03: Enduring Temptation – Hit the Mark
For the last two weeks I have been engaged in a war of wills with a family of squirrels. Those cute little creatures always scampering about my yard had now become my opponents. Unbeknownst to me these creatures had taken up residence in my house.
My wife had suggested some time ago that there could be critters in the attic. I assured her that was not the case as I could see no evidence of that. But over time I too became convinced that something was scratching in the walls of our house.
I engaged a wildlife trapping company who came out for a week in an attempt to capture and relocate these uninvited guests. That endeavor failed and I was back where I started – squirrels in my house.
After doing another visual inspection of my house I discovered a hole in my roof that the squirrels were using for their entry. I don’t know how I missed that hole all this time but now that I had discovered it I knew that my problem would be soon solved.
I got the hole repaired and even included some tin under the new tiles. Later that evening after the repair I watched as the trio of confused squirrels tried vainly to reenter the house. I must admit I took great satisfaction in knowing that I had removed these pests and that I could now focus on other things besides being consumed with removing the squirrels.
Sometime during the next day I looked up towards the repaired hole expecting to see the sad squirrels gazing longingly at their former abode. Instead, to my dismay, I saw a new hole beneath the one that had been repaired. They had found another point of weakness and had reentered the house. This was now war.
Gathering up some fresh supplies I waited for my opportunity. I had to wait until they went outside for their normal time of foraging. This made for a long day as I could hear them chewing away as they expanded their new entrance. It almost seemed as if they were taunting me. Who chews for hours?!
My patience paid off and I observed them outside frolicking in the leaves. I pounced and quickly climbed my ladder and blocked off their new entrance. All the while I was doing this I noticed the squirrels watching me. Their little eyes seemed sad but I was unsympathetic – they had to go.
As I climbed down from the ladder I begin to think how this week’s lesson on Enduring Temptation played out in real life through my encounter with the squirrels. It was a fitting example of the process of temptation.
My house, which I assumed was secure, was really not. There were points of weakness that the squirrels exploited. That alone reminded me of the text “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12. We can never feel we are beyond the power of temptation.
I also pondered the truth that a victory gained does not mean the battle is won. As the squirrels watched me block up their point of entry I knew that they would not cease in their attempts to reenter the house. Vigilance on my part was needed.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8
Today I’m having a tree removed that made it easy for the squirrels to gain access to my roof. This can’t stop them completely but it will certainly make their task harder. I saw the correlation in our fight against sin. We must remove, as far as possible, those avenues of entry that Satan exploits. That may be easier to say than to do, but it must be done.
“All who name the name of Christ need to watch and pray and guard the avenues of the soul, for Satan is at work to corrupt and destroy if the least advantage is given him.” Ellen White, Adventist Home, pg 403
I could go on and on but just a short while ago I discovered a new point of entry these persistent critters had found to gain entry to my home. Time to renew the battle.
Here are a few Hit the Mark questions for this week’s lesson discussion:
- What does the word “temptation” mean to you?
- What does it mean to gain the victory over temptation?
- It is said that being tempted is not sin. Does that mean if I have impure thoughts I am not sinning as long as I don’t act them out? Why yes or no?
- What does it mean to control the tongue?
- How serious of a sin is gossiping?
- Is the following statement True, Mostly True, Somewhat True or Not True: I will become less tempted the stronger my relationship with Christ grows. Explain your answer.
We close this week with the wisdom of the Psalmist. Thank God for His Word:
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Psalms 119:9-12
Until next week, let’s all continue to Hit the Mark in Sabbath School!
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Thank you for sharing and comparing your experience. It all makes sense.
We really need to watch and pray to guard ourselves and gain the power to resist temptation.
The reason our Father in heaven deals so strongly with sin in us isn't because He expects us to be perfect without Him. It's not because we should 'know better'.
It's because He's given us everything we need and want to overcome. There's His grace and mercy that attracts us, His sacrifice that pays for the penalty, His gift of His own Spirit, who interprets our prayers, pricks our conscience when we fail then gives us strength, encouragement and power in the midst of sin and temptation to overcome.
He gives His own presence and Jesus intercedes for us when we do fail. He lovingly takes us back, not reminding us of failed attempts at obeying Him. He gives us our fellow created beings, the mighty angels who see His face, telling Him of our lives in the moment.
He provides our temporal needs. When we're despondent, hurt or grieving because we live on such a sin-sick planet, He soothes and comforts us. Sometimes He heals and takes away the pain, but sometimes in mercy He holds us while we endure.
If we're sick, He keeps vigil till He heals us or until we fall asleep in Him. He's never failed to keep His promises, He's never left us alone, He's never looked down on us because we fail. He never tires of rescuing us from ourselves and other sinful human beings who knowing or ignorantly discourage, lie on, cheat, misuse or harm us.
