Resisting Your Idols

Yesterday was one of those days when the temptation to respond sinfully to my circumstances seemed stronger than ever. I knew that my laziness and lack of discipline to spend time in The Word, along with my physical fatigue were contributing greatly to my discouragement and my skewed perspective of my situation. As I was searching for encouragement, I came across some great verses and this excerpt from "Idols of the Heart". I found both encouragement and conviction!

Do you see the sympathy and aid available to you? You struggle with strong desires to worship other gods, but they are faint in comparison with the holy desire Christ anguished over as He faced the separation that the cross would bring. He loved the Oneness he had with His Father. He longed to please Him and bring Him joy above all else. Yet He sacrificed His desire so that He might ultimately please Him and redeem you.

Rejoice because your victorious Savior is standing by you ready to air you in your struggle against sin.

• For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:18)
• For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

Will you be able to overcome sinful desires? Yes, but not by your willpower or self-discipline. You will overcome only in the power of your risen Savior. He prioritized His holy desires and conquered fear on your behalf. In the same way that Christ strengthened Peter and kept his faith from failing in spite of his sin, He can strengthen you.

...What must we do to resist temptation and begin to put off our habitual idolatry?

We must put on purposeful prayer about our desires and the temptations that flow from them. Our Lord Jesus, who knew how to wrestle with temptation, has given us this counsel, "Pray then in this way...do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:9, 13). When we pray in this way we aren't asking God to tempt us, because we know that He never does. What we're asking is that He keep us from falling into sin's clutches. God does allow our faith to be tired, but with each trial, He provides a way out so that we are never put into a position where sinning is our only option (I Corinthians 10:13). Because of this, we can have great hope in our battle against temptation. We must put on prayer specifically to be kept from giving in to our lusts and fears; that when they come along we'll be aware and armed against them; that He will supply the aid we need when we are faced by them. And we must pray that God would grant us holy desires and a proper fear of Him.