I remember many years ago in a youth bible study, we were talking about temptation. I concluded that one can’t be tempted with what they don’t want. As I was pondering on that answer recently, it occurred to me that the response to temptation reveals one’s belief about God.
I think God’s standard of holiness is exceptionally high, and I often find myself wondering if I’ll ever reach it. Certainly, what makes it challenging is that at some point I take the reins and attempt to perform in my own strength because I become overconfident in my ability to resist temptation. I can tip-toe the line of something because I’m confident that I won’t cross it. And for a while I’m successful in my endeavours. But that’s the worst thing that can happen. “Arrogance comes before a fall” as the scripture says (Proverbs16:18).
But why is it that some temptations are easier to flee from than others?
At the root of it is faith. Do I believe that God will not withhold his best from me? Do I believe God? Can I trust him? I give in to temptation because at the core of my giving in is that I don’t believe that God would give me something satisfying, something good, or He’ll do what He says, thus I have to see for myself or handle the matter myself.
Feelings, emotions, desires, and reasonings are a cloud that ultimately cover the truth of my unbelief. I am loath to believe that God is not good, or faithful, or that He would withhold any good from me. But understand that some seasons last too long. Some hardships feel never-ending. Although He promises that His grace is sufficient, and He strengthens me, it’s not His strength that I often want. It’s relief. I want to get rid of the discomfort. I’ve endured long enough, suffered long enough, waited long enough, been patient long enough.
Nevertheless, James 1:4 reminds me to: “… let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete [mature and complete], lacking nothing.” Ponder on that.
I’m reminded of Moses when he struck the rock, instead of speaking to it as instructed, and God said that Moses didn’t trust Him enough to honor him as holy in the sight of the Israelites. The result was still the same: the Israelites still received water from the rock. But God wanted to be honored, sanctified as holy in the sight of the people. The result was still the same, but how the process achieved the result mattered to God. Moses’ obedience would affect how the people viewed God. He wants to be honored, even if its not in the sight of thousands. Even in that secret thing that no one knows about, He wants your faith and obedience.
Evidently, the point of temptation is to render God as untrustworthy. Hard times, waiting on God, and life challenges affect our belief in God’s goodness. Suddenly, honoring Him does not become the motivation, getting the result does. And the compromises that we make in between chip away at our faith, and we’ll find ourselves doing the opposite of what He demands.
Holiness is not unattainable. We’ve become accustomed to disobedience, and to compromise. Our reverence of God has suffered and so has our faith, that it is too burdensome to believe God, too weighty to endure discomfort, too long to wait for the promises of God, and too risky to believe in them. God is still gracious. We’ll still have victories as Moses did, as David did; he’ll still fulfill promises, but if we don’t tighten up, clean up, and fight to do better, we’ll worship Him for His hand and not for His holiness. And in doing so, we’ll miss out on that perfection and completion that James talks about. The result of that? A relationship with God that isn’t fully stable, sanctified, or complete.
