By Oluwatise Osinaike
Have you ever felt so lit up in your spirit that you have finally overcome your biggest temptation and you fall right back into it a few days later? At this point, the scripture “How the mighty have fallen” resonates so well.
Take, for instance, you’ve stopped watching pornography for two, or three years now and all of a sudden you find yourself in it again.
You might have thought oh, I thought I had dealt with this weakness. I thought I had passed this stage. I thought I won’t give in to temptation again at least not this one.
But then may I tell you that the Christian journey is till death. That is, one would still face diverse temptations until death comes.
Paul put it this way, but we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the spirit of God. (2 Cor 3: 18).
So it is a gradual process and one doesn’t attain perfection until we see Christ.
Why you keep falling
But still, let’s talk about how you even fell back into the temptation you thought you had overcome a few years before this time.
A lot of factors can contribute to this. It could be that you have neglected the secret place for so long. Prayer maintains you. It is like a surgery room, the place where Jesus makes you like Him.
The devil is always on the lookout for believers who don’t pray because it’s in the place of prayer that we receive strength to overcome the adversities of the day.
You can’t afford to go a day without prayers, the bible records that the evil of the day is sufficient thereof, evil could also mean temptations. Prayer prepares you for what lies ahead and at the same time equips you for it.
Read also: Fasting and the many questions that assailed my mind: https://churchtimesnigeria.net/fasting-and-the-many-questions-that-assailed-my-mind/
Another factor could be that you have stopped reading the word (Bible). Did you stop meditating, did you stop spending quality time with the word of God and did you stop reading the Bible?
Yes, all of these could also be a factor. The word of God transforms us. Romans 12:2 clearly states that we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds. One sure way to do that is by spending quality time on scriptures.
Fellowship
Another key factor could be that you neglected the gathering of other believers. Did you stop going to church? Did you stop attending weekly meetings? Did you stop fellowshipping with other believers?
I know that due to one activity or the other, one might be too occupied to spend time with prayers and the word. But there is one thing that may not require you to give so much time which is to be in the gathering of the saints.
You may need to surround and saturate yourself with an atmosphere that will engender accountability. This kind of gathering would give you strength on the days you are weak spiritually.
You should also check if you are no longer yearning for God’s word, or if you feel you already know what the preacher is talking about. It is often said that pride goes before a fall.
There’s always this tendency to get carried away and not pay attention to all of these warning signals but it is also important to run back to God for mercy, help, and strength when one falls into temptation.
As I said earlier, the Christian race is a marathon race, no one is perfect. We are all moving towards attaining perfection and our model is Christ.
Don’t beat yourself up when you see that you have given into temptation again. Try to revisit the structures you set for your spiritual growth and check where you missed it.
What to do when tempted
No one is above temptation, but once tempted, what do you do? Do you run back to God, or do you hide in isolation or shame? The former would deepen your relationship with God, while the latter would take you farther from God.
