My college philosophy professor had once been extremely overweight, but through a doctor’s care had shed the excess weight and has kept it off for decades. How? He would say, “just eat less!” To him, weight loss was a simple matter of willpower. If you need to lose weight, stop eating all the bad things. What could be easier? Reminds me of my dad’s simple advice:
“Weigh yourself every day. If the number goes up, eat less until it goes back down.”
Some people make it sound so easy. But it is not easy. For most people, willpower is the hardest thing we do. Temptation is hard, right? Saying no to French fries, ice cream, or hot donuts is hard!
Oscar Wilde said, “I can resist anything but temptation.” Ain’t it the truth?
When Abraham met King Abimelech, he introduced his wife Sarah as his sister. Why? Sarah was a woman of unusual beauty. Abraham was afraid King Abimelech would kill him and take his wife. Rather than trust in God’s protection, Abraham lied and asked Sarah to lie and say she was his sister. Immediately, Sarah was recruited into the King’s harem. But months passed and the King never slept with Sarah. Then one night God came to the unbelieving king in a dream and spoke to him about Sarah:
“‘Behold, thou art a dead man because of the woman thou hast taken. For she is another man’s wife.’ But Abimelech had not come near her and he said, ‘Even she herself said, he is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands have I done this.’ And God said to him, ‘Yea, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart, for I also kept thee from sinning against me, for I would not let you touch her. Now give the man back his wife … and thou shalt live’” Genesis 20:3-7.
How do you resist temptation? One way to resist is for God to make the sin impossible.
“I also kept thee from sinning against me” Genesis 20:6.
Isn’t that amazing? If you are struggling with temptation, PRAY! Ask God to keep you from sinning against him. He can do it.
I believe God will also train you to resist. You need to have self-control and willpower in this life. You also need to change your habits so the temptation crosses your path less often. Drive a different route. Go to different stores. Find a different hobby or a different way to spend your time. Make new friends. Steer clear of drive-thru lanes. Often you can make small changes to build fences* between you and the things that tempt you. Memorizing an applicable verse of scripture can also be a huge help. Start with 1 Corinthians 10:13.
And finally, never forget prayer: God has the power to keep you from sinning. Ask him to help you!
ΑΩ
*For more on the rabbinical notion of building “fences” to protect you from sin, consider https://dadsdailydevotionals.com/2023/08/10/dont-give-the-devil-a-foothold/.
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