Tired of Temptation?

I have to be honest; I am weary in my fight against temptation. I want so badly to simply live in 'grace.' You know that passage in Romans where Paul asks if we should continue in sin so that grace may abound? In my weariness, I want the answer to be yes. I want to be able to forget holiness, forget sanctification and just live in the grace that God offers.

The problem is, grace that gives a license to sin is cheap grace.

Who would really want to believe in a God that cannot transform our lives and free us from the power of sin in our lives? Who really wants to worship a God who is okay with the sin that He poured out His wrath on His Son for? How could God really be Holy and Beautiful if He allowed His children to live in the mess of sin?

No, I choose to believe in a God who is strong enough to deliver me from temptation even when I want to give up. I worship a God whose Love is able to not only save me, but sanctify me even as I resist. Sure there is work required on my behalf. I know that we are called to wage war against our flesh and work out our salvation with fear and trembling. But those things won't happen simply because we are trying harder.

The battle against sin and temptation is not won in our human wisdom and strength. Here's where the battle against sin is won:

See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him. Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure. - 1 John 3:1-3

We fight sin, by looking at Jesus. And I know we cannot physically see Him now, but we have a solid hope that one day we will. "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12).

When I'm tired of fighting temptation, I'm not supposed to look within myself for the strength to be Holy, I'm supposed to look at Jesus who is Holy on my behalf.

When Satan tempted Jesus, he offered Him health wealth and happiness. In our temptations that is what we really are looking for isn't it? We are looking for happiness and satisfaction. Jesus of course fought against the temptations of Satan with Scripture, but there was also something deeper going on: Jesus was finding His joy in the Father.

It's not enough to simply quote Scripture, your heart must hold on to the truths that Scripture proclaims. Jesus firmly believed the truth He was quoting. He firmly believed that only God gives life, joy and fulfillment, no matter what circumstances He was seeing in front of Him at the moment.

Jesus knew that what Satan was offering was temporary and would eventually leave Him feeling empty. Instead, He set His gaze firmly on God and His promises. His joy and rest were found in His Heavenly Father, not what His eyes could see.

Temptation comes when we let what is seen (this world) capture our affections more than what is unseen (God). It's getting our eyes off the fact that we are children of God and looking to this world to give us what only the creator of this world can give.

For now, we see Jesus through his Word, prayer and other believers. One day, as John tells us, we will see Jesus face to face and we will be like Him. Until then, He is making us more like Himself every day.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

- 2 Corinthians 3:18

Fight temptation by looking at Jesus. Look at Jesus through His Word, prayer and other believers. The more you look at this world, the more it will appeal to you. The more you look at Jesus, the more He will change you.