Posts Tagged ‘temptation’
Do all temptations come from Satan?
Question: Although I’ve read it several times before, I was discussing James 1:13-15 with my mother. In many of your explanations of this verse, you explain that Satan uses our own desires against us to break God’s laws. I explained to my mother that our desires lead us into temptations and that Satan tempts us…
Read MoreI’m not interested in getting married, but how do I deal with my sex drive?
Question: I am a 19-year-old college student, have never dated in my life, and am never planning to. I plan to go into the mission field once I graduate, and I have decided that it would probably be best to never marry in order to be able to focus on my ministry. However, I have…
Read MoreIs it wrong for my boyfriend to stay in my room while having financial trouble?
Question: I’m in a serious relationship. My man is having some financial and accommodation issues. My parents and I decided to assist him until he can stand on his feet. We brought him in to stay with us. We sleep in the same room, but we are not having sex. I want to know if…
Read MoreMy wife has refused to have sex with me for years and I’m weakening
Question: Hello, I feel very ashamed to even write this, but I’ve been doing Google searches and scouring the Internet for answers. I would normally just ask a pastor from church, but I have a learning disorder or mental disability and everyone just writes me off as strange or stupid. Even pastors don’t want to take the time to…
Read MoreThe urge is getting really strong. Should I marry my girlfriend because of this?
Question: Hey, I’m a brother in the church, I’m 21 and I’m a virgin. I am struggling far as thoughts, urges, etc. It’s getting harder each year to contain. Each year the urge gets stronger. I have a girlfriend, she is in the church. She is a great help to the church, and she encourages…
Read MoreHow do I teach my boy self-control and to resist temptation?
Question: Hello, here is my question: I have a young son. We take him to church and talk about the Bible with him. I don’t let him watch television, except for videos like Barney, Sesame Street, and the like. As he gets older, I know he will be influenced by his friends, media that is…
Read MoreHow can I wait three years to get married?
Question: I have been dating my boyfriend for two and a half years now. We are both Christians and both want and work toward a marriage. We believe sex belongs in a marriage and want to keep it like this until we marry. I’ve come to a point where I want to get married because…
Read MoreHow do we avoid the temptation to have sex?
Question: I am 23 years of age and a college student. I have been in a relationship for over a year now. My motive for being in the relationship is to be with my partner now and stay with her until God blesses us to marry. My problem is how do I handle my sexual…
Read MoreI question everything I do, even though there aren’t commands against it because it might not be from faith
Question: Hello again. For a while now I have been struggling with making sure I am doing things in faith as mentioned in Romans 14:23 while not trying to stress myself out and worry about it so much. What is talked about in Ecclesiastes 7:16 seems to be what I am doing. Because I know…
Read MoreHow can I change my life around?
Question: How can I change my life around? It’s like everything is falling apart for me. I pray repeatedly, but I find myself doing the same sin over again – drinking, smoking cigarettes, looking at porn, lusting, cheating, and everything else that’s worldly. I don’t want to do any of these things anymore. I just…
Read MoreWhy has God given me such a miserable life?
Question: I am 24 years old, a single female, living in a liberal yet strict family. Since the age of 2 or 3, I had been molested by my grandfather until I was in 10th grade. In midst of my 6th to 10th grade, my cousin who is older than me also started molesting me.…
Read MoreCan I live with my former homosexual partner if we don’t have sex?
Question: I was in a homosexual relationship with the love of my life. We decided that “gay sex” is indeed a sin, and that we wouldn’t do that anymore. I do honestly love her with all my heart and I know the same goes for her. We still act as a “couple” would. Finances are…
Read MoreI just can’t seem to keep away from sin
Question: Hi, I am 18 years old and I’m really struggling to be a good Christian. I want to change so much, but I just can’t. I read the Bible and pray every night, but I never put the verses into practice. I pray and ask God to help me change, for the Holy Spirit…
Read MoreShould I dump my boyfriend because he keeps pushing for sex?
