We all love a good underdog story, right? I am a HUGE Rocky fan . . . every movie, every fight. Even the one with Tommy Gunn in the street!
I think we like these stories because we can identify with the underdog. We like the story of someone beating the odds and doing what no one thought they could.
When we look at our struggle with pornography & lust, we compare it to a battle . . . and think about the underdog story. How against all odds we can fight this battle and win!
And while it’s true that we can have victory over this sin habit, we’re not the ones doing the fighting. We’re not Rocky in this story. If anyone, we’re Paulie. We run our mouth and pick a fight we can’t win and then get knocked out.
James gives us one clarifying point though; we don’t need to do the fighting. We only need to resist! Chapter 4 of his letter says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”.
Resist.
All we need to do is resist.
Defeating the enemy is outside my ability. But resisting? That I can do!
How do you resist? By training. And James gives us the answer to that too.
“Draw near to God . . . cleanse your hands . . . purify your hearts”. Daily habits that you need to START doing, to STOP doing the thing you’ve been doing.
Also, it’s important to know that you always have the option to resist, no matter the temptation. God will always provide a way of escape, a way to resist. It’s just a matter of being alert to the circumstances and alert to what’s going on. That’s why journaling is so important. Take notes on your life so you learn & get better at it, not having to repeat your mistakes.
And resist!
Thoughts to Pray/Journal:
- How is your resisting the past few days? How can you improve? Be specific.
- In what ways have you attempted to do the fighting, take control of your tendencies and simply ‘try harder’?
Reading: