The Struggle Is Real

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT

I have passively read this verse a gazillion times and never really applied it to anything I’m experiencing. Over the last 2 weeks, however, it has come to mind so many times, it feels like I need to address it. My hope is that the Holy Spirit will help me work out the kinks in my struggle by the end of this blog.

I am so naive. When I stopped drugs and alcohol, I thought my greatest struggle would be the temptation of picking it all back up again. Turns out…that is not the case…at ALL. Although, I now struggle with wanting to pick it all back up because of a back door temptation. I guess what I mean is that I have been faced with an overwhelming desire for something else, and my mind has thought (once or twice…or 10 thousand times in 2 weeks) that if I was using or drinking, it’d be easier to say yes to the thing I want. While this may be true, I’m finding that I do, at least, have some sort of foundation because I haven’t given in to either. Yet, here I sit. *sigh*

What happens when you’re faced with a temptation so great that threatens to destroy everything God has done in your life? Seems simple enough to say, “Well, duh! You kick it to the curb!” What happens when the lust of the flesh is so overwhelmingly powerful that the strength you’d normally have is rendered powerless in the presence of this temptation? The Holy Spirit just spoke into my heart and said, “Aaaahh, daughter. You tag me in, and I Muay Thai roundhouse kick that temptation back to hell for you!” (Apparently the Holy Spirit knows martial arts.)

I guess my struggle is letting Him fight the fight for me. I KNOW I can’t do it. I KNOW I can’t say ‘no’ on my own. I KNOW my spirit might be willing, but I also know my flesh is sooooooo weak. Ugh! It’s so weak. I am constantly hearing myself say…to myself (and probably to God)…”But I waaaaannnt iiiiiitttt!!” And then I hear the still small voice of Jesus say, “No”, very matter-of-factly, over the incessant whining of my plea.

It’s comforting to know that I am not the only one experiencing this struggle, according to this verse. Although, in this day and age, I almost have to think that most are compromising this particular temptation more often than not. It’s become such a natural part of how the world functions that I am leaning more towards the idea that even those who call themselves Christians are allowing it into their everyday life. Something inherent in me is resolved to NOT be a part of that majority. And it’s a struggle.

But…

God. Is. Faithful, y’all. I may struggle and say ‘no’ to myself and the temptation so often that it sounds like a broken record, but each time I persevere, He adds a little more strength to my weary flesh. Because when I am weak, He is strong.

Okay, Lord. I see a way out. Help me take it. I want to get to the end of my race knowing that I endured as you have asked me to. Don’t abandon me in those moments when the temptation is so great I can’t see past my own desires. Stay with me and help me overcome by Your power. Amen

“If you are fighting sin, you are alive. Take heart! But if sin holds sway unopposed, you are dead no matter how lively this sin makes you feel. Take heart, embattled saint!” John Owen