The
next stumbling block to living life victoriously is
"Temptation"
So
often we have an “I want it now” attitude when it may not be good
for us to have it right now because we are not ready. However,
we are tempted to get it now. That is a stumbling block to
living victoriously because if we get it now and we are not ready for
it, we will ruin it completely. But… if we are patient
and wait and we allow “it” to develop into what it should be and
we prepare ourselves be ready to receive “it” when it is ripe,
then we have the full blessing of whatever “it” is meant to be.
We will also have the opportunity to develop a new state of mind
that is not rushed but patient for the best.
Some types of temptations are not
necessarily wrong. I will give you my experience in
dealing with temptation and how I overcame it.
Temptations
can also be things that are ok for others, but not ok for you because
of a negative impact. i.e.: Chocolate is a delicious treat when used
in temperance.
MY
EXPERIENCE:
About
18 years ago, I was completely addicted to chocolate like an alcoholic
is to alcohol. I could not control the eating of it. I was a
slave to it and I allowed it to control me.
I
asked the Lord to deliver me from that addiction and within 2 months,
I couldn't even stand the smell of it, let alone the taste. I would
have to be totally disgusted with chocolate and the addiction to
chocolate in order to not eat it. To this day, I can’t stand the
smell of it, nor the taste. It was a temptation and a stumbling block
because it prevented me from reaching my goal in dealing with my
weight and health. It was also a weakness in discipline that I needed
overcome. Now, I have lived victoriously in overcoming it for over 18 years.
However,
that was only made possible when I admitted that I had the problem of
chocolate addiction and when I desired to rid myself of that
addiction. YOU
CAN DO IT TOO!
ANOTHER
TEMPTATION:
Then
there are the temptations that are wrong according to God’s word
and His 10 commandments. They are also very relevant in dealing with
living a victorious life because they deal with how you treat God and
how you treat others.
As we
overcome temptations and stumbling blocks, we form a new state of
mind. One that is strengthened in our ability to overcome.
Let's take a look at how to overcome these many
temptations.
We
know that the temptations that we experience is because of what is
desirable to us, that is why it is tempting sometimes ONLY to us. We
must realize that we have strength in us to overcome temptations, but
only if we choose to overcome. Whatever you WILL to overcome, you CAN
overcome by power that is put in you. Then, once we have victory over
the temptations, we must live in that victory and not become a slave
to it any longer. Avoid places, peoples, pleasures, habits, or things
that are going to cause you to slide backwards in your victory so
that your victory will be a complete and utter victory.
Below,
I have included the original Twelve Steps as published by Alcoholics
Anonymous, I found that these are very relevant for any temptation, addiction, obstacle, etc... Where the word alcohol
was, I placed the word “temptation”. As you read this,
place the temptation, or obstacle that is preventing you, in the
place of temptation.
1.
Admit that you are powerless over “temptation”—that your
life
has become unmanageable.
2.
Come to believe that a Power greater than yourself could
restore
you to sanity.
3.
Make a decision to turn your will and your life over to the
care
of God as you understand Him.
4.
Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of yourself.
5.
Admit to God, to yourself, and to another human being the
exact
nature of your temptations.
6.
Be entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of
character
from you.
7.
Humbly ask Him to remove your shortcomings.
8.
Make a list of all persons you have harmed because of this
temptation & be willing to make amends to all.
9.
Make direct amends to such people wherever possible,
except
when to do so would injure them or others.
10.
Continued to take personal inventory and when you are
wrong
promptly admit it.
11.
Seek through prayer & meditation to improve your
conscious contact
with God as you understand Him,
praying only for knowledge
of His will for you & the
POWER to carry that out.
12.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these
steps, try
to carry this message to others who are slaves
to their temptations,
& to practice these principles in all
your affairs.
Again,
once you overcome these temptations and obstacles, you must then
continue to live victoriously by avoiding places, peoples, pleasures,
habits, or things that are going to cause you to slide backwards into
that obstacle or temptation that you have had victory over. As
you do these things, your victory will be a complete and utter
victory.
As
you conquer your own desires, temptations, addictions, and
obstacles, you will not only change your own situation, you will also
change your state of mind. Cheers!