Fighting Temptations

I’ve started reading “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren. It’s a fascinating book and would recommend it anyone who hasn’t read it yet. What Rick Warren did is to have 40 chapters and the whole idea is you read and meditate on a chapter per day as you embark on a quest to find God’s purpose for your life. I’ve just done the 1st 2 chapters and they’ve been very revealing. The theme of the 1st chapter is that it’s not about you. Your life is not about you. Its about God. He created you for a reason. It’s not about what do I want but what does God want to do with me. The 2nd chapters talks about how God does not make any accidents and we were designed, warts and all, intentionally by God.

So how is this related to fighting temptations? Well, like most people I have issues I battle with. I’ve written about them on this blog for ages. Things about myself am not terribly happy about. But I have to see these things as a test and God allowed it to happen to me for a reason which fits into the bigger picture of His plan for me. Sounds familiar right. But unto the next question how do I pass the test and progress? I have spent a lot of time trying to find the answer to this question and it seems the more I think about it and read about it, the more insight I get.

I’ve been doing a lot of reflection in the context of the few chapters I’ve read so far and I have realized that my motives for seeking victory from my temptations are probably selfish. The question is this. Am I fighting temptation because of my love for God or so I can feel holy and pure? Is it primarily to feel good about myself as I don’t have to deal with guilt when I fall? So I can feel as if I have arrived as a spiritual warrior? Is it because I don’t want to be “disqualified” from his blessings by sinning? Is my reason for fighting temptation all about me or about Him?

If I am going to be honest then I would say its probably more about me than it is about Him. I don’t like the fact that am a sinner. I don’t like the fact that I don’t have control over myself and do things willfully which I don’t want to do. It frustrates the living daylights out of me to know I am weak and pathetic. I want to accomplish so much in my life and fear that my constantly falling is going to prevent God from blessing me so must be holy to ensure that doesn’t happen. But that got me thinking what if I didn’t have any issues? Can God trust me enough to still thirst for Him when I have no problems? When I seemingly don’t need Him?

So how do you show God you love him? By keeping his commandments yes but keeping His commandments for the right motives. Not for our own selves but for Him.

Ps 51: 17 says
“The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

My motives need to change. It’s not about what I can get out of my relationship with God, but what God can get out of His relationship with me.

Anyhow peeps gotta go.

Have a great weekend