As the conversation continued between my young guest and myself, I explained to him that as Christians, it is important that we avoid situations that we know will tempt us to sin. There are times that the situation is unavoidable, where it seems that temptation seeks us out; however, many times we are tempted by the very things we can control, such as where we go, who we are hanging out with, and what we are thinking. As Christians, we need to rely on the simplest and most common sense solutions when dealing with the things that so easily allow us to become tempted and yield to sin. If alcohol is our weakness, then avoid the alcohol aisle at the local grocery store, don’t hang out with friends that still drink, and avoid television shows and movies that highlight alcohol use. Redirect your thinking; every time you find yourself thinking about alcohol or the “good ol’ days,” belt out a church hymn or gospel song, recite a verse or two of scripture, or take a moment to say a prayer asking for deliverance. While each one of these seems rather small, there’s tremendous power to resist the temptation to sin when we bring Christ into the center of our efforts.
The apostle Paul wrote that regardless of the source of our temptations, we have to make a conscious decision to yield to sin; I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness (Romans 6:19). Just as we chose to appease the flesh before we were saved, we also make the conscious choice to appease the flesh when we yield to sin. Paul also wrote that as Christians, we need to be proactive in our dealings with our inherent sin nature. In a letter to the early church at Corinth, Paul wrote Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us (I Corinthians 5:7). We need to remove the things, activities, and people in our lives that could give sin a stronghold in our lives.
Paul continued his teaching on the struggles with the flesh; to the Christians in Ephesus, he wrote And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24). Within the letter to the church in Colossae, Paul wrote And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him (Colossians 3:10). Yes, it is a struggle with the flesh daily; the apostle Paul wrote about it extensively in his epistles and urged Christians to resist sin, avoid temptation, and remember the high cost of the grace we have. Even the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy touches on bringing the “cursed” thing – SIN – into where we live: Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing (Deuteronomy 13:17).
The apostle Paul also reminded us that others are watching us, if nothing more than to determine if our faith in Christ Jesus is real. It’s easy to talk the talk but do we actually walk the walk as well? Does our resistance to sin draw others to Christ or does our wilful participation in the desires of the flesh serve to inoculate the lost to the Christ we serve? He wrote to Christians living in Jerusalem, Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2). I have taken comfort in my own walk that I can look to Jesus when I am tempted to sin. I also have peace of mind and heart in knowing that when I do sin, I can seek forgiveness and restore the sweet fellowship with my heavenly Father.
