Will Temptation Be the Ruin of Your Soul?

In life, there are winners and losers. Yet, people will try to make each other feel better by saying, "Well, you did your best," or "Well, at least you didn't give up." But the truth of the matter is that (1) There are winners and losers; there's not an "almost winner" category for second place. (2) Society places the focus too much on winning tangible items instead of intangible items. We as people have respect and offer our admiration to winners. If during life we learn lessons of winning and losing, what happens after death? Does the lesson of winning and losing continue? Who stands to win in the battle for your soul?

I mention death for many have spoken and claimed that, since they are a good person, they don't feel they will spend eternity in Hell based on their "good deeds" during life. They are mistaken. God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2: 8-9) In a sense they lose. The Bible clearly states that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No man can get to the Father except through Christ. Sadly, there is a certain dogma which teaches the complete opposite. Have you ever thought about when you are tempted to do something wrong, besides yourself who stands to profit/benefit? When giving into temptation, you sin and Romans 6:23 clearly states, "for the wages recompense of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ." Divine justice is under obligation to give sinners their wages. (Dakes Annotated Bible)

Are you aware that the tempter, Satan, uses your mind as a battleground to get you to fall into his trap of temptation? Be it immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, envy, drunkenness, or carousing; Satan diabolically uses these sinful tools as instruments for your soul's ultimate destruction. It is very hard to stop a habit that may be detrimental to one's health. When you want to quit, you may feel this overwhelming compulsion to do what you know to be wrong, when at the same time you wish you had the willpower to do what is right. For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the Holy Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other (continually withstanding and in conflict with each other), so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do. (Galatians 5:17)

Evangelist, Joyce Myers offers a method to stop the craving of addiction: "Don't feed your temptation (flesh)! Starve it out of you." Please be aware that it will be PAINFUL. For the smoker: no more cigarettes. For the drug addict: no more drugs. For the alcoholics: no more liquor. When your body is craving the addiction, you need to substitute something for it. Rinse your mouth out and drink several glasses of water to flush the craving out of your system. A fatal mistake is resisting the sinful habits in your own strength vs. relying on the Lord. Succumbing to temptation only gives the flesh pleasure. To put it in a better perspective, your flesh will return to dust once you depart this life, yet your spirit-wherever it may go Heaven or Hell-will live for eternity. Remember pleasures of the flesh will only last for a season.

In closing, there are only winners and losers in the context of where your soul will spend eternity. You will win eternal life by resisting temptations and accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior. You will lose and Satan will win if your soul spends eternity in Hell. There has been a constant battle raging since the beginning of time for each man's soul. You are here, and now have the opportunity to even out the playing field between your flesh and spirit. Read the Word; don't allow your flesh to overcome your spirit. You control your destiny. Ask yourself, do you wish to be on the winning side? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41)

To learn more about handling temptation, I suggest listening to "How To Handle Temptation" by Joyce Myer Ministry