Flee from Sin

Matthew 18:8-9
8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

I recently read a sermon which said that it is not possible for us to turn from sin (I'd quote my source on this... but my computer decided to blow up at that moment and my history was not saved). The sermon went on to say that we can try to turn from sin - but it won't work. Sin will always be there. Temptation will always be there. Instead of turning from sin, we need to be turning to God. And, I agree with this concept.

This is not to say that we shouldn't try to avoid sin. We need to try to steer clear of it. We need to continue to try to resist it. But if we turn to God... if we ask his help in turning away from this sin... if we ask his guidance... we have a much better chance at turning from temptation. If we concentrate on prayer and service, on reading and studying scripture, we are less likely to succumb to temptation.

Now, I won't go into too much more detail on the subject of sin and temptation, simply because I think my last three blog posts were all on the same subject. However, I do want to touch on one particular part of this...

Avoiding sin. Fleeing from it.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I write smut. I have since I was in seventh grade. One of my most recent questions I've asked is whether or not writing this is a sin. I'm still not certain on the answer to this question. However, I was given one response which puts it into perspective if you take the time to think about it...

"There is an inherent danger in it, but that danger does not equal sinfulness. The question I'd ask yourself is this: Is writing this helping the people around me?"

And the answer to this?

Well, it depends on what kind of "help" I'm trying to provide the people around me...

Quite seriously, most of my writing is cathartic. My smut writing - not as much. Most of the time, this is simply either a) my fantasies written out for the world to see... or for my own eyes, depending on if I post them publicly; or b) an attention-seeking device; or c) all the above.

But, neither of these reasons for writing are helpful to myself (well, other than in a lustful, sinful manner), my relationship with God, or other people. In fact, I would almost go so far as to say they could be detrimental to these relationships. First, by spending so much time writing these, I take my focus off where it should be. Second, most of the themes held within the stories themselves are often sinful (unmarried couples - often strangers; or cheating spouses; or couples which just shouldn't be together; or situations which are taboo).

And therefore, they probably should not be written.

For this reason, I will not be writing any more on Passion's Garden, and will be removing that site as soon as I've had a chance to back up the stories posted there (yes, I know... it doesn't make sense to save these, but I have a very big problem deleting any of my writings - right or wrong, sinful or not... It stems from my childhood. Don't judge me).

Doing this is my personal way of avoiding the sin of lust (and the desire to tempt others with this sin). It is said that should we want to turn from sin, we must do what is needed - if our eye causes us to stumble, gorge it out.... I won't quite go to that extreme, but I will remove the temptation....

At least until I can come up with a better answer to whether or not writing these fantasies are a sinful act or not.

Immediate Satisfaction (Under Pressure)

He paced the hall, desperate for a drink. He had no money for a bottle. But oh how he wanted to go buy one. He pulled out his checkbook and decided one bounced check wouldn't make that big of a difference.

She saw the dress sitting in the store window, mocking her. She knew she should be saving her money - it was meant to go towards her college education. But oh how nice that dress would look on her. And it wasn't that expensive. She'd worry about the college fund later.

He watched the gorgeous red-head with the long legs as she brought him his drink and slipped him a piece of paper with her number on it. His wife was at home, but she'd been so distant lately, not wanting him to touch her. He figured his wife would never have to find out about the leggy ginger as he pulled out his phone.

She cried softly in her bed, her body covered in fresh bruises, and prayed to the Devil, offering her soul in exchange for the beatings to stop. Praying to God hadn't worked, so this was her last resort.

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In Genesis 25:27-34, we learn the story of how Jacob conned Esau out of his birthright. Esau, famished, begged Jacob for some stew. Jacob agreed to give it to him, provided Esau swore to give up his birthright. Back then (and in some cultures still today), birthright was incredibly important. It was generally a right held for the eldest son, and offered him a greater inheritance and the honor of one day being the leader of the family. Esau gave up these rights for food. He chose immediate satisfaction over lasting benefits.

Like Esau, all the characters in the above scenarios also chose immediate satisfaction over lasting benefits. They chose to satisfy an addiction over the benefits of having money to pay bills and having a healthy lifestyle. They chose material things over the benefits of an education. They chose to give in to the pressure of lust instead of keeping the sanctity of marriage. They chose their own safety and life over an eternity in Heaven.

We all face temptations like this. We all feel the pressure to choose immediate satisfaction. And now days, it is even easier for us to achieve that immediate satisfaction. We want to purchase something frivolous? We can order it online, charge it to our credit cards, and voila! Immediate gratification. We feel the pressure to be with someone physically? Or for that physical release? Why bother waiting for the spouse to be in the mood. We can go online and quickly and easily find any number of people willing to help us out; or we can find any sort of material to help us out.

This age of excessive technology makes sin so much closer to our fingertips - makes it so much easier to get that instant satisfaction. One problem with it being so easy, so within reach - we don't have time to think about the consequences of our actions. If you didn't have a credit card, or access to an online store, you'd have to actually leave your house... this trip to the necessary store could give you those few extra minutes you need to realize that you're putting your finances in jeopardy for something you don't need. You'd have that time to sit back and pray for strength to not give in to the need for instant gratification.

