It’s interesting how we perceive our choices.
What one man considers as an opportunity to exploit his own flesh, another sees as an opportunity to subdue it. Then there’s everything in between. I’m convinced most of us are comfortable there.
My wife and I recently watched a documentary about the later years of Jeffrey Epstein’s life. Having witnessed parts of the story in real time last year, I expected to confirm what most of the world had already decided—that this guy was a real scumbag.
I felt safe enough sitting on my side of the television screen. Sure, I fall off the wagon sometimes, but I’m not a pervert. I was grateful that, because I belonged to Jesus Christ, I was the type of guy who was essentially incapable of committing sin on the same level as Jeffrey Epstein.
Complacency consumed me.
[Are Christ’s people immune to sin? see: Common Sense and the Slipperiest of Slopes]
But, in the days that followed, I repeatedly sought to reinforce that conclusion. I still needed a way to reassure myself that I could never even be tempted to indulge in the type of sexual depravity he’d been accused of. I was looking for a magic bullet. Yet, even as a man who places a high value on righteous behavior, I eventually had to conclude that I had nothing on Jeffrey Epstein when it came to resisting evil.
Nothing.
In a frantic attempt to verify the moral safety net below me, I didn’t notice the big holes in it. I’d forgotten that I can never effectively prevail over my male impulses by dismissing the power they can have over me. And since I have to live with the enemy in this world, I’d better learn to rely on more than just the leverage of my human will.
[How can I do that? see: Marking the Subtle Red Flags]
The struggle to live faithfully to Christ’s commands is a lifelong commitment to endure in a conflict against the Evil One in this age. And even though there’s plenty of encouragement along the way, immunity to temptation is offered to no man. [see: 1Cor. 10:13]
There is, however, His promise. I have the reassurance that the Spirit will lead me away from the battles I can’t win. But, if I’m satisfied to cut deals with my flesh instead of subduing it, then no amount of guidance will be able to keep me out of the fight.
I’m gonna’ walk right back into it.
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Posted: June 28, 2020 by cjournalme
Living With the Enemy
It’s interesting how we perceive our choices.
What one man considers as an opportunity to exploit his own flesh, another sees as an opportunity to subdue it. Then there’s everything in between. I’m convinced most of us are comfortable there.
My wife and I recently watched a documentary about the later years of Jeffrey Epstein’s life. Having witnessed parts of the story in real time last year, I expected to confirm what most of the world had already decided—that this guy was a real scumbag.
I felt safe enough sitting on my side of the television screen. Sure, I fall off the wagon sometimes, but I’m not a pervert. I was grateful that, because I belonged to Jesus Christ, I was the type of guy who was essentially incapable of committing sin on the same level as Jeffrey Epstein.
Complacency consumed me.
[Are Christ’s people immune to sin? see: Common Sense and the Slipperiest of Slopes]
But, in the days that followed, I repeatedly sought to reinforce that conclusion. I still needed a way to reassure myself that I could never even be tempted to indulge in the type of sexual depravity he’d been accused of. I was looking for a magic bullet. Yet, even as a man who places a high value on righteous behavior, I eventually had to conclude that I had nothing on Jeffrey Epstein when it came to resisting evil.
Nothing.
In a frantic attempt to verify the moral safety net below me, I didn’t notice the big holes in it. I’d forgotten that I can never effectively prevail over my male impulses by dismissing the power they can have over me. And since I have to live with the enemy in this world, I’d better learn to rely on more than just the leverage of my human will.
[How can I do that? see: Marking the Subtle Red Flags]
The struggle to live faithfully to Christ’s commands is a lifelong commitment to endure in a conflict against the Evil One in this age. And even though there’s plenty of encouragement along the way, immunity to temptation is offered to no man. [see: 1Cor. 10:13]
There is, however, His promise. I have the reassurance that the Spirit will lead me away from the battles I can’t win. But, if I’m satisfied to cut deals with my flesh instead of subduing it, then no amount of guidance will be able to keep me out of the fight.
I’m gonna’ walk right back into it.
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