We all have areas of our lives in which we are tempted the most. One person may be often tempted by food – overindulging, obsessing over calories, etc. Another may be often tempted to gossip – speak to others about a situation or person when the listener is neither a part of the problem nor a part of the solution. Another may find their greatest temptation is to worry. We each have our most common and difficult areas of sin, so how should we handle these everyday struggles?
One wise step to take is to set up boundaries within our main areas of sin. The Bible clearly teaches that we are not to participate in gluttony, worry, or gossip, and we must evaluate what would it look like to be discerning and set ourselves up in such a way that it makes it more difficult for us to sin.
This is where verses such as 1 Corinthians 6:12 come into play:
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.
For those sins in which we easily become “mastered,” it may be necessary to limit ourselves in ways others do not need to. For example, it is not sinful to go to a buffet dinner. However, if a person is commonly very tempted to participate in gluttony at a buffet dinner, it may be wise for that person to suggest other restaurant options. Going to a buffet dinner is biblically “lawful,” but would it be “profitable” for someone who struggles with gluttony? Would it be likely to bring that person under bondage to sin?
Thank God that He gives us great wisdom when we ask for it (James 1:5). We certainly need the wisdom and discernment of the Lord in order to know when to put up proper boundaries in our lives. We will continue to think through ways we can be discerning in our main sin areas in our next blog, to stay tuned!
