Are tempting thoughts sinful?

An elderly pastor was asked if evil thoughts were sinful. He said, “A bird can fly over your head, just don’t let it build a nest in your hair.”

Not too long ago, I had dreams where I was doing sinful things. When I asked God about it, He said, “Would you rather do those things in real life so I could show you your sinful desires?”

Today’s reading says that sinful thoughts are not sin. However, Jesus said they are the root of sin. When asked about failing to do human commands such as a hand-washing ritual or other ‘rule’ He said:

Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” (Matthew 15:17–20)

Not only that, Jesus also said that thinking lustful thoughts was the same as committing the action. From this and other verses, I understand that evil thoughts are not always Satan’s idea. Human sinfulness is capable of all sorts of notions that defile us. They can be fleeting, like a bird flying over my head, but if I dwell on them and then act on them, these roots of sin grow and will ruin my life.

James put it this way:

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:13–15)

Last week someone did something that was inappropriate and angered me. This week I thought of what I would do if that happened again. My plan was not gracious, but retaliation of an unkind sort. As I did my chores, I rehearsed this plan. This bird was building its nest. Confession and repentance is needed.
Temptation happens because of two things. One is that my sin nature is prone to sinful thoughts and actions. Two is that Satan tells me lies that appeal to that sin nature, like a fisherman uses bait to catch a fish. The fish will not go for the bait unless there is a hunger within. A satisfied fish cannot be lured by something it does not want.

These two metaphors of a bird and fishing emphasize the need to watch out for what one Christian called “stinkin’ thinkin’” because they show the danger of temptation — if it appeals to a desire for a resting place or something to satisfy a need, then it is going to bring my sinful desire out in the open for one or the other. When that happens, that desire needs attention. I must confess it as sin because it is one of those “I want what I want when I want it” things, rather than being rooted in and satisfied in Jesus Christ.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)

Thinking about evil is not a sin? I don’t agree. Apart from having the mind of Christ to enable me to obey this verse, I’m a sitting duck for that bird and that bait (oops, mixed metaphors again). My old nature may not show up in life like it does in bad dreams, and the lures Satan presents may not interest me, but if they do, then the sin is in me, not in the dream or the bait.

PRAY: Jesus, I don’t need nests in my hair or any other resting place for sin. I don’t need anything the enemy offers, and I do not want to be a target. However, I’m glad that You can use these things to show me what I need to confess and how I need to more deeply trust You. You are definitely my Lord and Savior, and I thank You for taking care of me, warts and all.

Temptations exposed

A child who wants what they cannot have, like candy before supper or a toy with a $500 price tag, might throw a temper tantrum or wail in protest. What do adults do when they want what they cannot have?

I have done that on occasion. No tantrums, maybe some wailing, but the worst of it is not recognizing this as one of Satan’s temptations. Consider what the devil offered Jesus in the wilderness: “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’” (Matthew 4:8–9)

For Jesus, it seems that these kingdoms would eventually be His anyway, but I don’t think this is the kind of rule over the world in the temptations Satan offers me. The Bible talks about an attitude toward the world that is sinful. It says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15–17)

The devil offered Jesus authority and glory, but he offers me a world which is about of self-indulgent power and satisfaction, a world of possessing what I want for myself. This world is characterized by greed, and sinful desire, not the love of God — which is sacrificial and gives so others can have life.

Jesus didn’t listen for one moment. He said, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” (Matthew 4:10)

Unlike Jesus, I’ve not been so quick to realize what was being presented to me when I get those “I want what I want” notions. While the temptation might look like something that will satisfy me in some way, it really is the devil trying to get me away from loving and worshiping God so I will fall down and worship him instead.

That is entirely loathsome — now that it is exposed. And I even have a visual reminder. I’m making a “Hobbit” quilt based on scenes from the Lord of the Rings, and just finished a block representing Gollum, the disgusting character whose appearance is entirely repulsive. That image is now associated with any temptation that offers me what I want in opposition to what God wants. I can say, “Not my will but Thine be done” and turn from that ugly character.

This is part of the power of God to rescue His silly children. Our ability to save ourselves remains zilch. Even after realizing all that Jesus Christ has done to secure salvation for me, Satan still keeps trying to tip me away from God and still am prone to be oblivious to his tactics. I must rely on Jesus Christ, abide in Him, trust in His grace — all the time.

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” (Luke 1:68–75)

This is the Lord’s answer to my childish, selfish and sinful ‘I wants.’ He exposes them for what they are and exposes the enemy for what he tries to do. As for legitimate wants and needs, God takes care of those too. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Sin is like cheese twists

Last night I had a craving for my favorite snack. For the past three years, this snack has been a no-no because I’m to watch my sodium intake, but last night I gave in. I bought some cheese twists, had a few and satisfied the craving, but I didn’t stop. In no time, my stomach felt awful and I knew I should have resisted. I may not eat this salty junk food again for another three years.

I’m noticing that sin is like that. It begins with wanting something. It might be a good thing, like the physical need for food or the emotional need for appreciation. If not taken care of in legitimate ways, the want can become a craving and the craving begins to overwhelm. It then becomes an opening where Satan can stick his foot in the door and tempt God’s people to fulfill their needs in illegitimate ways.

Last night, the liar suggested that ‘just a little’ will fix that hunger, but instead of fixing it, the desire increased. I began thinking just one more cheese twist will give a fuller satisfaction than the last one. Eventually, I was left with the unpleasant aftermath of knowing I should not have started the snack, never mind over-indulged.

In the temptation of Christ, Jesus said NO to food for many days and must have been incredibly hungry. The hunger was not a sin. Eating was not a sin. Jesus even had power to create bread from stones, which was Satan’s suggestion of how to meet that need. My devotional booklet says this would have been sin because it was an illegitimate use of power.

I’m thinking that the sin would also be in using an illegitimate source to meet a perfectly legitimate need. Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4) From that, I understand that God has a way to meet my needs. I’m to trust Him, not take matters into my own hands.

However, any unmet legitimate need (whether physical or emotional), is a wilderness place. Waiting for God to take care of it can feel like being dropped into a bottomless pit. As the sense of need becomes stronger to the point of feeling totally empty, famished, and unable to go on (this is not about cheese twists), Satan’s suggestions to fulfill it in a sinful way become more appealing. It would be easier to say YES and yield to the temptation than suffer such starvation.

Matthew 4:2 says Jesus was tempted ‘after’ He fasted forty days and nights because that was when He became hungry. I would have been hungry the very first day, and maybe tried to tell myself that I was fine. But Jesus did not deny the fact of His hunger. He just said NO to Satan’s suggestion that He do the wrong thing to satisfy it.

Sometimes my legitimate desires increase the more that I deny the illegitimate temptations to take care of them. Then the cravings begin to feel as if Satan is clawing at me, telling me “You will die if you don’t fix this.” I understand why so many people wind up giving in, why I give in. I cannot wait for God’s supply. The pressure increases and I am convinced (by the liar) that I must fix this myself.

However, stones turned into bread are still stones. They do not satisfy. They do not taste good. They even break my teeth and wind up sitting like lumps in my gut.

He is the Savior, I am not

Most Christians fall into the trap of trying to deliver themselves from sin of some kind, perhaps a bad habit or a nasty attitude or giving in to a recurring temptation. After days or weeks or even years of struggle, we recognize that we cannot do it. At that point, some give up, make excuses such as, “It isn’t really that bad” and let that besetting sin get the best of them.

This struggle usually happens over impurities that others might not give much attention to, such as fussiness with food or clothing, being stubborn over the way to do my ministry, or having an irritated impatience when someone sits in “my place” at the table. While these seem fairly inconsequential, the Lord knows there are deeper problems beneath the surface, deep-seated stuff that must be brought to awareness, confessed and cleansed.

Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” (Exodus 15:22–26)

In the case of the Israelites, they grumbled because they were thirsty and the only water they found was not fit to drink. This seems a “normal” response, something like I might have if I took a gulp of milk and realized it was sour. However, God sees deeper. Their grumbling always flowed from a heart filled with selfish unbelief. They blamed Moses, but he was God’s servant. They were actually angry with God for the “hardships” He was putting them through, as if He didn’t know what He was doing and as if He did not care about them.

The professor for the current course I am taking says that next to idolatry, grumbling is likely the worst sin in the Old Testament. To have a complaint against Almighty God who is holy, knows all, loves beyond what we can comprehend, and is wise, is equivalent to blasphemy.

When I grumble, I am declaring that in my mind God is not any of those things. I am saying that God isn’t doing what I want Him to do, as if I know better than He does. When I wish things were different than they are, or want something denied to me, then I am expressing that I do not really trust God as I claim.

This ties to my struggles with besetting sin. In the battle, God finally gets through my thick skull that at the root of all sin is a heart of unbelief. I either want something He denies, or don’t want something He permits. Either way, I’m open to whatever bait is dangled in front of me and open to the enemy’s suggestion that the bait will give me what I want or fix what I don’t want.

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:13–15)

While God does not cause temptation, He may allow it to bring out the fact of that inner desire, the one that says He doesn’t know what He is doing, that I know better or that I am a better judge of what is best for me. While the desire may not be sinful (it is okay to be thirsty), taking the bait is. It begins a journey down a winding garden path that leads into a patch of entangling thorns, and even to a dark and bottomless well.

God is the healer. He can change bitter water to sweet, fussiness to contentment, stubbornness to yieldedness, impatience to calm trust, hard hearts to soft. Instead of insisting on “I want what I want right now” I can trust Him to supply all that I need, even the grace to be satisfied — content with whatever state I am in or how long He takes to change things, or even how long it takes me to learn these lessons!

Resisting Temptation

In my efforts to lose a few pounds, decisions are necessary. I’ve heard of “mouth-hunger” vs. genuine hunger and a real need to eat. Some call “mouth-hunger” an emotional hunger. Food is comforting and tastes good. The body does not need any more, but the mouth (and emotions) crave that comfort and pleasure.

This morning, I had enough to eat and felt full, but my eyes caught the dinner rolls in the pantry. These happen to be particularly tasty and I wanted one. It was a bit of a battle to walk away, but I did, and within a few minutes the temptation was gone.

The Bible has lots to say about temptation. Its source is not what is going on outside of us (like the dinner rolls) but what is happening on the inside.

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:13–15)

Dinner rolls or anything else would have no appeal if I didn’t want something. My desires are the problem; the food I don’t need is merely the bait. Like a fish seeing a worm on a hook, I have a choice to make. If I keep making the wrong choices, I could sinfully overindulge. In the case of food, that would lead to obesity and even death.

Of course I am supposed to resist temptation. Sometimes I don’t. It seems like the desire is too strong, but how silly my wanting an extra dinner roll or a big piece of chocolate cake is compared to the sin that Jesus resisted. 

Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Hebrews 12:3–4)

Jesus first endured sin committed against Him. Human hostility toward Him was selfish and hateful (and still is). Unlike us when people hurt us, He did not retaliate. He said, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

Second, He resisted the sin of disobeying His Father who sent Him to earth to redeem sinners. This required that He bear our penalty for sin by dying on a cross. Not only was that a terribly painful physical death, His emotional and spiritual agony can scarcely be imagined. 

In Gethsemane before it happened, Jesus prayed. He was fighting the temptation to say, “No thanks” rather than bear the guilt and awful weight of every sin ever committed by every person whoever lived. He knew what was coming, but again, He resisted.

And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luke 22:44)

As He sweat blood, Jesus said, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42) He was more willing to do as God wanted rather than take care of His own comfort and give in to the temptation to walk away and leave us to our fate.

*****

Jesus, I’ve read that extreme stress can cause a person to sweat blood. I try to imagine the seriousness of straining against temptation to the point of this happening. My own resistance to something as minor as overeating pales to ridiculousness compared to what You endured in Gethsemane.  What makes my struggle even sillier is that I am doing this mostly for my own good while Your resistance to sin was never about Yourself. You said ‘No’ to the temptations for our sake, for all sinners, for every person whoever lived, for me. At the very least Your sacrifice and Your steadfast resistance to sin ought to motivate greater resolve in me to do the same, not just in the pantry but in every area of my life.

Trick or Treat

When selfish desires hook up with temptation, a baby of doom is born. That baby is called “Sin” and when it fully grows up, it wears a black robe and hood, and carries a sickle. Oh, I know Halloween is coming, but this is no horror movie in costume. It is reality.

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. (James 1:14-15)

In simple, more common illustration, say I have a craving for munchies (and I often do). I go to the store and see them on the shelf. I can resist at that point, thanks to the grace of God. However, if I buy them, all is not lost. I could have a few and that would not be a problem, again thanks to the grace of God. However, if I give in and eat them for days and then weeks and years, the over-eating is the sin, and the heart attack from clogged arteries or the stroke from high blood pressure is the measure of fully grown sin, the grown-up baby of death.

It works the same way with sinful attitudes like envy or hate. Eventually, if not spurned and starved, these things become monsters that destroy. If they do not actually kill me (people die from loneliness, never mind excessive anger), they will destroy relationships and put me totally out of touch with God. If those sins were not already forgiven, they would land me on the other side of grace where there is eternal punishment.

I note that death is more than physical. In several places in the Bible, the word “separation” makes a good substitute. Sin separates people from God and from His blessings. That is spiritual death. If that baby is not checked, not confessed, not forgiven, and not covered with the blood of Christ, it will grow until there is no hope and the separation, a.k.a. death, is for eternity.

Every October about this time I am thinking what I would wear if we did decided to go to a costume party. Much of what I see in ads and Halloween promotion is related to death or spiritual darkness. Is there a costume that depicts life and spiritual light? What can I put on that shows the other side of this horror called sin and death? The Bible offers several suggestions:

•    But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. (Romans 13:14)
•     . . . put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:24)
•    Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)
•    Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering . . .  (Colossians 3:12)
•    But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. (Colossians 3:14)

I need to remember that this ‘costume’ is more than an external garment. All these things are about the heart, the inner person. I cannot merely look like this on the outside (even if that was possible), but must be like this on the inside.

We seldom do much to “celebrate” Halloween. This holiday may have started out with a better spiritual focus, but all that seems to be lost. However, I am thankful to God that Jesus lives in me. Because of Him, I have His power to resist temptation. Whether temptation lurks in my head or come disguised as something else, the new life that Jesus gives is able to  conquer all enticements. He works in me to put to death my selfish desires so sin cannot hook up with me.