Of course, we can't place the blame on this technology. Yes, it makes it easier for us to sin, but it is still our choice. It is still our decision to grab hold of instant satisfaction rather than pray, reach for, and work towards, lasting benefits.

But it is so easy to give in to these pressures. We exaggerate our needs, as Esau did. Esau stated he was dying from being so hungry. Indeed, he was not. He exaggerated his need, which rationalized his decision to give up his birthright. And as humans, when under pressure, we are so good at rationalizing things. The reasons which would keep us from cheating on our spouse, for example - it would hurt the spouse, it would hurt the person we'd be taking to our bed, we'd be hurting ourself... we rationalize all this away. The spouse will never know. The person we're having sex with wants it as well, and therefore there is no injury. And personally? We want it as well, and so long as it stays a secret, no one knows and therefore there is no personal consequence. See... rationalized. We can now receive that immediate satisfaction.

Of course, thinking realistically about this, we realize that we do indeed hurt not only everyone involved, but God as well. We sin against God by abandoning or ignoring our marriage vows. But under pressure, we don't think of this. We see only immediate satisfaction and don't concern ourselves with the lasting benefits.

Through our faith in God, and our desire to do his will and our acceptance of him and his grace, we can find the strength to fight these pressures. With help from God, we can face this pressure, and recognize that the pressure and need isn't as great as we had exaggerated. We can look beyond immediate satisfaction and look towards lasting benefits.

Temptation

Anyone who claims to never have been tempted is a liar. And anyone who claims to never have given in to temptation, is also a liar. We are all tempted, many times and in many ways. Even Jesus was tempted by the devil. Luke 4:1-13 tells the story of Jesus in the desert.

After his baptism, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and led into the desert where he wandered for 40 days. During this time, he fasted. The devil came to him and pointed out that if Jesus were the Son of God, he could easily turn a stone into a loaf of bread. But Jesus did not. Instead... "Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"" (Luke 4:4).

Then the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and offered them to Jesus in return for Jesus worshipping him. Again, Jesus did not. "Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'"" (Luke 4:8).

Finally, the devil brought him to the top of the temple and told him to throw himself off and that if he is the Son of God, the angels would protect him. And once again, Jesus did not. "Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"" (Luke 4:12).

These three temptations are indicative of the temptations we all face.

The temptation to depend on oneself and one's own strength; and to put our physical needs above our spiritual needs.
The temptation of power, money, stuff, often at the expense of abandoning God.
The temptation of putting God to the test; of believing we can do what we wish and that God will step in to protect us.

What are you tempted by? What weaknesses does Satan try to tempt you with? Perhaps you have a weakness for alcohol or drugs. Perhaps it's money. Or sex. Perhaps it's doing whatever it takes to get promoted in your job. Perhaps it's doing whatever it takes for people to notice and appreciate you.

There is nothing wrong with wanting money. Or with desiring food. Or hoping for a promotion at work. Where the sin comes into play is when we bypass God's wishes for us - when we ignore God's will - to achieve these things. When we stop praying to God and worshipping him, and instead take matters into our own hands, this is when we sin.

When we have an addiction, such an intense craving or need for anything - alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, etc. - and we believe we have the power to overcome these on our own, and that we do not need God - this can be considered a sin as well. Granted, yes, most addictions are diseases. However, there is a link additionally to a realization that we cannot do it on our own. We must give ourselves to God. We must pray. We must not allow ourselves to 'worship' these temptations Satan puts before us.

How many of you have ever done something dangerous? How many of you have simply shrugged your shoulders and said that if it is your time to go, it's your time to go. You may call it living life to its fullest. But what it is more often is testing God.

Or perhaps you're dealing with an illness and you decided to "try" God's plan. You haven't fully committed yourself to God and his plan. You've basically given God a time-frame in which to heal you - and if he doesn't meet that deadline, you'll try something else. You've given God an ulitmatum. Or, maybe you're one of those who says "I'll put it in God's hands" and that's as far as it goes. You've basically just told God "here, you do it, I have better things to do." Don't misunderstand this - it is important to give your problems to God. It is important to trust in him to be there and to help you. But doing so does not relieve you of responsibility. It's like a child in the classroom... the teacher gives him an assignment, which the student doesn't understand and doesn't fully try to understand. He goes to the teacher and hands the worksheet to her, stating "here, you do it for me" and then goes to recess.

We will always be tempted. Satan will always be waiting for us to be at our weakest - just as he did with Jesus, after Jesus had been wandering and fasting for 40 days. We can't change this. But we can change how we react to those temptations.

When faced with temptation, we must turn to the Lord for strength. Pray. Ask him for the strength and courage to resist that temptation. Absorb ourselves in reading his word. Meditate. Go out and provide service for someone else in his name in order to replace the temptation with something good. Repent when you fail to resist temptation.

Trust in the Lord to help you through times of temptation.