Temptations!

I love to go to restaurants and look at the dessert menu, read through the desserts to see if there is anything there that might be tempting. And without fail, the author of the menu and dessert chef comes through with the names like 'chocolate sinful dessert', 'sinfully delightful', 'chocolate temptation' (yummmm), and on and on and on. Remember when desserts used to be hot fudge sundae? Well not any more, they have a tempting desiring name attached to that simple little hot fudge sundae (which they still are that simple only with a new name). And everytime I read one of these great tasty descriptions, my mouth waters, my sweet tooth kicks in, and dinner is out the door...let's just start with dessert!!! And we are surrounded by temptations just like that in different areas of life, from walking into a grocery store where stacks of candy bars scream to us as we wait in line to check out, to going to Walmart for just a few things and walking out with two carts full of stuff... temptations.
I live in a world of temptations and most of them are not in the physical, the majority of them are in my mind. I am tempted daily to be jealous, which turns to anger, and then frustration, and soon thereafter the cycle begins again. I was told once that walking with Christ was like peeling apart an onion, the layers come off slowly and each new layer is a new step in the 'right' direction. Well, I have to say this onion thing is not that great. I mean I know in the end that is where I am suppose to be going but the journey through it is driving me batty!!! It seems like one thing gets worked on and BAM! another one raises its ugly head and all the while, I'm being pressed upon to keep on keeping on. Temptations!!! They just fill my mind constantly and the spiritual struggle for every new one is harder and harder. Why do I have to go through this stuff? Why can't I just 'be'? That's what I thought the Christian life was suppose to be like, obviously I was wrong!!!
This morning and yesterday morning, I was reading Hebrews. And throughout the first 4 chapters (this is as far as am), there are several places where it talks about temptations. In Hebrews 2:17-18 it says "He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become .. merciful and faithful..in all things....He Himself was tempted." I was relieved to read this, at peace with the fact that I wasn't alone in my temptations (whether physical or mental). He went through the temptations for me so that He could help me through them in my time of need...and all I have to do is aske for His help. Don't get me wrong that's still a lot harder than it seems, asking for help is not one of my strong points!!! But I still have that opportunity to go to Him, and I didn't have that before I knew Him personally. Iwish I could relay that to everyone I know, every friend that isn't a believer and be able do it in confidence. I guess that time will come but for right now, I battle! Battle the mind, the soul and the body, working toward obedience and defeat of temptations.

The Questions

Being a mother of three now teenagers, I had to go through the terrible twos and the wonderful four - teens. Don't worry if you haven't been through this stage....you will! What I remember most about my children is that they ask tons of questions, especially Sydney (even now at 14 she is full of whys and what fors). If you've been through these stages you know that children can ask all sorts of questions about things you would never begin to think they could ask. The classic why is the sky blue? I don't think a parent yet could logically answer that for a 4 year old and when we did answer 'because it reflects the color of the oceans' (right!) they ask........why is the water blue? So back to square one you go. Where does the color in crayons come from? Why do the trees loose their leaves and what makes them green in the summer? What if the sun doesn't come out will the trees and grass die? You think of it they can out think you!!
It's the same for me being a new and growing believer in Christ. I have a lot of questions beginning with WHY? WHEN? HOW LONG? WHAT NOW? Prior to being a believer, and that wasn't all that long ago, I was stuck on the fact that there was no way the Ark existed. Christians could "possibly see" (by satelite) it comfortably placed in the nether regions of Turkey mountains where no one could get to it. There was no 'proof' that Christ ever walked on this earth so why should I believe that he actually existed. And why exactly do we all speak different languages, have different skin color, and different traditions!!! WHY, WHY, WHY? Well no one for the longest time could answer these questions. I was continually getting the "because that's the way it is"...or..."because God says so in his word", no one could actually show me where to believe but by golly it was there!!!
Today as a full believer and struggling walker with Christ, I find that the questions are still there, I just don't worry about them. I ask them continually but I am asking God now and not man, and if I do ask 'man' then I get a direct full supported answer...not 'because'. (I always thought of my mother with the 'because I said so' not a very good response.) This week God opened a door for me to share His love, forgiveness, kindness, mercy, etc, etc, etc, with an old friend. And when that door was partially cracked, I was excited, now that door is fully open and I am afraid as to what to say or how to lead this friend toward and not away. So the questions of How? came crashing back. This morning I was looking for a scripture that I know but don't know where it is "I am the way the truth and the light, no one comes to the Father except through Me." I couldn't find that but I did find a lot more. From John 4- John 9, Jesus continually testifies of himself to others who don't believe him and several times throughout these passages Jesus tells those listening that they do not believe him because they do not believe the Father. That's powerful. People were listening and seeing Jesus, had been handed down and told of the prophesies of his coming and stilll did nto believe he was sent by God and of himself. They didn't believe any of his words because they didn't believe truly in God as the Father. In John 6:44 Jesus says 'no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.....' Further yet, in John 8:442-47, Jesus tells that the reason that they didn't know God's calling and didn't believe in him was due to the lies that the devil had placed in their hearts and minds. Aha Moment!! That's the answer to the whys! All the questions that I had as an unbeliever is right there in John 4 - John 9. I didn't believe because I wasn't listening, I couldn't hear God calling me through the lies that I was living that the enemy had filled up in my life. Lies of the whys, who says, can you prove it, and on and on and on.
Do I still have some questions for God, absolutely! I believe now more than ever that those questions are meant for me to hear from Him directly, when I don't know but He does. For now, I dig and read His Words, pray for answers and direction, and wait for Him to guide (not very good at this part yet). "I am the way the truth and the light, no one comes to the Father except through me." That's enough for me. I'm still pressing forward but as long as I keep Christ in front of me, leading the way, those questions get answered by faith and truth. So why are you waiting? What are you waiting for?