While I was working as manager of Homer’s Coffeehouse a few years back, one of my co-workers told me a story about her friend. Apparently, her friend was in a dating relationship and trying to stay pure despite her own temptations. She came to the conclusion that to intentionally go to a place where it would be easy to give into temptation was a bad idea. Smart teenager. Therefore, she decided she would not go into her basement room to watch TV alone with her boyfriend because in her words, “The devil lives there!”
Obviously she doesn’t mean that the devil literally chose to kick it in her basement rather than yours or mine. She was just recognizing her areas of weakness reflecting the thought that when we put ourselves in a place of temptation the devil can get a foothold through our own fleshly desires.
Pride comes before a fall, and to think we can put ourselves in areas of weakness because “it’s not a sin” is usually a precursor to what we affectionately call FAMOUS LAST WORDS.
Of course it’s not a sin to go in to a dark basement room and watch TV with someone you love. But if we are wanting to live a life of purity then it stands to reason that maybe we need to set aside our own rights at times in order to help protect us from ourselves. I mean, how long can an ex-alcoholic hang out in a bar without the temptation getting the best of him?
“I’m justa try-un to reach peoples heres in the tavuuuurn.” – sure you are buddy, but how easy is it to blow your testimony and give people more ammo to call Christians hypocrites. If you know that place is your area of temptation for you, maybe you should try to reach people elsewhere.
Situations vary for individuals, but the key is to be honest before God and heed the warnings and convictions of the Holy Spirit working in your life.
Proverbs 6:27 says, “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?”
Lesson#1: Putting yourself in a place of temptation is basically getting a lap-dance from the devil.
Remember this next time you find yourself standing up for your rights to be in tempting situations and think twice remembering that “the devil lives there” and he might just be waiting for you!
Great stuff!