When you want what you don't want to want

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--The word "struggle" has become a cliché -- especially in evangelical Christian circles. It's a way to place a kind of distance between my rebellion and myself. There's a big difference between saying to my fellow believers that I "struggle with procrastination" and confessing "I'm lazy."

But grappling with temptation is torturous. It's not for nothing that the Scripture often compares this grappling to physical violence -- cutting off a limb or poking out an eye (Matthew 5:29-30), having one's skin set afire (Mark 9:49, 1 Corinthians 7:9) or fighting until bleeding all over the place (Hebrews 12:4). This is because our desires are so strong.

The Apostle Paul placed the pull to temptation in the context of human desires, showing how the Israelites of old moved from eating and drinking to outright rebellion and debauchery (1 Corinthians 10:7). Again, at this point, the Scripture keeps us away from both hubris and despair. The Scripture tells us we'll encounter temptation, and that it will be wild.

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