Question: I’ve been dating this guy for over six months now. When we first met, he seemed very dedicated to God. I loved the way he always spoke about God and seemed to have God first over everything. We even use to fast together! We started dating, but only saw each other once a month…
Read MoreHow do I keep myself from wanting to have sex with my new boyfriend?
Question: Hi, My sister gave me this email because I am having a few problems. Actually, I have been having problems all of high school. One question I have for you is: What does being scared of God look like? How can you be scared of God? I am scared of what will happen to…
Read MoreJamaica Patois Wisdom – Temptation
by Jefferson David Tant The Jamaican Patois dialect is colorful, unique, and humorous. It is my desire to share some of the philosophy shown in this mix of colorful phrases that are witty as well as thought-provoking. I hope the readers both profit and enjoy. In my quarter-century plus of teaching there, I have come…
Read MoreCan being attracted to a coworker be dangerous when you are married?
Question: I am married but attracted to a friend of mine at work. I do not have sexual feelings for her but care for her very much. Can this be a dangerous relationship to continue? Answer: Of course, it can be dangerous. Men desire to be the knight in shining armor to rescue the damsel…
Read MoreI’m really scared of how my body responses to strong emotions
Question: Hello! Thank you for considering a biblical answer to my question! I am a 37-year-old believer in Christ since childhood, mother and wife to my believing husband for over ten years. I have a spiritual conflict that has bothered me from just before my marriage. It has become like an obsessive-compulsive fear or disorder…
Read MoreWhat is the difference between temptation and lust?
Question: Hi I was reading some of the questions that many have posted and one of them caught my attention. In it, you said that being tempted is not a sin. Many of the things we do that are wrong start in the mind, right? So when do the thoughts themselves become a sin? How…
Read MoreHow do you keep your weaknesses from distracting you?
Question: Maybe not as much now but I am sure when growing up as a Christian: How did you deal with your weaknesses distracting you? I have just really realized that my weaknesses have really been exploited to distract me from what I actually want to do and should do. In the Bible, it says…
Read MoreA Common Problem
by Steve Klein Do you tend to have problems that no one else has? If so, this article is for you. And it might surprise you to learn that I know what your problem is. Your problem is that you think your problems are unique, and your perspective is preventing you from getting the help…
Read MoreAs I grow in the Lord, I find I am struggling with my past and current sins
Question: Hello, my brother in Christ, I have been a member of the church for a number of years. I have been a faithful brother since that time and have grown tremendously over the years. As I continue to grow in the Lord, I am struggling with some things of the past, my current state,…
Read MoreDoes having a strong sexual desire mean you are more suited for marriage than being single?
Question: Does having a strong and persistent sexual desire an indication that one is more suited for marriage? Is this a sign from the Holy Spirit that it is time for marriage? What does Paul mean by some people are gifted for singlehood? Does this mean they have fewer needs, including sexual and emotional? Can…
Read MoreWhat prayer can I say to remove temptation?
Question: Hello, I have been reading your forum to try and live a better life, but I have a question to ask: My mind has been disturbing since my holidays. It’s always telling me to do sinful things, but I always fight back. I want to know what prayer to say so that my mind…
Read MoreHow do I keep temptation at bay just before my wedding?
Question: I am in need of your advice. I am in my early twenties. I grew up in a church and learned at a young age that I should wait until I got married before I had sex. When I was saved in my teens, I took a pledge that I would wait. However, when…
Read MoreWe can’t afford a wedding right now, so should we get married quietly, don’t tell anyone, and then have a wedding later when we can afford it?
Question: I am 29 and have been in a relationship with my fiancee for more than two years now. Of late, the pressure that has been mounting on me sexually is unprecedented, and we believe in God’s principles about purity. I am best described by what was mentioned in I Corinthians 7:37, behaving himself unseemly…
Read MoreIf God doesn’t tempt with evil, then why did He send Saul an evil spirit?
