Overcoming the Temptations of the Flesh
By Rev. Joseph R. Reid
A lion was captured and placed in a large yard surrounded by a high fence. He soon became acquainted with the social life of the other lions that had been there a long time. The lions had divided themselves into several clubs: political, religious, and others, each with their own activities, philosophies, dogmas, scriptures, and ideologies. One group met regularly to hate and slander the captors, which was their whole activity – as if just by hating and slandering the captors something was going to happen. Another group met to sing about a future jungle having no fences. And a third group met to secretly plan violence against the other groups. Those were the conspirators; they were not so much against the captors as they were against the other groups of lions.
Each club tried to pressure the newcomer into joining, but something held him back. His hesitation was caused by observing one particular lion who kept to himself, and who seemed always to be in deep thought and meditation. And this lion used to be alone, a loner. He attracted the newcomer. He had some quality of magnetism around him: a certain power, a certain magic. The newcomer shyly approached the solitary lion and requested an explanation of his apartness. ‘Join nothing!’ replied the lion.’ These foolish creatures do everything but what is necessary. I am doing what is essential, so one day I will be out of here. You are welcome to all the facts I have uncovered.’ ‘But what is this necessary thing that you are doing?’ asked the newcomer. ‘Listen carefully,’ said the loner.’ ‘I am studying the nature of the fence. That is the only essential thing to do in life: to understand the nature of the fence.’
What are the fences or boundaries in your life? What are the temptations?
I recently did a self- inventory and found that as much as I would like to think I have no vices or problems, it is not the case. I still struggle with issues of money. I still want to feel important. I like having and using power. There are still things I am addicted to. I like to eat, sleep and do what I want, when I want. I can still be selfish, self-centered and egoistical. I still have problems from time to time in personal relationships. Like Jesus I want the cup of my imperfections to pass. I am not alone. The problem I see is many of us spend most of our lives chasing rainbows, acquiring stuff and addicted to things that create misery for us, yet we have difficulties overcoming them.
Like the proverbial thorn in the flesh, spoken by the apostle Paul in describing his trouble, overcoming the temptations of the flesh can be our biggest problem. Paul said, “I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand” Romans 7: 21. There are a thousand temptations of the flesh and as fulfilling as they may seem, none of them nourishes the soul and contributes to eternal life.
I have found two ways of overcoming the temptations of the flesh.
First we need to follow the mandate of Jesus as He faced His greatest temptation, the desire to live as a human instead of dying on the cross. He faced that temptation through prayer but before He prayed He asked His three closest disciples to be with Him in His darkest hour. They failed Jesus. The scripture says, “Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’” What did He mean, “Go over there and pray?” He meant He was going into His secret closet, that place where He could meet God in private. He wanted His fellow humans to be with Him. They fell asleep. “And he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? He said, “Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial or Temptation. Here is the first way of overcoming the temptations of the flesh, he says, “Stay awake that you may not come into the temptations of the flesh.” Be aware, alert, and watchful! Wake Up! Many of us are asleep even now when we should be alert to the temptations of the flesh that causes us to ignore what is important to our soul salvation. How do we wake up? We wake up through a consistent practice of meditation.
Second, He said, “pray!” Pray that you are not overcome by the temptations of the flesh. In the case of the disciples it was sleep but it could have been anything that takes us away from serving and loving the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind.
It adds up to this, we must stay awake to the temptations of the flesh that lead us away from the Lord. We must pray without ceasing, alone in secret that we not come into the trials or temptations that take us away from our readiness to love unconditionally, serve without expectation of gain and to die if necessary in Jesus’ name. As Jesus said, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
