Take it away!

Often in our struggle against temptation, we wish God would just take away the triggers.

If God would just clean up the programming on TV, then I wouldn't struggle with lust.

If God would take me out of this job, then I wouldn't be around these gossiping people.

If God would make alcohol illegal, then I wouldn't be able to stop in at the bar.

If we follow that reasoning too far, it can get so bad that we just give up. We might conclude that if God doesn't take away the triggers, it must be okay. Dwell in the land of lust a bit. Try not to gossip as much as the others. Social drinking is okay.

Then begins the slippery slope of defeat.

God leaves those triggers around us for a reason. But that reason is not so that we will give up and give in.

"...Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the LORD as their fathers did or not...Now these are the nations that the LORD left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before" (Judges 2:20-3:2).

God left the nations in and around Canaan to help the Israelites. He wanted to help them with two things.

First, He wanted to help them in obedience. He wanted those triggers there, the people who would tempt them to follow after other gods, so that they would be tested. He desired their obedience, but to know whether or not they would be obedient, they had to have temptations. He had given them the law so that they would know what was right. He had given them a history so that they would experience what God did for those who were obedient. He wanted them to choose obedience.

Second, He wanted to help them know how to fight. He wanted them to know what battle was like. He wanted to give them the opportunity to struggle and have victory.

Those triggers in your life aren't there as a permission slip, allowing you to dive into sin. They are there to test your obedience. The obstacles are there so that you can experience God giving you victory over them. They are there to give you opportunity to fight against temptation.

And it is a fight.

Don't give in.