Q. I seem to face temptations nearly every day, often the same ones over and over again. Why does God allow this?

Because you have not yet overcome, and overcoming is what the Christian aspires to that he may obtain entrance to the Holy City above.

The poet Emerson wrote: "Every evil to which we do not succumb is a benefactor; we gain the strength of the temptation we resist."

That is a sobering thought. Not only do we gain benefits spiritually-speaking from the good we do but we obtain similar benefits from the temptations we resist. The more we resist, the stronger we become. Indeed, is this not the way we eventually overcome bad habits? Persistent resistance bears its own fruits.

This page was created on 2 May 1998 Last updated on 2 May 1998

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