As long as we live in this world and this society we will be surrounded by temptation. Temptation is literally everywhere. Sometimes it is obvious and other times it is hidden and hard to detect. Sometimes the most innocent things can turn out all wrong and cause many problems. A person has to be on the defense and lookout constantly to avoid all the pitfalls. And then there are the temptation that are in your head and subconscious that creep up on you when least expected. The halfway house guys had a five second rule when looking at a pretty woman. They agreed that if you stare for longer than five seconds your mind has forgotten about her beauty and is now thinking about lustful matters. Other folks use the “count to ten rule” to control their anger. I don’t know that either of these rules work, but the individuals that use them have made a conscience effort to avoid temptation which in and by itself means that they are trying to stay out of trouble. What ever rules or efforts you need to avoid temptation is worth the effort. If you do everything right there will be temptations that sneak up on you and your involved before you know it. Matthew 26:41reminds us, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” We are also fortunate that we have a God that is aware of our weaknesses and he wants us to succeed in our daily lives. 1 Corinthians 10:13 affirms this by saying, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Everything is possible with God on your side.
Yesterdays temptations and sins are still the same now as they were. Behavior and sins that made our grandparent blush are still sins and bad behavior today. Men parading around in their underwear, vulgar language, prostitution, abortion, pornography, open visual sex in the movies and on television, blood and guts displayed during prime time, and many other activities that were not acceptable are now the norm. The moral decay of society with the approval and assistance of the media has allowed many sins to become accepted. Many men use this as permission to take part in behavior that they know is wrong. “During the sexual revolution of the 1960s, a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States said it was impossible to define character. That was a radical departure from what prior generations believed: They knew what character meant. It meant things like honoring your parents, not murdering, not stealing, not lying, not coveting and not committing adultery. In short, it meant keeping the Ten Commandments, the laws of the Bible.” (Miller, 2017) It should strike us anomalous and alarming that the Ten Commandments are being left behind and bad behavior and debauchery is now common place. Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German Nazi politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. Mr. Goebbels propaganda helped convince an entire country to turn in their guns, to follow their leaders into a horrible war, and to find no fault with the murder of millions of Jews. Mr. Goebbels is remembered as the architect of the “Big Lie.” He convinced his leadership that, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” It seems that our society has been guilty of following a similar path for the past several years. The media and those that hate our country have been pushing an agenda that brings turmoil and revulsion to civility and especially Christians. This allows for the wicked to become bold and act out. It also becomes another temptation for those that have not found their way. We as “Men” must help safeguard from these temptations and to assist our Country to find its way back to the Ten Commandments. The world can be an ugly place and being a Christian and being a “Man” is not easy and will always be subject to battles. Remember, Romans 12:2 tells us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”