“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Temptation….it’s a very serious matter, and to be honest I think we take it too lightly.  Far too often we hear of cases where people in ministry find themselves in compromising positions, and I think that it is mainly due to a lack of understanding of how temptation works, and not being properly prepared to resist it.

This isn’t a new thing, you can find quite a few accounts in the old testament where the men and women of God were tempted.  In fact accounts are put there for the sole purpose of providing examples for us on what to do and not to do.  Two accounts in particular stand out, those of Joseph and Samson.  Each of these men were tempted in a major way, but they both responded differently and likewise had different results.  Learning to deal with temptation is key to the success of any one in ministry…or for any one trying to live a successful Christian walk.  Prior to launching his own ministry, Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness doing just that, dealing with temptation.

Temptation comes in many different forms,  however some forms seem to be more prevalent than others.  Lust and sexual temptations seems to be one of the most dominate forms of temptation.  Many leaders, pastors, politicians and even average joes have fallen prey to sexual temptation.  Strong as the pull might seem it is possible to “just say no” or “resist temptation.”  [James 4:7] Fellas, don’t let your guard down, and don’t be tricked.  The next time temptation comes sniffing in your direction…tell em to “ride out!”

Andale, Ride Out

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“No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because he was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means–the only complete realist.”                                                             -C.S. Lewis