Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Frenemy (02/13/25)
-
TITLE: False Advertising – as Old as Time | Previous Challenge Entry
By Noel Mitaxa
02/20/25 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
Slowly at first, they took turns to confess. One had a gambling addiction. Another was stealing from church accounts. Alcoholism had gripped another, while assault, adultery and pornography were among the evils that were ravaging others. Their relief at all this unloading was almost palpable.
Until one of them asked the host, “Wait, what’s your biggest problem?”
Smiling, he replied, “My biggest problem is keeping confidences, and I can’t wait for you all to leave!”
Temptation has always been one of evil’s worst aspects – for like false advertising, it always hides the damage it can cause. As the serpent promised Adam and Eve that eating the forbidden fruit would make them like God – able to distinguish good from evil – while concealing the awful reality that they would lose their power to rise above evil.
Like the pastors above, we know that temptations target our weaknesses. They may seem familiar - almost as attractive as old friends – but to play with them like toys will weaken our alertness to the menace behind them. They are the original frenemies – enemies who pose as friends. Put simply, if we feed temptations, we will be the ones who get eaten. And even if we keep them at bay, they will distract us from responding to what God may have in mind for us right then.
These temptation frenemies also target our strengths, inviting us to presume on God’s generosity and guidance, and ignore or even exploit the people he trusts us to lead, by assuming that we know all about what needs to be done. This presumption blocks our ears, our eyes, and our minds to any divine innovations.
Oscar Wilde famously declared that he could resist everything except temptation, while the Bible in 1 Corinthians 10:13 promises that temptation does not single us out, because anyone else may be tempted as we are. It also promises that God will keep the level of our temptation below our strength-level – plus the clincher that he will also make a way through its urgency and pressure, so we may draw on his grace to overcome and outlast it. Such victories enable us to offer clear and credible leadership to anyone who may be struggling, because then we may be willing to share how we are tested and how God leads us into his defeat of these frenemies.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
Great job as always -
your entries are always so interesting...
God Bless