This past Sunday I taught about temptation. I had a little fun talking about how tempted I get by junk food; Cadberry Cream Eggs, Oreos, and Reece's peanut butter cups are some of my favorites. As I shared during worship, when I know those items are in our pantry, I will eat everything else in there trying to avoid that which I crave. Ironically, after practically eating everything else in the pantry, I'll go ahead and indulge my cravings, figuring what do I have to lose.
I heard a lot of comments from people following the services about how you know exactly what I mean. It seems once the temptation monster creeps in, our common sense receptors get shut off, and even though we know better, we cannot control ourselves. It baffles my mind and bothers Tiffany when I get that particular look in my eye, because when I do, I cannot be stopped.
You might be thinking to yourself, "Pastor, there's a big difference between a cookie and what it is I struggle with." You might very well be right, but there is something scary about that loss of control where no matter what you want to do, you cannot help yourself. And this is biblical, too; check out what Paul wrote in Romans 7:14-16, "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good." Can you feel the tension? I know it is palpable for me.
To help us deal with these temptations, I introduced a concept called, "stoppers". Stoppers are behaviors that are completely incompatible with your temptation and can be a great way to "renew your mind" when faced with temptation. For me, when I find myself craving junk food, I will brush my teeth and gargle with mouthwash; nothing quite ruins the thought of the flavor of an Oreo as Listerine! If that doesn't work, I might go and do twenty-five jumping jacks or so. If that still doesn't work, then I'll take a walk, knowing that if I'm a couple miles away from my pantry, it's harder to give into my cravings. I do have to be careful, though, because I've been known to justify a little binge here and there, thinking I earned it with my exercise. That's stinkin' thinkin' and only undermines what I'm trying to accomplish in the first place.
In addition to physical stoppers, spiritual stoppers are important, too. Use the power of Jesus to cast out temptations. Pray to God for deliverance. Read your Bible. Sing your favorite hymn or worship song. Do something to call upon the power of Jesus in your to fight off the temptation that is plaguing.
These physical and spiritual stoppers can be a powerful tool in your arsenal, especially when it comes to renewing your mind. When you obsess over a temptation, it bores itself deeper and deeper into your consciousness. The more you think about trying to avoid the Oreo, the more you think about the Oreo to a point where the temptation can be too much. And I know it might not be an Oreo where you struggle; maybe it's another food, drink, pill, website, person, or some other thing that tempts you. The evil one knows what it is and wants to use these items to accuse you and have you feel as though you don't deserve the love and grace of God.
I want to leave you with a great verse from Philippians 3:21 that talks about how the power of Jesus "will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." God wants to take the trash of our lives and shape it into the treasure of heaven. Think about that. With all the ways the evil one tries to take your temptations and try to discredit your witness or claim to. God's glory, it is the lovingly powerful hand of Jesus that transforms even the lowliest parts of our lives into the glory of heaven.
So if to find yourself struggling with a temptation right now, put a 'stop' to it! Change the way you think. Engage in behavior that prevents you from doing what you'd otherwise want to do. And call upon the power of Jesus that seeks to transform your life. The evil one wants you to think your temptations disqualify you from God's salvation, but the beauty of it is that it's Jesus who makes the change possible. Call upon Jesus...place your faith in Him...know He is with you always, even to the end of the age!
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