Temptation

TEMPTATION:

Noun A desire to do something, esp. something wrong or unwise: "he resisted the temptation to call Celia"; "we gave in to temptation". A thing or course of action that attracts or tempts someone: "the temptations of life in New York".

Synonyms seduction - enticement - allurement - lure - bait

Hmmmm... wonder what the Bible says...

Matthew 5:27-28 ESV / 31 helpful votes

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

John 8:4-11 ESV / 27 helpful votes

They said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. ...

You know, if you went back and read all my blog posts, you would find that I had an affair during a time that I separated from my husband.  Am I proud of that, most definitely NOT.  Did I learn something, most definitely.  I learned a lot about myself and the love I have for my husband.  

I went through a moment of fear and wanted to run from my difficult marriage.  I went to visit family and during the visit I decided I didn't want my marriage anymore.  So, I told my husband I would not be returning to Germany.  After that, I ended up having an affair.  This affair was very brief and all it did was remind me of what an amazing man I had.  So, I wanted to fix my marriage.  I decide that I want to return to Germany.  I could have kept my affair a secret.  Only a couple people knew about it and none of which would have said a word about it.  So really, I could have never said a word and he probably would have never known about it.  

Though, this is where I learned a lot about myself and my love for my husband.  I offered him the truth.  He didn't ask me, he didn't find it out somewhere, I just offered it to him.  I thought that if we were going to truly work on our marriage, he needed to know the entire truth.  No secrets, no lies, no hiding anything.  And I will never regret making this choice.  I may have made a bad decision to do what I did, but I took responsibility for it and was willing to face the consequences for it.  Thankfully, he loved me enough to not let it end our marriage.

From the time we got back together, I have tried to avoid temptation.  Though, I tried to do it by my own rules.  Thinking that I could keep male friends who weren't like "that" because they were just friends.  Thinking I was safe around other men, alone, because they were just friends or because they were also married.  Well, I learned a very hard way that you can't always trust that, and even when you have pure intentions, other people won't always respect you.  So, when my rules proved to not work, it was time to start obeying God's rules.

I no longer like being alone, for any amount of time, with a man that is not my husband.  It actually makes me very nervous, like a freaked out nervous.  I do not like it, at all.  I also try to avoid looking at men that could spark any impure thoughts.  It just isn't right to look at another man with those thoughts.  If I want to think about a man that way, I should be thinking of my husband and only my husband.

I know that a lot of people will think I am weak because I admit that temptation is hard for me.  I struggle with temptation of the opposite sex.  When I am getting attention and made to feel beautiful, I am drawn to that.  Who wouldn't be?  But I have to really examine things and remember WHY I begin to feel tempted.  It's because I allowed myself to think that way.  I allowed the lustful thoughts in my head.  It's because I am not following God's rules, I am following my own.  And that part, I can control.

So while someone else may think I am weak, I am being as strong as I can be.  I am preventing the problem before it can even begin.  I am following God's rules for my marriage, not my own rules.  I am being strong before my strength is tested.