Your Struggle to Overcome, Part 2

Here's a follow up from the previous post, which was an exhortation from one of my former pastors, Colin Smith:

When it comes to your battle with temptation, God does not say "Pray about it." He says "Act against it." The problem with praying about it is that you end up focusing more attention on it, and that can make the problem worse. This is not an issue to passively turn over to God. This is an issue to actively fight.

The language of Scripture when it comes to our struggle with temptation is: "Put to death the misdeeds of the body by the power of the Spirit" (Romans 8:13), and: "The grace of God teaches us to say 'no' to worldly passions and to live self-controlled and godly lives in this present age" (Titus 2:11-12).

In the summer we sometimes have lunch on the deck in our backyard. The only problem is those pesky wasps that keep flying around. What do you do when a wasp keeps bothering you? You swat it.

That's exactly what the New Testament says: "Put to death the misdeeds of the body." You find a thought buzzing in your mind about that person in the office, or the adult store you could visit on the way home, or the internet site that was advertised on your computer. What should you do? Treat that thought exactly like the wasp: "Put to death the misdeeds of the body."

The most important thing you need to know is that you have the power to do this. Don't listen to the enemy when he tells you that you can't! The struggle for purity is a lifelong struggle, but you can prevail.