Mark 14:38 (ESV)
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Edward Griffin (1770-1837) was a Presbyterian minister involved in the Second Great Awakening. He was pastor of several churches in New Jersey and New York, professor at Andover Theological Seminary and later President of Williams College. An outstanding preacher, his sermons were marked by spiritual warmth and theological depth.(cite. by “Fire & Ice” Sermon, “Enoch Walked with God”).
I came across this sermon by Griffin in my preparation for a sermon on Matthew 14:39, dealing with the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The theme of temptation was not the direction that I explored to great detail, but I found this excerpt of immense help to me and wish to share it with the grid readers this week. This first paragraph is my summation of Griffin’s points in my own attempt to translate to our contemporary struggles. But, Griffin, as was Jonathan Edwards before him, is as ever relevant to our life and times.
There are five things that we ought to attend to in avoiding temptation. First, we should know our enemy and his methods. The important thing to know is that the devil knows you well and knows where to direct his efforts. Secondly, it follows that you should know your own heart. Perhaps the greatest enemy to the progress of holiness is our own heart. Thirdly, be proactive for doing good deeds. Sloth leads to many sins, more so than being busy. Fourthly, be in tune with what God is doing in your life. Don’t let your work delude you into thinking you are in charge. Fifthly, learn to listen to the Spirit’s promptings. Cultivate the habit of spontaneity born out of a lovers delight. Obedience to God and avoiding sin is not so much a matter of giving something up, it is primarily about being getting more than we deserve: being the objects of God’s love.
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