Posted on May 12, 2023 by Elizabeth Welte in Victory Call
I have become convinced I have long since believed and lived this lie: It will get easier.
The lie, It will get easier is simply this… When facing temptation, there is a subtle – almost imperceptible – belief that next time it will be easier to stare down and resist this temptation. That next time, I will successfully conquer the wooing of its call. That next time, I will be able to walk away or flee the wiles of the enemy. That next time, I will get the victory through obedience. That next time it will be easier.
Holding the hand of this lie is the sister lie that I can wait till next time to obey. The lie that It will get easier seems to grant permission for the temptation I face in the moment, making it okay to disobey because I will conquer it next time around. Hand in hand, these two lies result in a lax view of temptation and sin.
“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched (wo)man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” Romans 7:21-25
The battle we face is daily. It doesn’t get easier; quite the contrary, every time we allow temptation to have its own way, the strength of the temptation grows stronger not weaker. It does not get easier, it gets harder.
Knowing we believe a lie does not necessarily dispel the lie because it still feels true. Shattering the lies we believe requires (1) that we know the truth and (2) that we live in light of that truth until the lie holds no power over us.
“…and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
Lies bind, truth sets free.
Written by Diane Hunt: Diane Hunt serves on the board of America’s Keswick and is the Executive Director & CEO of Changed Choices, a Christian non-profit in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.
Think About This: “The book to read is not the one which thinks for you, but the one that makes you think. No other book in the world equals the Bible for that!” – James McCosh
The Daily Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 12, 1 Chronicles 20, Psalm 32, 51. You can download our 2023 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9
Consider a retreat at America’s Keswick retreat center.
