Walking Through Temptation
Sycamore Creek Church
James 1:12-18
August 1, 2010
Tom Arthur
Peace, Friends!
Have you ever tried to cross a river? I’m not talking about a stone-hop across a creek. I’m talking about getting in the current of the cold water and trying to wade from one side to another.
The first time I ever went backpacking was also the worst backpacking trip I’ve ever had. That’s because of the Forney Creek. It’s called a “creek” but in early spring, it was a pretty high creek. We had to ford the Forney Creek five times going up to Clingman’s Dome (the highest summit on the Appalachian Trail), and we had to ford Forney Creek five times coming back down. It was wretched.
There are many dangers to cross a river. There’s the depth and breadth of a river. You can be wading through and all of a sudden fall in a deep hole. The wider the river is the more you have to endure all the other obstacles. There’s the question of footing and hidden obstacles. You can leave your boots on and suffer the pain of wet socks and boots later or you can take your boots off and suffer the pain of slippery rocks now. There’s also the cold numbing water. Most rivers are fed from melting snow or cold springs. Did you know that flowing water can get colder than freezing? It’s called super cooled water! I crossed the Linville River in the Linville Gorge one time, and while the river was only about one foot to six inches deep and about forty-yards wide, the water was so cold that I barely made it across!
And of course there’s the current. The power of water pushing against your body is seriously impressive. I was canoeing the Bear River one time when we got into some rapids that we weren’t expecting. Pretty soon the canoe was swamped, and we were being carried down the river in the rapids. You know that every time there’s white water in a rapids, that means there’s a rock under the water. So every time you go over that white water, your body is being pounded into the rocks below. We were at the mercy of the water. We only got out safely because the river turned, and we were pushed into an eddy. When I climbed out of the Bear River, I was missing one Teva, and the other Teva’s webbing had been ripped out of the sole and was dangling around my ankle. Current is nothing to ignore.
Crossing a river is not something you do without some careful planning and preparation, but when you’re on a journey, sometimes you simply have to get across the river to keep going. There’s rarely ever a way to bypass a river. You have to walk through the current to get to the other side.
Today I’d like to talk about how temptation is like crossing a river. If we’re going to continue on a journey of spiritual maturity, there are going to be times when we must wade through the current of temptation if we are to make progress on the journey that God has set before us. James, Jesus’ brother, gives us this same kind of image. He says:
James 1:12-18
12 God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 13 And remember, no one who wants to do wrong should ever say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else either. 14 Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. 15 These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death. 16 So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.
17 Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven’s lights. Unlike them, he never changes or casts shifting shadows. 18 In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his choice possession.
This is God’s story for us today. Thank you, God!
Verse fourteen says it well, “Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires.” Our desires have a kind of lure, a kind of current that we too often give into. Bede, a 7th & 8th century monk and scholar, said, “There are three stages in temptation. The first is suggestion, the second is experiment, and the third is consent.”
We see this same basic idea in Psalm 1, a wisdom psalm. Here’s my own super literal translation that keeps the metaphor intact:
Happy are those who do not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
or stand in the way of sinners,
or sit in the seat of scoffers.
There’s a kind of increasing lure of one’s desires in this psalm. It’s as if the current of our desire catches first our attention: I wonder what it would be like to do it? I’ll walk by and see. Then the current begins to pull us along: I’ll just check it out by standing and looking at it. Lastly, the desire’s current is too much for us: I’m full in, I’ll go ahead and sit right here.
James describes this as a kind of birthing process. The difference between birth of spiritual maturity and birth of sin is that spiritual birth begins with pain and ends with the pleasure of life, while the birth of sin begins with pleasure and ends with pain.
So if wading through temptation is like wading across a river, perhaps there is some wisdom that can be gained from what it takes to cross a river that can be helpful for guiding us through the current of temptation. I’d like to explore that wisdom and apply it to the top three things that American adults are tempted by: Sex, Food, and Money (USA Today, 3-9-10).
Loosen Your Belt
The first thing that you should do if you’re crossing a river is loosen the belt of your backpack. The reason for this is simple. If you get pulled under, you want to be able to jettison your backpack as soon as possible, so that it doesn’t drag you under even more.
James says, “Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven’s lights” (James 1:17). While it’s not obvious, this suggests that there are some things that are not good and not from God. Those things we should loosen from around our waist and get rid of them, just like you loosen your belt to cross a river.
Consider first overspending. Perhaps it is time to get rid of your credit cards and go all cash as Dave Ramsey talks about in FPU. If overspending is a temptation for you, get rid of the deadweight of credit cards. Or what about porn? One way guys (and to a lesser but growing extent, gals) get into trouble with porn is by surfing the internet. What if you only got on the internet when you knew exactly what you wanted and where you were going. Or how about overeating? How many bags of chips do you have in your cabinets? Get rid of the junk food. How big are your plates? I read a book recently that suggested that one of the best ways to lose weight is to get rid of your big plates and eat on your salad plates.
Resist the current of temptation by loosening your belt and getting rid of the junk in your life.
Use Walking Sticks
When you cross a river it’s always good to use walking stick or trekking poles. There’s a basic principle at work here: four legs are better than two. When you’re crossing a river it is always helpful to have something besides yourself on which to lean. Your own two legs are pretty awesome, but when crossing a river, I’ll always take four over two.
