"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." - 1 Peter 5:8

Have you ever stared sin right in the face and walked right into it, knowing full well what would happen if you went for it? I do this all the time like a moth to a flame, or that mosquito (I think it was a mosquito) who flies right into the bug zapper in "A Bug's Life".

The mosquito knows he's going to die, but he still flies in. "But it's so pretty..." ZAP! That's me!
I stare sin right in the face, allured by it's "prettiness", and I walk right into imminent disaster. It's disillusionment, it's self-sabotage.

When I give in to sin, it's like I'm killing myself slowly. It's like a cancer of the soul. But the thing that kills me the most is that so many times I am in control of my own actions, and fully capable of walking away from sin. It is within my bounds to be holy and exhibit self-control. Yet I still fall in.

I am so hopelessly desperate without the redeeming work of Jesus Christ in my life. Praise God that He never gives up on us. No matter how many times we do the same, stupid things over and over again, He still loves us, still cheers us on, continues to forgive, and is ever-patient with us. How do you do it, God?


I recently watched a video sermon from the pureonline.org site about resisting tempation. Here's a really cool verse they used from The Message:

"Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life." - James 1:12

I really like the way Eugene Peterson puts it at the end of the verse: "For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life."

When I resist temptation, I get life and more life. I start to get life-true life-as it was meant to be lived. When I am giving in to temptation and sin, I lose out on that, and I experience separation and brokenness between God and myself.

If I would only believe! The reason why it's not working for me right now is simply because I am not taking God at His Word. If I resist temptation, I will be blessed and receive the rewards of life. It's that plain and simple. But I reason with myself, thinking that I might be missing out on something if I don't have this...so I give in.

Again, I am reminded of the verse Galatians 2:20 that calls me to die to myself. "I have been crucified with Christ, so that I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." I need to be reminded of this everyday.

But to truly let go of me and lose "my life" for Christ's sake is a really scary thing. Who do I become when I lose myself?

That sounds like a silly question because I know that I will become more of who I am and who He's creatd me to be, when I am more connected with Christ. But I'm still afraid...it's the age old Adam effect...it's original sin. We cover, we hide, we run away...fig leaves.

I'm afraid that He might make me do really freaky things like evangelize to every known living person that I am contact with in my life. Or He might bring me over to Africa for missions. I'm not dissing missions to Africa at all, or the country, but it's scary to me to think of being a missionary over there because I've heard how hard the conditions there are.

Or maybe He'll just completely expose who I am, heart and all, "naked" before others, and people will still be o.k. with that and won't think I'm the most hideous being on the planet when they see that. Maybe I'll finally be able to just trust Him and I'll be secure in Christ instead of in my talents, abilities, "goodness", and good deeds.


I remember hearing a quote that Ravi Zacharias used once in a talk he gave. I think it was from C.S. Lewis and was something to the effect of, the problem with Christianity is not that it's been tried and found wanting, but that it's been found wanting and untried.

It basically means that most people who are disillusioned with Christianity and faith in Jesus Christ aren't disillusioned by it because they've actually lived the life Jesus calls us to live and found it unsatisfying, but they're disillusioned by it because they haven't really lived out the true life Jesus calls us to. And that is why they are unsatisfied.

C.S. Lewis says it best:

"We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

How ridiculous my thinking! But I am scared to risk, scared to let go of what I have. I'm fearful that I won't get something better by letting go of something that I know I will get when I do it. I'm satisfied with eating my mud-pies! A better word for it would be DUNG! 'Cause that's what it is compared to the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ!


In all honesty, my fears are simply a masked form of pride. A sophisticated way of saying, "I think I know better than you, God..."


God created us for real relationships, real intimacy with Him and others, and He promises us joy and the full satisfaction of life. But He's not going to force us to "eat it". He's not going to take the mud pie out of my hand and force it down my throat. I've gotta reach up and grab it. Sometimes He'll intercede sovereignly and stop me from destructive, harmful things for me, but He has given me free will and I have the choice to choose Him or my sin.

My prayer is that I would choose Him every time. I hope your prayer is the same.


Prayer

O Lord, may we desire the greater good, eating of the bread of life, instead of the mud pies of this world. May we be on our guard from the enemy who prowl around like a roaring lion, waiting for someone to devour. We have a very real enemy who wants to lead us away from you.

Father, protect us, guard your children. Redeem our hearts, lift our eyes to You, O God. Help us to let go of our sin and ourselves and grab a hold of You and to the life that You have promised us-an abundant life and life to the fullest. In Christ's Name. Amen.

This entry was posted by Christopher Wu, on Monday, September 11, 2006. You can leave your response.