Why It Is So Hard to Say "No!" to Temptation

Temptation comes knocking. And when it does, it is so hard to keep the door closed. Why is this the case? Why is it so hard to turn away from the temptation, no matter what it might be? Here are some of the reasons why this is the case:

1. Temptation always come gift wrapped in attractive packages. It says to us, "Open me and I will bring you much pleasure." In Hebrews 11:25 we are told that Moses "chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time." Sin does bring pleasure -- but it is very, very short lived! What is delivered falls way short of what is promised! But we tend to lose site of the brevity of sin's enjoyment and so when tempted to sin - we open the gift wrapped package, forgetting that the enjoyment of doing so will be gone almost as soon as we experience it! (Not to mention forgetting the devastating consequences that sin brings in its wake!).

2. Our fallen human nature is wired to respond positively to temptation. James refers to this when he writes in James 1:14, "but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed." It is as if we have bits of metals sprinkled throughout our flesh and when temptation comes along like a giant magnet, it pulls on that metal in our flesh with what seems at times like an irresistible force.

3. This world in which we live (24/7/365) is, according to 1 John 5:19, under the control of the Evil One. That means that much of our world system in which we work and play and go through our daily routines is pushing and pulling us away from God and His kingdom. Sometimes we simply get worn down in this ongoing tug of war and so in moments of weakness, we give in to temptation.

4. Finally, the Enemy is not only tempting us indirectly through this world system that he controls, but he is directly seeking to tempt us through the agency of his vast hordes of demons. Paul speaks of this spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-12, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." The devil has his schemes. And one of his schemes is to tempt you and me to sin. Because when we sin we are saying, "I can live my life independent of God!" And that is something Satan desires to see us do!

Now this is not meant to be an exhaustive list ... but it is my attempt to give some of the more significant reasons as to why it is so hard to say "No!" to temptation. Tomorrow I hope to talk a bit about how to go about saying "No!" the next time temptation comes calling!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj