Temptation: Don’t Think – Keep in Step with the Spirit
Don’t think, former procrastinators. Truly. That’s been some of the most helpful counsel to myself. We know we should be thinkers. We should keep our brains engaged. We should not default to mental coasting. Right.
But still, there’s an appropriate time for not thinking. It occurs when temptation presents the bait. Don’t think about the bait.
Eve, of course, is the perfect illustration in Genesis 3. The serpent addressed her. “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” He questioned God’s instructions and inferred something was wrong. Eve engaged in conversation with him. Even if she had not misquoted God’s instruction, she paid attention to the questioning serpent. She opened the door when he knocked and he walked right in. Then he countered God’s warning and proceeded to undermine Eve’s trust in God. “She saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise.”
Eve hung around and listened to the serpent’s presentation. She looked where he pointed. She followed his line of reasoning. She nodded in agreement. She wanted what the serpent wanted her to want. She ate the fruit and she passed it to Adam who ate. Then the very thing they thought they were beating – being less than God -came upon them and they had deep regret.
When temptation opens its mouth, shut it down. Refuse to listen. Do not think about what it has to offer. Do not think about the delights of the bait. Do not think about how enjoyable it would be to put off that report or that clean up. Do not think about the temporary “relief” delay would bring.
Do not think of how you can justify procrastination (or any temptation). “Skipping one day won’t matter.” “I’m the only one who cares about this.” “Mary is the only person who knows and she understands.” “This is just a little thing.” We have a library of excuses we twist to sound noble or reasonable. They, too, are lures because they enable sin. Do not think about them.
When we think about how pleasant a temptation would be to give in to, we have given our enemy a great deal of ground. He’s in. And much harder to resist at that point.
We can ask the Lord to help us discern quickly the voice of temptation. We can refuse to listen. Don’t converse with the devil. Don’t think about the bait.
When did you last catch yourself thinking about bait the enemy offered you?
