A typical temptation

Here is a typical temptation on an ordinary day in America: A woman is working at her computer and suddenly realizes she can probably find online a picture of her fiancé's former girlfriend. A check of her spirit accompanies the Googling of the ex's name. She tries to ignore this, even quoting under her breath that "all things are lawful," a verse from which she has conveniently left off the second half of 1 Corinthians 10:23. In the grip of a strong desire, the woman fails to run the plan through more bracing screenings. She quickly executes the plan, finds a photo, views it (it is now permanently seared in her mind), and then goes back to her work, thinking the slight grieving of the Holy Spirit has not changed her. Indeed, she is hardly aware that it was a visitation of the Spirit. She is, like most of her generation, a materialist unawares.

A second woman in another part of the city undergoes the same temptation. She senses the same "check" and prays. She also knows the verse that "all things are lawful" and quotes all the way to "but not all things are helpful." Other Words of God also flow to her: "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Then she puts a few pointed questions to herself: "Knowing yourself as you do, will seeing a photo of that woman do you any good, or is it likely to stir up a spirit of covetousness or jealousy?" She says: "Examine your heart. Why are you about to do this? What do you hope to gain? What is the wellspring of this idea? You think it's 'lawful' and 'permissible,' but remember David's taking of the census and how it seemed harmless in itself but how God punished him because his motive was bad."

The woman comes to the question: "Would my indulging this desire to see this photo bring maximum glory to God?" and decides that the answer is "No." She then forcefully rejects the prompting to go surfing in cyberspace and gets back to her work. She feels strangely strengthened and joyful in the aftermath, even in this little pang of death to self. And she feels that the next time temptation comes knocking she will find the path of life that much more quickly.

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