peace . love . joy

for Saturday’s bs, smhow, my mind wandered to the issue of temptation..cos we were talking abt sexual immorality and “everything is permissible for me” – but not everything is beneficial. (1 Cor 6 : 12a)..

i remembered Dr. Ravi Zacharias’ response to a lady’s question abt temptation over the radio, and in essence, here’s wad he said :

"

There is victory when u realize that wad ure being tempted for, if u were to yield to it, it wld be the wrong choice..And that alone is a good first step to start with..

The more u yield to certain temptations, wad happens is that a very subtle process occurs : u think it is no longer as critical as u made it out to be in the first place when u did give in..The human mind has the capacity to minimize that fall and ultimately start justifying the behaviour..

And the fact that u still sense the pressure in your soul is a good positive first step from which ure starting to recognize that there’s a real choice before u of right & wrong..

Start off by assuming that u are the weakest in that situation and not the strongest..If u make the assumption that u are very strong and u can withhold it, ure gonna run into trouble..And therefore when u start off by assuming u are the weakest then my first suggestion to u is this :

Do not be in the location \ with the person \ with the instruments that becomes the cause of that temptation..If it is a book, a type of literature or a type of television programme, then u’ve got to deal with that by cutting that out of your daily diet..If it is an individual in whose company u find yourself creating that problem, u’ve got to cut that one out..If it is a place that u go to..u know..cut it out..stop going there..

u have to start with the assumption that u are not sufficient for it..And this is wad I believe john stott would call “situational amputation”..he draws that from the idea of if your right eye offends you cut it off, if your right arm offends you cut it off.. john stott’s point is not that the arm or the eye is intrinsically evil, but that situation demands that u act as if that arm or that eye no longer existed, that it had been amputated from you and therefore, put yourself away from geographical or instrumental locations that are leading up to the fall..

And lastly at all times u have to be guarded with the spirit of prayer and the study of the word..

"

Dr. Zacharias added another personal pointer :

"

I think u need to find somebody whom u can trust with whom u can open your heart and tell them wad it’s really like and wad ure going thru..

U need that support from another spiritual friend who will not condemn u for wad’s going on in your heart and mind but try to provide that little bit of support that is needed..I think it’s vital to have that..

"

Not easy advice to follow, I know..but it is advice that shld be heard with open ears, and absorbed into open hearts..

gOd bLEsS

me