<< Flee from temptation
Jacob Ninan
Playing with fireNow flee from youthful lusts... 2 Tim.2:22 Sexual temptation is something we cannot altogether avoid. We face it everywhere in different forms. At the same time it is one of the strongest temptations that has felled even respected Christian leaders. Our safety lies in acknowledging to God our inherent weaknesses, clinging to Him and responding to His ways. The man who thinks he will not fall will surely fall, because he is not on his guard. The devil knows how to catch us at our weak times.
No one will willingly take up a fight with an opponent he knows is stronger. But that is what we foolishly do when we let down our watchfulness and allow the temptation to come to us in the first place. We are really not able to stand there and fight. The right thing to do is to run away! Isn’t it commonsense to keep away from places, people and circumstances that will cause us to be tempted? In a battle with pornography, for example, should we not keep away from magazines that contain provocative pictures, or place our computer in such a way that others can see what is going on?
Some people wait for God to take away their desires or to make them ‘dead’ to temptations! But God works along with us. When we keep away from temptations as much as we can, and seek for God’s grace over our life, God also gives us new understanding and strength to fight the battle. The man who passively waits for God is not serious about victory!
Ultimately our best defence against temptation and sin is a constant seeking after God, wanting to know Him more, to be more pleasing to Him, and desiring to accomplish His plans for our life. Our life is a journey uphill, and a man who keeps pedalling his bicycle up the hill will be safe, while the one who tries to coast uphill will soon fall.
Lord, please give me the strength to fight this battle, to recognise my own limitations and to cling to You all the more.
Published in Management Devotional - Biblical insights for daily work life, Christian Institute of Management.