Temptation, do we like it?

"Most people want to be delivered from temptation but would like to keep in touch"--Robert Orben

How true this statement is. How many times have you asked yourself, God, family members, friends: "Why do I keep falling into this sin, it seems I just cannot stand against temptation"? I just thought of an answer to that question: "Maybe you like it". Think about this: Sin is fun. You can say it's a habit, I am hooked, I can't help myself, to some degree that may be true, but the simple fact remains you like it. The drug user loves the high, the alcoholic loves the high, the porn addict loves the high, it's the feeling you get when you do what is making you high. Why do you keep doing it, why can't you stop? Because you like it. You feel guilty afterward, you know it was wrong, you know you "Failed" again, you know your a loser, you can't even stop for a minute.
So what is the secret to stopping? Changing the fact that you like it. How do we change liking something? We start by asking God for a new mind.

I have been stuck most of my adult life in that vicious circle. The "I can do it, just follow the "12 steps", I will not give into temptation, I will turn my head and not look at ....." It did not work for me. I would go from having the 6 month chip, one minute to starting over. Why? BECAUSE I LIKED IT. The secret, if you will, is NOT "bucking down" and not giving into temptation, but going to the source of why you like it. What are the circumstances surrounding your habit? Is it something you do because you are lonely, or not feeling good about yourself, or to show someone in your mind at least, that you don't need them? What needs are your bad habits meeting? WE like this feeling, but why? Because they give us temporary relief from what we don't want to feel, our inadequacies, our feelings of pity for ourselves, our past mistakes, our lives.

I did not start this blog out to be a Psycho analyst, but it seems I crossed that line already. If, like me, you have habits and addictions in your life, that you have struggled for ever it seems, then I am talking to you. Why do we continue to struggle? Because we get into that: "I am a jerk, my life is a mess, my children hate me, I need a escape I cannot go own anymore feeling like this" feeling. Do you know where those words come from? The pit of hell, that's were. Satan will not forget your past mistakes,sins, and doesn't want you to either. But here is the way if works for me anyway. Satan brings up how worthless I have been in the past, he makes sure I know what a jerk I am, he gets me into that "I am a victim" feeling. Then he reminds me of my addiction and the feeling I had when I gave into that sin. The memories of the High, come back, I don't want to be where I am right now, feeling all down and depressed about myself, so that high sounds good. You remember that you like that temporary escape from reality. Got it we LIKE IT.

Old bank robbers don't continue to rob banks just for the money, they like robbing banks, it is a rush of adrenaline a high. I have heard that test pilots have a very hard time retiring, because they cannot find anything to replace that high, adrenaline rush from the danger part of their job. Playing chess, vs. pulling 5 G's, just doesn't compare.

OK, now we have figured out, admitted to ourselves that we like something that is wrong, bad, makes us an awful person. The guilt is so heavy, the shame hits hard, what have we done to ourselves the ones that love us? Why do they do a background check on many jobs? Because if you have been arrested for stealing 12 times, the chance that you will do it again are pretty good. You did it once and found out you liked it, therefore you kept doing it.

Now comes the thing to ask God for. Ask God to change your heart, and mind. Ask Him to change your likes. OK here comes a cheesy line, sorry: "Get high on life," not drugs, alcohol or anything else. It is a cheesy line, but it is true. If you have kids, spend time playing and enjoying them. You know they will grow up very fast and your time with them will be short. Make the most of it. Spend time with your spouse, if your married, show them how much you love them, share the things you both love to do. Believe it or not, you will like this. The high you were feeling from your habits is just a fake copy of the real thing. Spend time with God, He wants to share with you His knowledge, His love, His plan for your life.

While in church this last Sunday, the Lord was revealing Himself to us. There was a presence of the Holy Spirit like I haven't felt in many years. I could feel a breeze through out the building. I saw the flags at the front of the church blowing in the breeze. After service I went up to look at those flags, and no, they were not in the cross breeze of any air conditioning or heater vent. There was no one that had been standing near enough to them to cause these winds. I believe it was the glory of God that was blowing through the congregation that morning. I remember feeling a High, if you will, I have never felt before. I had no desire of anything but to remain there and take all God had to offer. You see there is not any feeling we feel when we are fulfilling our desires that are not a copy, an imitation of true feelings from God. I have given into temptation every time because I wanted to. I have sensed the wonderful presence of God a few times like this past Sunday morning because He wanted me to, and I wanted to have all He had to offer.

You don't have to come to the place where you sacrifice your feelings, your desires, so that you can be in the presence of God, doing what He wants, following His plan. All you have to do is worship Him, change your priorities. He will fulfill your every desire, need, request.................and yes, you will like it, in fact it will be the best high you every have experienced, because it will be the real thing, not just a copy.

You don't have to sacrifice anything, because God will change your heart and mind. Sacrificing will be when your not able to share God with others.

Don't think about all your giving up to God because you want to so much, and what a fool you have been............think about what you are being rewarded with, a life that is worthy of His love. Temptation would never work if we did not like what we were being tempted with in the first place.