Temptation

Dearest Ones,

Temptations are certain things that appear good, we know they're wrong, but we want to do them anyway. They look so right but they are so wrong. They come from the devil, who is called the "angel of light" because he disguises sin and tries to make it look good. How do we say "no" to temptation? This is a life-long job. From the time I was very small my parents tried to teach me how to say "no" to certain things.

As I grew older, I began to realize temptations are not sins in themselves. They are opportunities to grow and strengthen our relationship with God. They will either help us grow nearer to God or farther away from Him. They will be with us all of our lives. When temptations come along we can either turn away or give in to them. We must learn to turn to God and then listen for His direction. Next time a temptation comes try asking God to help you not to give in.

It takes time to fight temptations. We begin as baby Christians, barely able to manage a memorized prayer. From other Christians, we start to learn what God expects of us and how to talk to Him. As we mature in our faith, we start to hear God's voice in our hearts. God gives us much grace to help us not to give in to things which are not good for us.

God surrounds us with protection and keeps lots of temptations away. Just as you would baby proof your home, so God baby proofs our lives. "All are tempted; but God is faithful and will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able and will help you to bear it." (1 Cor. 10:13)

We are protected only for a short time, we can't stay babies forever. God needs grown up Christians to spread His love to others and teach them to say "no" to the tempter, the devil. As we mature, we must learn to stand on our own feet and deal with those sins that attract us. Every time we say "no" to a sin, we are better able to resist it the next time. Each of us has those things that are special temptations to us. Maybe it's another piece of cake or a desire to tell someone off with angry words. We know the things that tempt us are wrong but they feel so right at the time.

Temptations come more than one at time - we give in to one and then another comes along and it is easier to give in the second time. If we do give in, we need to turn to God and ask forgiveness; it will help us to say "no" the second time. Our model is Jesus Christ. He had to overcome temptation, just as we do. He was temped by Satan (Matt. 4:1-10). "He was like us in all things except sin." He was tempted to have a soft life, to run away from the cross, to hate those who tormented Him, but He overcame these temptations. We can learn from Him how He was able to do this. The devil whispers, "You deserve it - give yourself a break." What a wonderful feeling it is to overcome - a victory over the devil!

How did Jesus overcome the temptations of Satan? It was by quoting the Bible - we must be strengthened by studying the Bible and memorizing it. This way He was able to keep His eyes on God. Take your temptations to God in prayer. There is no doubt that temptations are difficult to deal with and we will not always succeed in dealing with them. However, God always forgives if we do give in. So don't be down on yourselves, if you give in, just take the temptations and the failures to Him in prayer. He will never turn you away. He knows what is going on in our minds and He understands how hard it is to keep fighting the tempter.

What helped Jesus in the middle of His worst temptations was focusing on the joy that was going to be His reward. For all eternity He knew He would sit with God in glory. We, too, can look to the future, when we will have our reward and it will be awesome!

Why doesn't God get rid of the struggles, the trials and the temptations? It is because the struggle is necessary for us to grow spiritually. If we are not constantly growing in our faith, then we lose it.

We wouldn't be able to help others in their temptations if we never had any of our own. We must encourage our fellow travelers with warmth, love and compassion, and it is this which brings happiness to us in this life and a tremendous reward in the life to come. Some people may have given in to a temptation for so long that they don't realize they are trapped. They are afraid to make a new start. They are afraid it is too late to change. Others may make fun of them and say they are not the same person. The older we get, the greater the temptation to stay the same. It's easier not to change and to go on taking the easy road. However, if we really want to live, we must risk changing and not give in to the easy life.

Be a blessing to everyone you meet today!

Sister Francelle