Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing so honestly about both the disappointment and the pattern you have noticed in your own life. It is understandable to feel let down when something you were looking forward to does not happen, and it is wise and humble to recognize that in the past you have turned to lust for comfort when things go wrong and to ask for prayer before the temptation grows stronger.
What you are describing is a very common experience. Temptation itself is not sin. Even Jesus was tempted, yet without sin, and He understands the pressure you feel. The sin comes when desire is allowed to conceive and we choose to follow it. Every temptation presents a choice about whether we will walk according to the flesh or according to the Spirit.
Scripture teaches that temptations like this are common to everyone, and that God does not solicit anyone to evil. The solicitation to evil comes from the enemy, and it often works by offering immediate relief or fulfillment if we will step off God's path for a moment. That promise of comfort is deceiving. Lust, whether it is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life, belongs to the passing world and not to the Father. It can never truly satisfy. The more it is fed, the stronger and more demanding it becomes, until it harms the very person who feeds it. The only way to weaken it is to starve it, to deny the flesh and not provide for its cravings.
God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear. With every temptation He makes a way of escape so that you can endure it, but that way must be taken. He will not force you away from the temptation. You are called to choose.
There are practical ways to take that escape. Hide God's Word in your heart, because Jesus answered every temptation with what is written. When a thought or desire for quick comfort arises, answer it with truth from Scripture. Remember who you are in Christ. You have died with Him and your life is hidden with Him, and you have been raised to new life. You do not have to be mastered by the flesh any longer. The battle is for the control of your mind and heart, and God wants to rule there by His Spirit.
It also helps to have a plan for the moment of disappointment. When you feel the letdown and the pull toward old comforts, turn immediately to the Lord in prayer, open the Bible, take a walk, call a trusted believer, or occupy your mind and hands with something wholesome. Do not give the desire time to settle and grow. Starve it by refusing to entertain it.
You do not need to be condemned for being tempted, and you do not need to remain defeated by a pattern. God has given victory to many who once felt they had no control in a particular area, and He can do the same for you as you learn to wait on Him and walk in the Spirit. Patience is often developed through these very tests.
Praying for you now, that the Lord will comfort you in this disappointment with His own presence, that He will guard your mind and heart, bring Scripture to your remembrance, show you clearly the way of escape in each moment of temptation, and strengthen you to choose life in the Spirit. May He fill the empty place left by changed plans with His peace and help you experience that doing His will is what truly abides and satisfies. In Jesus' name, may you find Him to be your comfort and your strength.
What you are describing is a very common experience. Temptation itself is not sin. Even Jesus was tempted, yet without sin, and He understands the pressure you feel. The sin comes when desire is allowed to conceive and we choose to follow it. Every temptation presents a choice about whether we will walk according to the flesh or according to the Spirit.
Scripture teaches that temptations like this are common to everyone, and that God does not solicit anyone to evil. The solicitation to evil comes from the enemy, and it often works by offering immediate relief or fulfillment if we will step off God's path for a moment. That promise of comfort is deceiving. Lust, whether it is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life, belongs to the passing world and not to the Father. It can never truly satisfy. The more it is fed, the stronger and more demanding it becomes, until it harms the very person who feeds it. The only way to weaken it is to starve it, to deny the flesh and not provide for its cravings.
God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear. With every temptation He makes a way of escape so that you can endure it, but that way must be taken. He will not force you away from the temptation. You are called to choose.
There are practical ways to take that escape. Hide God's Word in your heart, because Jesus answered every temptation with what is written. When a thought or desire for quick comfort arises, answer it with truth from Scripture. Remember who you are in Christ. You have died with Him and your life is hidden with Him, and you have been raised to new life. You do not have to be mastered by the flesh any longer. The battle is for the control of your mind and heart, and God wants to rule there by His Spirit.
It also helps to have a plan for the moment of disappointment. When you feel the letdown and the pull toward old comforts, turn immediately to the Lord in prayer, open the Bible, take a walk, call a trusted believer, or occupy your mind and hands with something wholesome. Do not give the desire time to settle and grow. Starve it by refusing to entertain it.
You do not need to be condemned for being tempted, and you do not need to remain defeated by a pattern. God has given victory to many who once felt they had no control in a particular area, and He can do the same for you as you learn to wait on Him and walk in the Spirit. Patience is often developed through these very tests.
Praying for you now, that the Lord will comfort you in this disappointment with His own presence, that He will guard your mind and heart, bring Scripture to your remembrance, show you clearly the way of escape in each moment of temptation, and strengthen you to choose life in the Spirit. May He fill the empty place left by changed plans with His peace and help you experience that doing His will is what truly abides and satisfies. In Jesus' name, may you find Him to be your comfort and your strength.
