Why You’re Tempted
— Monday, April 11th, 2011 —
I don’t know what’s wrong with you.
Maybe you tear up when you think about the words you screamed at your kids this morning. Maybe you’ve deleted the history cache of your computer this week, again, promising yourself that you’ll never access those images again. Maybe you carry that empty snack bag in your purse to throw away later, so people in your office won’t see it in the wastebasket. Maybe the prescription drugs in your desk drawer right now are the only things keeping you sane, and you fear they’re making you crazy. Maybe you just can’t stop thinking about the smell of your co-worker’s hair, or the clink of the whiskey glass at the table nearby.
Maybe what you’re tempted to do is so wild that I wouldn’t feel comfortable posting it on this page, or maybe it’s so tame that I wouldn’t even think to mention it. I don’t know. But I think I know what’s behind it all.
You’re being tempted right now, and so am I. Most of the time we don’t even know it. And, in every one of those moments, we want either to overestimate or underestimate the power of that temptation. We overestimate it by thinking something along the lines of, “I have these feelings, so therefore I’m predestined to be this kind of person.” We underestimate it by thinking something along the lines of, “I’m not tempted to do anything terrible, like adultery or murder. I’m just struggling with this small thing, say, bitterness over my infertility.”
But it’s there, and it’s wild.
Temptation is so strong in our lives because it’s not about us. Temptation is an assault by the demonic powers on the rival empire of the Messiah. That’s why conversion doesn’t diminish the power of temptation, as we often assume, but actually, counter-intuitively, ratchets it up.
If you bear the Spirit of the One the powers rage against, they will seek you out. They want to tear down the icon of the Crucified One that they see embedded in you (1 Pet. 4:14; Rev. 12:17). We’re targeted because we resemble our firstborn brother, Jesus.
We all, whether believers or not, bear some resemblance to Jesus because we share with him a human nature, the image of God. As we come to find peace with God through Jesus, though, we begin a journey of being conformed more and more into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). The demons shriek in the increasing glory of that light, and they’ll seek even more frenetically to put it out of their sights.
This post is adapted from my new book, Tempted and Tried.
Dr. Moore,
Great insight in today’s excerpt from your book. I have been looking for something that I think may be part of what you deal with in your book. Could you help me out as I strive to do some background understanding of temptation and sin. James 1:14-15 expresses how temptation is something that appeals to our own lust. The Scripture then proceeds to define for us the order of which temptation brings about sin and ultimately death. Could you help me understand something?
Does your book cover how Jesus was tempted when He was not born in depravity? I know Jesus being fully human took on the tendency to sin because of the flesh, but he overcame the temptation because of the power of the Spirit. The same way you and I can overcome temptation in our sanctification. However, how was Jesus tempted if there was no tendency within his flesh to sin? Am I headed down the wrong road here? Please feel free to correspond with me privately if this is not the tread in which you are headed with this post.
Blessings,
Tim
@Tim Rogers, Bro. Tim, if you’ll send me your mailing address, I’d be happy to send you a copy.
Thank you for this, Dr. Moore. Very timely and encouraging. I hope to pick up a copy of your book very soon.
Read this last night to the other college guys living with me, also decided to order the book. Very encouraging, I can’t wait to start reading and growing in this ongoing battle, and will enjoy sharing with others whatever help I find in it. Thanks!
@Alex Cantrell, That is very kind. Blessings to you!
I can’t wait to read this!
“If you bear the Spirit of the One the powers rage against, they will seek you out. They want to tear down the icon of the Crucified One that they see embedded in you (1 Pet. 4:14; Rev. 12:17). We’re targeted because we resemble our firstborn brother, Jesus.”
I love that line! So often when bad things happen in Christians’ lives, we think we’re either being punished or that God simply isn’t happy with us. We rarely take the time to realize that we are at war and are under attack.
I’m halfway through the book as of today - there is some pretty profound stuff there. I love it when I pick up a book not expecting much and get blown away by it.
From the book:
“John the Baptist put his head on a platter to speak the truth that not even a king can claim another man’s wife. John the Modern Evangelical isn’t willing to put his retirement benefits on the table to say the same thing to a congretional business meeting.”
WOW - that just blew me away! And the book is full of bold statements like that. How refreshing to see a pastor with some guts to proclaim the truth. Also - I am finding this a bit more down-to-earth and realistic than I did Owen’s “Mortification of Sin.” I am loving this book. I robably will turn around and re-read it once I’m through with it. Thanks for writing this. Good stuff in there….
Thank you!
Thank you for taking sin and particularly temptation seriously enough to think, read, and pray about it so that others might profit from it. As a young pastor with a young family I look forward to working through your book and letting it work through me so that I might better lead my young boys, wife and the church where God has placed me so that we may all live lives holy unto God.