Going back to what James said: Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above” (James 1:17). In other words, there are some good gifts that God provides that you can lean on in times of temptation. I’d suggest three (although there are many many more): prayer, fasting, and scripture.
If you’re an overspender, then one way to lean on something else besides your own will in conquering this temptation is to talk to God. When you’re tempted to buy something, pray, “God is this something that you will thank me for buying when I stand before you some day?” While I think there will be a day when our lives are tested in the refiner’s fire, this strategy may be a little too guilt driven for you. Another prayer might be, “God give me strength to resist the temptation to spend more than I have.”
If you’re tempted by porn, consider a fast, a media fast. Take a day or two or a week and unplug your computer. Don’t watch TV. Refrain from movies. Not because these are inherently bad, but because fasting from our desires when they’re not tempting helps train us to fast from our desires when they do tempt us.
Or if you’re tempted to overeat, consider using some scriptures to help remind you that you can make it through this temptation. James tells us, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7, NRSV). Or how about Jesus’ own statement to his disciples when they think he’s upset because they didn’t feed him: “I have food to eat that you do not know about…My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work” (John 4:31-34, NRSV).
Resist the current of temptation by using walking sticks and leaning on God’s good gifts.
Cross with a Partner
When you’re crossing a river it is always a good idea to cross with a partner. One time Sarah and I were hiking in Yellowstone and we came across a river. We were hiking with some friends of ours: Kori and Greg. Kori went first and when she got out in the middle, she cried out for Greg. Sarah yelled, “Come on Kori! You can do it by yourself!” Then Sarah went. When she got out in the middle of the river she yelled out, “Tom!” Every time she picked up her foot the current would push it downstream.
James suggests the same basic idea when it comes to our brokenness. We can’t do it alone so he urges us, “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective” (James 5:16, NRSV). When you experience the current of temptation, don’t keep it to yourself. Cross through that current with a friend.
If you’re tempted to overspend, it could be helpful to be transparent with your spouse or a friend about how you’re spending your money. Sarah and I recently got together with some friends from seminary and shared our budgets and our spending habits with one another. Personal finances is a serious taboo in our culture. We all want our choices kept private, but sometimes this desire for privacy gets in the way of resisting the current of temptation.
If you’re tempted by porn, a great tool to use is X3 from xxxchurch.com. X3 doesn’t block porn from your computer, it just sends an email at a predetermined interval to an accountability partner with a list of any questionable websites you’ve visited. I like this approach because what it fosters is open dialogue with friends. Porn is no longer a secret. It’s on the table for discussion. I use this program myself, and a friend from seminary gets the emails every two weeks.
If you’re tempted to overeat consider dieting or exercising with a partner. Share recipes with one another. Set up exercise “dates.” Celebrate with one another when the results are positive.
Resist the current of temptation by wading through it with a friend.
Cross Perpendicular to the Current
When you cross a river, there’s one key thing that is pretty obvious once it’s pointed out: cross perpendicular to the current. If you face the current then you have the full force of the current on the biggest area of your body. If you face the direction you’re walking, you have the smallest area of your body facing the current. Cross a river by walking perpendicular to the current.
James says, “Don’t be misled…” (James 1:16, NLT). In other words, “Don’t be misled by what the culture tells you is important, what the culture values, what the culture says is the right way to live.” Rather, live perpendicular to the culture. Live counter-culturally in order to resist temptation.
If you’re tempted to overspend, then live counter-culturally by giving your money away before it burns a hole in your pocket. Live simply and give generously.
If you’re tempted by porn, then get rid of your computer, iPhone, TV, etc. Make the media fast permanent. Culture says you need these things. If so, how did so many people live before they existed? Hear me out. I’m not saying that these things are inherently bad or evil or something like that. I’m saying that if you’re tempted by them, live counter-culturally and get rid of them.
If you’re tempted to overeat, become a vegetarian. Do you know that you can eat a lot more when you’re a vegetarian? Veggies don’t have as many calories! The culture tells us that we have to eat meat at every meal, but you don’t. You don’t ever have to eat meat again! Hear me again. I’m not saying that eating meat is bad. I’m saying that if you are tempted to overeat, consider living radically counter-culturally.
Resist temptation by crossing perpendicular to the current and living counter-culturally.
Don’t Cross
There’s one last situation I need to share with you. Sometimes you literally can’t cross the river. There’s a scene in the movie Into the Wild where Christopher McCandless tries to cross a huge roaring river. He takes one step in the bank and immediately loses control. He grabs hold of a branch and pulls himself back up. He almost lost his life. Unless you’re Bear Grylls, don’t even try to cross a river like this.
Sometimes the current of temptation is so powerful, that the only thing you can do is turn around and run the other way. Don’t even try to walk through it. You’ll have to wait until you’re stronger before you can take that on. Be patient. God will continue to work in your life.
Resist temptation by turning around and running the other way.
Resisting temptation is a lot like crossing a river. Loosen your belt. Get rid of the junk in your life. Use walking sticks. Rely on the good gifts of God. Cross with a partner. Share the temptation with someone. Cross perpendicular to the current. Live counter-culturally.
Prayer
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, Proper 12)
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Before I went on vacation Call & Response published a letter I wrote to Sondra Wheeler, professor of Christian ethics at Wesley Seminary in Washington D.C., about membership and tithing. While I was on vacation C&R posted her reply. So here it is a little late.
