Sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 6:14 (NIV)
We live this life of faith in the body, and the temptations we face are tied to our flesh. So don’t expect that becoming a Christian will change the temptations you face. If anything, your battle may be more vigorous as Satan, the enemy of your soul, throws everything at you.
What is your battle? Pride? Greed? Envy? Anger? Laziness? Lust? Gluttony? The temptations you face are to some extent rooted in your temperament. They come from your flesh. Some are always battling fear, but others don’t have that battle. Some are always battling pride, but others don’t battle with that so much.
We all face a battle with sin. But we face that battle in different ways. Take the issue of money. The impulse of some is to spend freely and to run up large debts. The impulse of others is save scrupulously and to pile up large portfolios. The sin of greed works in both temperaments, but it works in different ways.
So get to know the special temptations that lurk within your temperament. Is it a temptation to control, to withdraw, to resent, or to hoard? Study your defeats. In what circumstances do you need to be especially watchful? Where are you most vulnerable to your own flesh?
Be like the football team that watches game film. They allowed that touchdown last game, so they watch it again, this time in slow motion, in order to analyze how the play might have been stopped. Learn from your defeats, so that next time you will prevail.
Regeneration does not change your temptations. It will change the outcome. Sin will always be your enemy, but in Christ it will no longer be your master (Romans 6:14).
What special temptation do you need to learn from?
