Temptations to Sin

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'" - Mark 9:42-48

Many books have been written about the temptations of sin and its implication on the children of God, often with particular attention placed on damnation. Let's focus on this particular passage in the book of Mark and its life application today. I remember reading this passage quite literally at one time. Now, I'm sure if we took account of each of our sins and severed accordingly then we would all be in little bits. Fortunately for us there is indeed a less morbid application of this passage but that is not to devalue the serious nature of the passage considering the manner in which it is dictated.

This is an extremely serious passage when we really consider what Jesus is telling us to do. Today, if you attempted anything like that you would be heavily medicated and institutionalized. How then can we apply this passage in our own lives? We look at temptation in the world today and it is on your tv, in your phone, in your laptop, and even within the confines of your own mind. Living the Christian life means obedience and life likened unto the perfection of Christ, a perfection we will never achieve but for which we can strive. I find this particular passage in Mark to be extremely helpful in following the narrow path (Matthew 7:13-14); it is extremely helpful in that I apply it in my own life. Whenever I feel I am being led into temptation whether by people or by technology there is always a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13) and Jesus tells us exactly what we can do to get out in Mark 9:42-48!

We cut it off, sever the ties, and burn the bridges of temptation. A common phrase that comes to mind: 'out of sight out of mind.' Think about what it is that is tempting you into the sins you are engaging in and try to cut it off at the source. If that means a guy or a girl who is pulling you into sexual immorality it's time to cut ties and let him or her go, I've had to do this before too and it is not always easy. There is usually some way to cut off these "limbs" that are causing us to sin. We are directly connected to these avenues of temptation spiritually and Jesus is saying it is better to cut it off than to be sent into the fire. We can make our Christian life so much easier on ourselves if we can find ways in which we can stay above reproach. I've uninstalled apps from my phone and closed accounts on social networking sites, that were all tempting me to stray, in order to stay above reproach. For this to be effective you have to think creatively and take inventory of your sins and where they are stirred from. Then you can search for ways to cut them off.

Sins that aren't so simple can be battled spiritually through prayer and fasting. There are many resources out there on this type of defense against temptation including articles, books, sermons etc. A simple search will yield many results and before you begin searching say a little prayer to yourself asking the Lord for guidance. You can check out John Eckhardt's powerful prayer books for great scripture based prayers of deliverance and many other kinds of prayer.

The other temptations can stem directly from the mind. This is a topic that is extremely important for Christians to come to know and understand. I could not even begin to explain this type of battle, 2 Corinthians 10:5 comes to mind, so I will leave that to those more qualified; check out Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer. The biggest thing we can do is pray and the easiest thing we can do is to have the courage to cut ties. Remember that we are to be imitators of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1) and do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31); keep these 2 verses in mind and continue to diligently seek the Lord (Hebrews 11:6). He will be with you every step of the way (Joshua 1:9)(Matthew 28:20)(Deuteronomy 31:6) for He is the God of our salvation (John 3:16)(Romans 6:23)(Psalm 62:7)(Psalm 33:20).

If you think someone could benefit from this post then by all means share it. If you have any suggestions or examples of how you cut ties with sin then feel free to share them in the comments. I love to read testimonies!