Incurable Hearts
Jeremiah 17:9 -- "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure."
If I've heard it at all, I've heard it a million times. Played over and over again in movies, a desperate some one calls out the old phrase "the heart wants what the heart wants." This seems to be all that's needed to defend the wrong actions of a character in the film: "of course it's alright that I slept with your husband, the heart wants what the heart wants" or, "naturally I stole the priceless painting, the heart wants what the heart wants."
Unfortunately, this IS actually true. We humans have some pretty powerful "I wants" and THAT is the reason it's in the Bible so many times. But along with some pretty strong human desires, Jesus tells us that we have also been given an escape route that, if followed, will lead away from our temptation. And it's not usually hidden to the point that it may be difficult to find - no - it's usually right in front of our faces with huge spot lights and giant neon arrows pointing the way. I Corinthians 10:13 lets us know that "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."
Our incurable hearts often provide us with creative ways to talk ourselves OUT of making the RIGHT decision. Jeremiah hits the nail on the head when the book calls the heart deceitful. And the book of Proverbs shows the reader that "there is a way that seems right to man", but in the end, that way usually gets us into trouble.
I was given the opportunity to speak with a youth recently that found herself in the middle of a theatrical after party where drugs were being dolled out like candy. She was broken-hearted that most of her friends were involved in the partaking of these drugs. She found herself in a very uncomfortable situation - as did the person with whom she arrived at the party. These two girls were both presented with some pretty great temptation. They were both handed free "candy", they were both given a tour of the party house, and both were forced into to making a choice. The difference between them - was that one of them left the party immediately. The other one did not. The friend that stayed behind ended up on a bad high that made her terribly sick. She explained that after being offered drugs for the umpteenth time while trying to have a good time, she finally decided that one try wouldn't do any harm and gave in to the onslaught of invitations. When she asked her fellow actress how she'd managed to get through the evening unscathed, the young woman simply replied - "I left."
The way out, is so very often very truly - THE WAY OUT. Just walk out the same way you walked in.
My oldest son wants to remain celibate until marriage. He - just like the rest of us who follow Jesus - finds this commitment difficult at times, especially now that he's about to become engaged to the woman that he plans to marry. He asked me for some advice. He wanted to know the very best thing he could do to avoid temptation. He asked me if giving in would really be so terrible since he and his girlfriend are going to be married, anyway. His heart is incurable. He wants to be with the girl he loves so he's provided for himself a great argument, a way to talk himself out of making the right choice. I answered him by saying: the best way to avoid temptation is to avoid temptation. He just looked at me with a puzzled expression. I explained - don't place yourself into a situation where you are faced with great temptation. If you know this is going to be an issue, don't create an environment that forces you to fight this battle. Avoid the temptation altogether.
Each one of us is faced with a moment or two that provides a seemingly irresistible enticement. It could be drinking. It could be gambling. It could be spending too much money or over-eating. It could be laziness. It could be complacency. There is no shortage of things on this planet that can trip us up. Even Paul mentions a persistent "thorn in his side". But the truth of the matter is, God really is faithful. He really DOES provide us with an escape route. So many times, we simply don't want to see it. It's a lot easier to give in. A whole lot easier. After all, we have deceitful, incurable hearts.
But, consider this old adage: a moment on the lips, forever on the hips. Quoted to women who want chocolate [or any other wicked food ;) ] while trying to shed some pounds - the words are meant to make you think of the long term consequences that can follow a fleeting moment of weakness. I know, our incurable hearts may focus solely on the wonderful moment when the chocolate melts on our tongue - but is it worth the crying that follows a step onto the scale? Is giving in to our temptation really worth what pain usually follows? We just arent very good at seeing the big picture. God IS - and He's promised to be faithful. He's promised to provide us an alternative to giving in. We need but to cling to Him. Tightly.
Just walk back out the way we came in. God will help us do that - if we let Him.
Our incurable hearts often provide us with creative ways to talk ourselves OUT of making the RIGHT decision. Jeremiah hits the nail on the head when the book calls the heart deceitful. And the book of Proverbs shows the reader that "there is a way that seems right to man", but in the end, that way usually gets us into trouble.
I was given the opportunity to speak with a youth recently that found herself in the middle of a theatrical after party where drugs were being dolled out like candy. She was broken-hearted that most of her friends were involved in the partaking of these drugs. She found herself in a very uncomfortable situation - as did the person with whom she arrived at the party. These two girls were both presented with some pretty great temptation. They were both handed free "candy", they were both given a tour of the party house, and both were forced into to making a choice. The difference between them - was that one of them left the party immediately. The other one did not. The friend that stayed behind ended up on a bad high that made her terribly sick. She explained that after being offered drugs for the umpteenth time while trying to have a good time, she finally decided that one try wouldn't do any harm and gave in to the onslaught of invitations. When she asked her fellow actress how she'd managed to get through the evening unscathed, the young woman simply replied - "I left."
The way out, is so very often very truly - THE WAY OUT. Just walk out the same way you walked in.
My oldest son wants to remain celibate until marriage. He - just like the rest of us who follow Jesus - finds this commitment difficult at times, especially now that he's about to become engaged to the woman that he plans to marry. He asked me for some advice. He wanted to know the very best thing he could do to avoid temptation. He asked me if giving in would really be so terrible since he and his girlfriend are going to be married, anyway. His heart is incurable. He wants to be with the girl he loves so he's provided for himself a great argument, a way to talk himself out of making the right choice. I answered him by saying: the best way to avoid temptation is to avoid temptation. He just looked at me with a puzzled expression. I explained - don't place yourself into a situation where you are faced with great temptation. If you know this is going to be an issue, don't create an environment that forces you to fight this battle. Avoid the temptation altogether.
Each one of us is faced with a moment or two that provides a seemingly irresistible enticement. It could be drinking. It could be gambling. It could be spending too much money or over-eating. It could be laziness. It could be complacency. There is no shortage of things on this planet that can trip us up. Even Paul mentions a persistent "thorn in his side". But the truth of the matter is, God really is faithful. He really DOES provide us with an escape route. So many times, we simply don't want to see it. It's a lot easier to give in. A whole lot easier. After all, we have deceitful, incurable hearts.
Just walk back out the way we came in. God will help us do that - if we let Him.
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