Temptations...

(Luke 22:40) and having come to the place, he said to them, "PRAY you not to enter into temptation."

(Matthew 6:13) (praying) and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
 
Except what and who we are without condemning and allow the spirit to grow spiritual fruit from within. Be seduced.
  • Zechariah 8:2 Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.
  • James 4:5-6 Or do you suppose it is in vain that the scripture says, He yearns jealously over the spirit which he has made to dwell in us? But he gives more grace; therefore it says, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
  • Song of Songs 2:4-5 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Sustain me with raisins, refresh me with apples; for I am sick with love.
  • Song of Songs 6:10-13 Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the fields, and lodge in the villages; let us go out early to the vineyards, and see whether the vines have budded, whether the grape blossoms have opened and the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give you my love. The mandrakes give forth fragrance, and over our doors are all choice fruits, new as well as old, which I have laid up for you, O my beloved.
 
Take this as a rule, Alex P: The soul doesnt accept void. If you dont get your soul busy with piety, it will get you busy with bad things.
 
I broke my temptations today :D Yeah that was once, but hey I was in a situation where I could of been I guess "defeated" again, and I was able to take control of it, perhaps I am beginning to grow/mature spiritually..... :)

I can see this will never be easy though lol. And I think it is personally a good way to look at it... It ain't ever gonna be easy.
 
Christians are very good at advocating sin by describing it as "tempting." This implies that there is some kind of value in sinning.

How about this: sin has no value.
 
James 4:7 (New International Version)

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
 
Alex

I had the same questions... I think all new believers do really..

I like how my pastor explained it. Temptation is like developing a callous the more you resist the easier it gets.. but if you give in it wears away a couple layers and you have to work that callous back up. So it does get easier the more you resist it...

Another thing that helps me is this equation Temptation + Action = Sin

Its not a sin to be tempted as Jesus was tempted in all ways which makes me feel better knowing He knows what I am going through.. so as long as we are tempted and dont act on it we are ok

Im just comforted knowing that we are saved by His grace through our faith in Him... not what we do or do not do here on this earth.

:)

FS
 
Eclectic Mystic said:
Christians are very good at advocating sin by describing it as "tempting." This implies that there is some kind of value in sinning.

How about this: sin has no value.
Click to expand...

Ohhh I dont know....there are a few 'sins' I value pretty highly ;)
 
Ecclectic Mystic said:
Christians are very good at advocating sin by describing it as "tempting." This implies that there is some kind of value in sinning.

How about this: sin has no value.
Click to expand...
I think the perceived value in sinning comes from the concept of iniquity, but I think its unfair to tag all Christians as advocates of sin. I agree that sin has no value, which is its definition. Sin translates as 'error', but sin is frequently more than just accidents. It also refers to purposeful mistakes made in spite of knowing better. Sin is within us at all times, fighting against our better judgment.(Romans chap 7) Messy rooms, littering, and overeating are all examples of sins with various consequence levels. An example of consequence is that poverty would be impossible if people were not greedy. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Psalm 14:2-3 The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any that act wisely, that seek after God. They have all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt; there is none that does good, no, not one.

Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
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tao said:
Ohhh I dont know....there are a few 'sins' I value pretty highly ;)
Click to expand...

This is my point. You value them because you don't actually view them as being sins. Other people call them sins and they've tricked you into agreeing with their concept, even if you are being sarcastic.

dream said:
It also refers to purposeful mistakes made in spite of knowing better. Sin is within us at all times, fighting against our better judgment.(Romans chap 7) Messy rooms, littering, and overeating are all examples of sins with various consequence levels.
Click to expand...

I just see so much irony in this. First of all, "purposeful mistakes" is an oxymoron. You're basically advocating that there is a value in messy rooms, littering, etc. Some Christians attempt to trick anyone who questions or challenges them into harming themselves/doing things they wouldn't have seen a value in doing in the first place. Because of this concept of sin (which is all it is-- a concept) people bounce back and forth between the two mentalities:

"Sin has value and I should suppress it" and
"Sin has value and I should give in to it."

I stay away from this crap and simply tell myself "Sin has no value."
 
Eclectic Mystic said:
This is my point. You value them because you don't actually view them as being sins. Other people call them sins and they've tricked you into agreeing with their concept, even if you are being sarcastic.

I just see so much irony in this. First of all, "purposeful mistakes" is an oxymoron. You're basically advocating that there is a value in messy rooms, littering, etc. Some Christians attempt to trick anyone who questions or challenges them into harming themselves/doing things they wouldn't have seen a value in doing in the first place. Because of this concept of sin (which is all it is-- a concept) people bounce back and forth between the two mentalities:

"Sin has value and I should suppress it" and
"Sin has value and I should give in to it."

I stay away from this crap and simply tell myself "Sin has no value."
Click to expand...
Yes, 'sin' is an unusal word that's easily misunderstood, fairly abstract. People have used it to put other people on guilt trips, before. Is that what you're talking about?

Yes, 'purposeful mistake' is an oxymoron, however I explained what I meant by it. Why so hostile? Some people know they should drink enough water, but they don't. Purposeful mistake. Its a mistake not to drink more water, but they do it anyway. One consequence is a slower metabolism. You don't want to use the word sin, so don't. How about 'Bad decision' or 'Poor choice'?
 
The struggle between the spirit and the flesh is often represented as being a central task for humans. I don't doubt that it's a basic issue, but I wonder if the spiritually lopsided mind isn't the more fundamental problem because it leads to derangements of the will. The turn-on of sensory pleasures - including appreciation of art and music - starts with the mind. It is mental imagery that disposes the will.

I think the real "struggle" involves the will, not the senses. It seems human beings experience autonomy most immediately and directly by exercising their will against G-d's wishes. This rejection of being dependent on G-d actually has little to do with seeking sensual experiences as such. It has to do with being attached to them to the point where one is unable to practice the Presence.

You can be willful about almost anything. You can be attached to any kind of experience in the sensual, aesthetic, and intellectual realms. Heck, if you really want to you can even be attached to your remorse and shame about being a sinner and keep sinning just to keep the feelings of remorse and shame going indefinitely.

The effect of sin is the deadening of the spiritual aspirations that give life meaning and that link the person the Family of G-d. Sin isolates the person and binds them to their finitude and keeps them from carrying out the kinds of creative focalizations that facilitate the ongoing evolvement of true life with the help of the Holy Spirit. To me that is the meaning of "spiritual death." It is the absence of true life due to a predominance of false consciousness.

You've heard of instant karma. The bondage of sin is immediate. In a very real sense, the effect of sin is right now because it introduces developmental lags into the evolving personality. There's no need to wait for judgment day where an accounting person will go over your lifetime tally with you.


Eclectic Mystic said:
Christians are very good at advocating sin by describing it as "tempting." This implies that there is some kind of value in sinning.

How about this: sin has no value.
Click to expand...
I think it's part of the navigation system. The value of sin lies in being able to learn from it and knowing not to keep repeating the sin over and over again, as though you'd get different results.

Eclectic Mystic said:
You value them because you don't actually view them as being sins.
Click to expand...
To me the concept of "wanting to do it my way" suggests otherwise. People do know they are sins and that is exactly why they value them.

The defiance of G-d will and the deliberate repetition of sin bespeaks the inward attachment and willful intent.
 
Hey, I admit it. I have a will of my own, and I'm a sinner. I can use my will to resist the temptation to sin, although sometimes I don't, usually due to my misunderstanding the situation. So, I can be weak-willed and weak-minded (human) at times. (Something I need to continually work on...)
 
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