Question: Can you explain what the evil spirit is in I Samuel 16:14 that was from the Lord? I don’t understand what this could be in light of passages such as Romans 2:11, James 1:13, etc. Answer: “Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him”…
Read MoreIf Satan is tempting one person, is everyone else safe at that moment?
Question: Is Satan omnipresent? If yes, how do we understand Job 1:6-7? If not, can we say when Satan is tempting somebody, everyone else is safe? Answer: “And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from…
Read MoreThanks for the useful tool
Question: I had meant to point it out for a while now but have been very busy. In your article over The Nature of Sin, Temptation, and Lust. I believe you meant the first chapter of James, not the third for the beginning text. Otherwise, a well-orchestrated piece as usual. I cannot put into words how…
Read MoreDoes Matthew 5:28 apply to other sins?
Question: Matthew 5:28 says “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Does this apply to other things? If I had a desire to smoke and drink, but I actually don’t do it, does it means that I had…
Read MoreDoes sinning or being tempted to sin mean you aren’t really saved?
Question: I was reading a page on your web site that said if you give in to sexual desires, even just once, Satan can more easily bring you in and cause you to go further and further into sin until he has you trapped. This is only true for those who are lost. A child of God…
Read MoreWhat is sin? Is it spiritual or physical?
Question: What is sin? Is it related to the spiritual or the physical? Answer: The simplest definition of sin is, “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (I John 3:4). Sin is when you break one of God’s laws. All sins start from inside, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,…
Read MoreI’ve committed to God to stop lusting, but I’m tempted daily
Question: Please pray for me. I am 43 years old and still struggling with lust. I am born again and washed in the blood. I have made a commitment to God to stop lusting, but I am tempted daily. Please pray for me. Answer: Just because you have resolved to clean up your life and…
Read MoreI keep getting strong urges to cut myself. I know it is wrong, but am I lusting for what is wrong?
Question: I had read “I’m obsessing over my sinful thoughts. What can I do?” before, and it helped, but not completely. So I read it again last night, and still, it helped, but not completely. You see, I’m not just tempted to cut. When I get the urge to cut, I really want to. I…
Read MoreWhat do you think about a young single guy teaching a young married woman the gospel?
Question: Is it okay for me to talk with a married woman from work to try and encourage her to come to services or help in her become a Christian? The reason I ask is that I have been studying on and off with a lady from work. She is fairly young and has sinful…
Read MoreI’m obsessing over my sinful thoughts. What can I do?
Question: Hello. I am a member of the church of Christ and have been for a while now. However I have been plagued by many tormenting, fearful, and bad thoughts on a daily basis. I have talked to many doctors, psychiatrists and church counselors who chalk it up to anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, which causes…
Read MoreIf God gave us free will, why is it Satan can still tempt us?
Question: Okay, I don’t really know how to put this so here goes: If God gave us free will, why is it Satan can still tempt us? Answer: A good question. Free will means that God allows you to make choices in your life. God decided before making the world that He wanted people who…
Read MoreIs there a conflict over whether God tries men?
Question: The Bible says God tries men in Hebrews 11:17, but James 1:13 says God does not tempt us. Is there a contradiction? Answer: “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son” (Hebrews 11:17). “Let no one say when he…
Read MoreGod cannot be tempted, but Jesus was tempted; so, is Jesus not God?
Question: My friend, who is an Arian, gave me this puzzling logic: God can’t be tempted, but Jesus was tempted; therefore, Jesus is not God. Is this true? Answer: For a Christian, it would be easy to spot this line of reasoning as a falsehood because it ends with a statement that contradicts the Bible.…
Read MoreBeware of Satan’s Tactics
by Rickey Shive via Lost River Bulletin, Vol. 58, No. 2, June 8, 2008. The book of Job is a marvelous piece of ancient, Scripture Although scholars are uncertain who the author of the text actually is or the exact time period when it was written, they have speculated that it may be the oldest book…
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