There's nothing we need He hasn't provided. We only have to trust Him. If that's not possible because of what we've endured here on earth, we just have to tell Him, He'll provide us rest in His providence and ask Him as our loving Father for whatever it is we need.
Thank you Nanci for your above comment.my prayer is that God by His Spirit will ever remind me what He has done and is doing for the saving of my soul. Thank so much and God bless you. Remember me in your prayer
Nancy, indeed our Father in Heaven on-time provides all we need to overcome, as you so wisely delineated. How is it that many or most of us struggle with the same temptation for many many years?
Hurford, without being too simplistic, I think sometimes it comes down a matter of will. We never really make a decision (either to stop or to do whatever it is). We say we want to, would like to, we ought to, and seldom make a decision to do. That may be a factor.
Hurford, I think we struggle for many years because we don't understand what the will is and how to yield it to God. Anyway, any righteousness we produce on our own with our natural motivation is considered like filthy rags to God because it was not motivated by Love but by our natural (selfish) motivation--which is apart from God.
Our will is like the engine which powers a bulldozer, but the driver of the bulldozer is like the spirit. The bulldozer itself is like our physical body. The "driver" of the bulldozer is naturally "self" or "ego." Until we let "self" die and accept the driver of God (Holy Spirit of Love) to be the driver of our will we cannot have the character of God. No matter how many good things we do we cannot have the righteousness of Christ without His motivation of Love.
Temptations come in our most unguarded moment. But be of God cheer, as CHRIST was able to resist all forms of temptation, He will forever guide us if we CLING to him in every second of a minute. God bless.
Raul, I agree with you. I've also discovered that when we are tired and worn out, that is an especially dangerous time regarding yielding to temptations. The laws of health aid us in this journey. Thanks!
Curtis, I will attempt to answer your last "hit the mark" question. In my life I can see evidence of growth in the character of God. I have not seen that temptations have stopped, but I have seen that some temptations no longer have the same effect on me they did before. So they don't seem like temptations so much any more.
I am thankful for Jesus' instruction to us to watch and pray always, because temptations do still come in the areas I didn't realize I had weakness.
I believe, however, that our areas of weakness can be strengthened by simply choosing to let Jesus' Holy Spirit be our motivation though every temptation or issue we meet. Then we can walk on without falling.
Eventually, with the Holy Spirit as our motivator through every issue where temptations are likely to assail us, He can fill every weakness we have. We are not infinite in our unknown wickedness so there is an end to it. Enoch and Elijah are two examples of this and we are told that unwritten examples of this type of complete Godly character have been in every generation.
Let's strive to be among that number. Let us walk the walk while watching and praying for the Holy Spirit to come in and produce God's character in us amidst the temptations of life.
Great story about the squirrels! Hope everything can be worked our to your satisfaction.
Donald, thanks for your reply. Your answer is the exact answer I would give. Temptation will be with us this side of heaven but I should be stronger in the Lord as my walk with Him develops.
BTW, so far so good on my squirrel issue
The story of squirels is relevant and it just makes sense.Thank you.
Thanks Thomas. It's always amazing the lessons we can learn from nature.
Hi Curtis, thank you for sharing your story of the war between yourself and the Squirrels. For some reason the mention of them chewing away to make their entry bigger and more convenient to themselves, brought a vidvid picture to my mind of how a temptation can get under your skin and gnaw away at your will. Your response of watching for just the right moment to patch their entry reminded me how important it is to draw closer to God. Doing so, arming ourselves helps us to ward off the satan's blows.
Am so blessed by that experience. Indeed as christians, we should close all Satan's weak avenues by giving/surrendering our lives to God.
Curtis,
Great story about your squirrel family. I love their persistence in being able to retake their home of security and enjoyment. I hope we can become as persistent as your little critters. God's power is with them, and they will make it home, no matter how much the enemy tries to keep them out of their final home.
Well, that is not your story of course. Could I be real? Why not treasure your family of squirrels, and provide them lodging. They are not hurting you or yours.
Ok, that is not your story either. How about considering Paul's method:
Rom 12:1, 2
1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Curtis, you have been battling on your own, even bringing in your choice of a trapper. You even had some temporary celebrations. But know they will be back again, right in your building. So why not turn over the building to the Master Builder, and let Him transform it into a squirrel resistant fortress, so that the squirrels will know they no longer have a comfortable home in your heart.
Transform the heart; renew the mind. God's method. Turn it over Curtis. And we are in there with you, following the examples of Abraham, Moses, Paul and Peter; but even more so, the example of the best of them all: Jesus Christ Himself. He testified that the devil found no place in Him. Ah, squirrel deflation. Don't even try Satan, its a done deal. The snuggled corners of squirrel down have been eliminated; for Jesus Christ has made my heart fully and completely His "manger".
Thanks for the nudge my Brother.