste, right?! Or it can be mindsets like anger, jealousy, or fear. But the good news is…no matter what our temptation is, we have everything we need to resist it!
“… God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.”– 1 Corinthians 10:13 (HCSB)
2. Rule Your Triggers. Satan consistently puts temptation right in our direct line of sight. Most often, this happens when our resistance is low…like right after an emotionally exhausting argument or following a restless night’s sleep. My poor dog was most tempted because she was all alone. She never would have done what she did had we been home watching her. But the devil waits for those weak moments and he sneaks in with all kinds of whisperings. So be extra careful to avoid your “trigger” situations, because this is only the beginning.
What he’s waiting for is for you to finally give in and submit to your urges, then, he quickly switches sides and he starts filling you with paralyzing feelings of shame and regret and failure. Surrounded by the evidence of our sin, his hope is that we would begin to feel bad enough that we’ll try to hide from God, the way Adam and Eve did in the Garden. And, if he can get you to hide from God, his next goal is to send us into a feeding frenzy of sin that will keep us away from seeking the forgiveness and love of God forever. So we must strive to keep our awareness up. Recognize whose voice it is in your head and hush up anything that isn’t’ God. The attacks will come…but we DO have the power to rule over them. We just need to remember to use it.
“That completed the testing. The devil retreated temporarily, lying in wait for another opportunity.” – Luke 4:13 (HCSB)
3. Think About What You’re Thinking About. Where temptation is concerned, our biggest failures usually begin in our minds. We find ourselves lingering too long with thoughts that we know will lead us down the wrong path, envisioning the short-term enjoyment of a little indulgence. But our thoughts give way to action and now we’re ripping open the wrapper of our temptation and chowing down on the garbage we find inside. It may have looked and smelled like hamburger, but it was really just the enemy drawing us away and enticing us with our own desires. (James 1:13-14(HCSB))
To avoid this pitfall, we need to remember to think about what we’re thinking about! The very moment we realize we’re focused on destructive thoughts, we should quickly turn them over to Christ. Replacing wrong thoughts with the Truth of His Word is the best way to protect ourselves from allowing footholds to become strongholds in our lives.
“…We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (HCSB)
4. Repent and Receive Forgiveness. No one is perfect except Jesus Himself. So, when you fail, just be quick to ask God to forgive you and to release you from the shame. Shame is a tool that satan likes to use to keep us in bondage. But, as much as we may be like my dog, God is not so much like us. He doesn’t come in, surprised by the mess, and seek to make us feel bad. His goal is to lovingly restore us. When He showed up in the Garden after the fall, He didn’t ask Adam and Eve what they had done, He asked them where they were. He already knew the answer to both of those questions, but by asking where they were, I feel like He is showing us that our sin, in and of its self, is less important than our ability to really trust in Him. He wanted Adam and Eve to trust Him enough to know, whatever the consequence, He would love them enough to help them make it right.
“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one whose hope is in You will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.” – Psalms 25:1-3, NIV
5. Let God Achieve the Victory. Ultimately, when you’ve done all you can do, the Bible tells us just to stand, because God is our strength and He will fight this battle for us. Yes, we have a part to play. As we position ourselves to stand firm in what we know to be true and right by recognizing our triggers and avoiding unnecessary temptation, we must understand that the victory will come from God and the resulting Glory will belong to Him.
“’You do not have to fight this battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. He is with you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Tomorrow, go out to face them, for Yahweh is with you.’” –2 Chronicles 20:17 (AMP)
So what became of the dog? After her “time out,” she slowly reentered the room I was in…head still low, sad eyes in full effect. She nudged my hand with her head, waiting for me to respond to her apology. I softened toward her, knowing how much like her I really am, and I rubbed her little head. Forgiveness has been granted and her promise to do better next time is sealed with a lick.
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