Many years ago I was living in an area that was growing by leaps and bounds. New construction was going on all around us. In hopes to improve the traffic situation at the time, some local developers had extended a road near my house. However, it had not been opened at that point to the local traffic and had remained blocked off.
It appeared as you viewed the road from the traffic light before the turn off, that the road had been finished and was traffic worthy. One day as I was driving to work, I saw a police car pulling someone over who had attempted to take the new road anyway. I'm not sure if they were ticketed or just warned. All I knew was that I was not willing to take the risk, by taking the road as a short cut even though it was tempting!
The next morning as I was going to work, a man in front of me at that same traffic light, had decided to take the risk and go down the road as well. But as I watched him scurry down the road, I wondered to myself if he was trying to get to the interstate by bypassing the long way around or missed seeing the warning sign. As I watched him drive down that brand new road, I noticed that he slowed down and began to sway back and forth as if he were trying to find a way to turn around, almost as if he had decided that he did not want to go that way after all. He might have even spotted the police car that pulled the person over the day before and wanted to find a quick escape. Unfortunately, I had to make my turn and was unable to see the outcome of this poor man's situation. As I drove off, the Lord gave me a bit of spiritual insight as to what happens when we, like that poor man and the person the day before, who had decided to take a short cut and are lured by a road that appears to be paved with good intentions.
I was reminded how temptation works the same way in our lives. The purpose of temptation is really two-fold. First and foremost it is to entice us to take a road that leads to separation. Separation being, separated from the perfect will of God for our lives. As Christians, we are to strive to be Christ-like in all our actions. However, every now and then a road appears before us as if to draw us away from the purpose of our walk, service and commitment to Christ.
That road will always "appear" to be enticing; because that is the bait that satan uses to draw our focus and attention off the course that we are on. Never think for a moment that satan does not know your weaknesses, because he does; even for the most spiritual minded people. When he appeared to Jesus in the desert, he tempted Jesus from the standpoint of a King, appealing to His royalty and Who Jesus was. Because of Jesus' origin satan understood Jesus' heart and the position that He would take regarding sin and satan also understands ours. If he cannot succeed in causing us to sin, then the other purpose is to keep us in a state of wondering. For the Jews, that state continued for many years. The purpose of wondering or being in a state of "preoccupied thinking" is to keep us off track as much as possible.
Any time that our thoughts are on taking a road that is surrounded by barriers and blinking lights, we need to be aware that temptation, while it might not overtake us at the moment, can preoccupy our thoughts to the point that, like the man on the road after he had taken it decided that maybe he should have gone the long way around. While it may have taken more time to do the right thing, the outcome would have been better. You could tell that he thought that by the way he was driving and struggling to find a way back to the red-light.
If we would tell the devil that he has no place because we are choosing by not only our faith, but by our actions to do things God's way and use God's Word as a weapon and authority against him as Jesus did, then he will flee from us and leave us alone. Regarding temptation, remember this; as long as it is only a thought, then it is not sin but a temptation. However, giving place to the temptation, by dwelling on it and contemplating it, will allow it to become sin!
The man in that truck was trying so hard to find a way back. While I was unable to see if he did make it or not, I trust that he repented of breaking the law, and was able to get his truck turned around, and got out of there. The key here is "Way Out"! With God we have a way out through confession and repentance (turning around). It only takes a single choice to do it. Just make up our mind to do the right thing and do it!
Then God shows us a most wonderful way of escape!
Hold Fast,
-Bren
