Temptation, part 1
Neil: When Satan tempts you…he will invite you to fulfill your needs in ways that are outside the boundary of God’s will. Whenever you feel enticed to meet a legitimate need by acting independently of God, you are being tempted through the lust of the flesh.
There are two ways I’m thinking of this… First, when we violate what God’s word says about something, we are outside the boundary of His will. There are things we know are wrong, like lying, but as we’re tempted, we can convince ourselves that there are extenuating circumstances that justify a lie. A legitimate need seems like a good reason to bend a rule, whichever one it is, right? But therein lies the problem.
The second way I’m thinking about this is how I act independently of God… There are times when I don’t check in with Him before doing something that could be justified, but isn’t good for me. If the Holy Spirit is whispering to me that I ought to be doing something else, I’m too busy charging ahead to listen. My act of independence is the problem.
When we started this section yesterday, I read the phrase “the lust of the flesh” and was curious as to how it would translate. I’m back to the prayer, Lord, I trust You to meet this need (whatever it is at the moment)…
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