Temptations enticing youths of Delhi and ways to overcome them

Introduction:
The Devil tempts you to destroy your faith; God tests you to develop your faith.
–Warren Wiersbe

We all face temptation. But the truth is, very few people deal with it effectively. It’s said, “Fail to plan and you’re planning to fail.” That statement could not be truer when it’s applied to temptation. No one can escape from temptation, since Satan the tempter is right in the world. To be enticed by temptations is not a sin, but to yield to temptation is sin. In this short essay we’ll take a closer look at some of the biggest temptations that deeply entice our youths in Delhi specially and the probable ways to successfully navigate past them.

Enticing temptations:

Based on 1 John 2:16 I have categorised the enticing temptations in three main domains:

1. Temptations of the flesh –
   One commentary says The ‘lust of the flesh’ is a desire for self-gratification's and generally relates to the inner cravings of the heart. It is speaking of our sensual and illicit bodily appetites, which are conceived and cultivated from within our fallen nature. They can remain hidden in an iniquitous heart of sinful rebellion or can be translated into immoral deeds and unprincipled actions 1. In short, it is the craving to do something out if our nature contrary to God’s will.

It describes what it means to live life dominated by the senses. Uncontrolled sensual cravings can lead to relationship issues like adultery and fornication, gluttony in food, laxity in morals, selfish in the use of possessions, extravagant in the gratification of material desires. Youths in a metropolitan city like Delhi are more susceptible to such enticing desires as they live a life of lesser boundaries and I’m afraid that many of our promising youths may have deeply fallen into such traps.
1. https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/1-john-2-16

2. Temptations of the eyes –
The same commentary mentioned above says: The ‘lust of the eyes’ incorporates all the things we see with our eyes which entice us to sin and often feeds on fallen imagination. It is fed by a covetous heart that lusts after the thing we see and desire and reminds us of the tree in the garden of paradise.

The lust of the eyes is the desire to possess something apart from God’s will. It describes someone who is captivated by an outward show of materialism. In the context of Delhi, youths may see a new car and feel like they must have it. Similarly see a new dress, desire to have it. See a higher position, desire to have it. Cars, dresses, positions, etc., are not in and of themselves sinful. But the inordinate desire to have everything and anything we see is sinful. In this fast growing age of technology, there are so many other things that can deeply entice our eyes and lead us to sins. The people we follow on social media, the links we click and the websites we visit are some of the examples that can easily take us closer to temptations that we should be running away from.

3. Temptations of the pride of life –
   The third phrase, “the pride of life,” describes the arrogant spirit of self- sufficiency. This word “pride” in Greek describes the pretentious braggart. This is the person who has an inflated sense of ego in the position he/she holds, the seat he/she sits in, the things he/ she owns, and even though has almost zero knowledge, pretends to know it all. This is the person who always wants to be one step above everyone else by any means. Everything form of self- indulgence, self-righteousness, egotistic arrogance, mental self-satisfaction we desire to have, to enjoy, or to pride ourselves upon, these are the “pride of life.” This pride often seems to lead to very unhealthy environment of un- forgiveness. An arrogant father or mother or brother or sister who refuses to let go of their pride or ego to seek a beloved person’s forgiveness creates a very unhealthy atmosphere at home. Youths of Delhi can be very easily swayed into thinking that they are above the rest of the pack as they live in a big city. The pride of life takes us somewhere contrary to God’s will.

Overcoming temptations
Temptation is Satan’s weapon to defeat us, but it can become God’s tool to build us. Temptation itself is not sinful, but failure to resist and flee will lead to sin. When we entertain sin, we shouldn’t be surprised when it becomes so enticing we can’t resist. This is the point at which we must flee from it. The following are some steps that would help us flee from the enticing temptations.

a. Meditate and memorize Scripture
In Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, and each of the three times, Satan being well equipped with the scriptures quoted them (out of context), but Jesus put all three of the Scriptures in proper context and He resisted temptations thrown at him. This is the first weapon we can use against the temptations the devil throws at us. Just as David says “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). When David says he hid God’s Word in his heart he meant he memorized it so that he might not sin against God. No wonder we are told to “treasure up [His] commandments” in our hearts or minds (Proverbs 2:1).

b. Act intensely
In Matthew 5:29,30a Jesus said “if your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away”. Now if anyone actually did gouge his eye out, he still has the other eye to lust with. Or if he did cut off his hand, he still has the other hand with which to sin. Therefore, we see that Jesus is simply telling us to act as intensely as is necessary. For those who are addicted to pornography, either get rid of the Internet or find a friend to put on a password-protected filter. You must be proactive in resisting temptation. If required make a covenant with your eyes as Job 31:1 says, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?”

c. Be vigilant and Pray
Jesus gave us great advice for avoiding temptation when He said in Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Being vigilant means being careful with where you go and what you see and being diligent to avoid areas where temptation is a greater risk. Praying means asking God for His supernatural help in avoiding and then overcoming temptation. Jesus understands us when our spirit is willing but flesh sure is weak. The Lord Jesus taught His disciples to ask God, “do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). If you ask God to help you avoid temptation, then you should also be vigilant to stay away from tempting situations.

d. Don’t Fight Alone.
Though it can sometimes be difficult or feel embarrassing, one way to fight temptation is to confide in other people who have faced similar struggles. The Christian life is about forming relationships and community. We can always look for people who are stronger spiritually and can mentor us in our most difficult times. They can be our friends, youth leaders, Pastors or even elders in our Church.

e. Resist and flee in the opposite direction:
James 4:7 clearly says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” If you do find yourself in danger of sin, get out of there quickly! As a Christian, you are to “flee immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18) and to “flee from youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22). Be like Joseph, who ran out from the adulterous advances of his master’s wife (Genesis 39:12). Escape from tempting situations, locations, and people. Do not stay and yield to your ungodly desires and make every effort to subdue them for righteousness’ sake.

These are some of the temptations that deeply affect our youths and the probable ways to overcome them. “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible,” (Matthew 19:26)