Let Them Stay!

My back has been hurting the past few days. I'm sure there are multiple reasons, but when I eliminated most processed sugars and carbs from my diet last spring, I noticed that I didn't have back pain anymore. Well, it's hurting again, and as I evaluated my food intake of the past couple weeks, it has included breads, cookies, and other sweets. I have such a weakness for these! That chocolate hazelnut spread and cookie butter were bought special, just for me! The Amish Friendship Bread and the pasta meals have been so delicious! 

I was thinking about either throwing out the items that are tempting me or urging my kids to hurry up and eat them. 

But I need to develop self-control.

That's when I realized that this applies to more than just what's in my pantry.

When we have temptations out in the world, we can't always remove those. It is not in our power to remove them all, and I'm sure we'd encounter quite a push-back from some other people if we tried.

Sure, we can remove some temptations from our immediate environments, such as our homes, or our phones. We can remove alcohol, magazines, certain tv shows/movies/websites, other media sources. We can block people with certain language or behavior from entering our abode. It is good to have a safe place to rest from our battles, where we can rejuvenate and prepare for the next.

But since we can't erase all temptations, we must develop the fortitude to fight them with self-control, which is a quality of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

"For the fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, 

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law." 

Galatians 5:22-23

A parable told by Jesus came to my mind.

Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'
"'An enemy did this,' he replied.
"The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
"'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" - Matthew 13:24-30

• We leave the temptations - and those who may bear the temptations into our lives - much like the weeds were left with the wheat. 
• We can grow strong even in their presence when we are under the faithful care of the one who planted us where and when we are.
• Uprooting the weeds may cause us not to grow as strong as we should.

Unlike the weeds in this parable, 

who would never be able to change and become like the wheat, 

the people around us 

who are living their lives entangled by their temptations

 have the opportunity to change!

Praise the Lord! In view of God's great mercy, patience, and the grace that He has for every single person who will accept His great and free gift - let the weeds stay! May those who are the "wheat" have a profound impact on them so that they may also become "wheat!"

The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9

Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. - Romans 12:1-2

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. - Galatians 6:9

Taming the Tigers

Did you know that Texas has the second largest population of tigers in the world? Plus, it is estimated that there are more tigers in captivity in the United States than there are in the wild! Many of these tigers are being kept in people's backyards as pets.

Image Credit: Nigel Swales via Flickr

     

      Image Credit: www.heroviral.com
    (Facebook/Erin Poole)

                 
                                   




I tend to keep my pet tigers even closer to me. Now, before you get all concerned that I really have pet tigers roaming around my living room, let me clarify that - although one of our real-life cats is named Tiger - I am not talking about real animals here.

I'm talking about temptations. Temptations can prowl around in our lives. They seek to devour that which is good. A couple of my temptation tigers are sugary treats and time lost to technology usage (mostly Facebook and e-mail). Sometimes I'm fooled into thinking that they are just a current, temporary struggle that has popped up. Recently, however, I looked through an old notebook and saw notes about my struggling with these same tigers four years ago! It was discouraging to consider that I am still trying to tame the same tigers! I have not done well with self-control on these two issues.

We don't have to try to tame the tigers on our own. We can enlist a team to help us. Get some accountability with others who will support you and ask you the hard questions that you don't want to answer (i.e., Did you avoid eating sweets today? How long did you spend on Facebook this week?). They need to be tough - tough on you to spur you onward and motivate you, and tough on the temptation tigers, to push them back so they no longer threaten you. If I am completely honest with you, I have avoided accountability because I don't want to be told 'no' when I selfishly decide that I want to eat those sweet treats, or I want to get on Facebook and read "just a few more." Well, maybe this is a very good reason why I have not been successful for over four years!

We also would benefit from the skills of a trainer. A trainer has experience. They have worked with the tigers before and know how to deal with them. I'd like to work with a trainer who has been successful at overcoming the tigers, too. You know that's what Jesus did, right?

Hebrews 4:15 - For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin.

Hebrews 2:18 - Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

So, how do you contact your trainer and get him to help you tame your tigers? You need to spend time with him and develop a relationship with him. It's not that he doesn't know you or know how to work with you and your tigers; it's that you need to get on the same page with him and trust him to help you. You need to learn how to follow his lead and go along with his plan, even if it doesn't make sense to you at the time. Talk to him and be honest with him in your prayers. Tell him how you feel about your tigers and how hard you think the taming process will be. Sit still in his presence and let him communicate to you - he is with you and will help you; have peace and trust in him; there is nothing that he cannot handle - nothing is impossible for him. As you develop your relationship with your trainer, you will learn how to tame you tigers and develop the confidence to put the plan into action, even if the plan is revealed to you only one step at a time.

One resource you might consider is Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst. I am at the end of a 21-day online devotional on this subject by her and it has made me want to buy the book (or devotional, or Bible study...). The main topic has been about food issues, but it is definitely applicable for other issues.

Even better than just trying to "tame" our temptation tigers would be to cage them up and send them away from us! "You cannot take the wild from a tiger. You can put 'em in your living room, you can put 'em in your bathroom, you can put 'em in your backyard, but a tiger is a tiger is a tiger. They are wild animals, and they could kill you," (Monique Woodard, founder of Exotic Cat Refuge and Wildlife Orphanage).

Our temptations don't just need to be tamed to be kept around and coddled or petted! They need to be cast away from us! There is no way they can turn against us if we have removed them from our lives! Now, I know some temptation tigers cannot be removed and we need to know how to have self-control to resist their dangerous advances.

So, what tigers are you needing to tame? Is it time to talk to the Trainer and listen to what He wants to tell you? Is it time to take that first step - or, like me, take a step again? Maybe your tigers don't need just tamed - maybe they need to be caged and removed completely from your life. Either way, let's get control of some tigers!


Sources:
- Gibson, London. "Tigers are endangered in Asia, but in Texas they're backyard pets." Austin American Statesman. Cox Media Group, 30 April 2018. Web. 03 May 2018. 
- HeroViral Team. "Tiger Cub on a Leash Found Wandering the Streets of Texas." HeroViral. HeroViral/Correlate Pte Ltd, Undated. Web. 04 May 2018.
- Holy Bible, New International Version. East Brunswick: International Bible Society, 1978. Print.
- Macatee, Rebecca. "Why a Pet Tiger is Never, Ever, Ever a Good Idea." Across America Patch. Patch Media, 13 January 2017. Web. 15 May 2018. https://patch.com/new-jersey/bernardsville-bedminster/why-pet-tiger-never-ever-ever-good-idea.
- Wise, Lindsay. "Dangerous exotic animals make home in Texas." Houston Chronicle. Hearst Corporation, 19 March 2012. Web. 4 May 2018.