Every person in his life has ever been subjected to one or another temptation, regardless of age, gender or religious beliefs. Let's try to find out what it is, what their nature is and what they threaten a person with. We will also talk about how to resist the temptation.
Meaning of the word
You are interested? So what is temptation? This concept is most often closely related to the religious and moral principles of man. Temptations are, first of all, a test of a person by his moral and religious convictions. This is a test of the strength of his faith. Temptations are an incitement to sin, to the forbidden, to betray your principles and ideals. This is anti-religious behavior. For a person who is non-religious, but conscientious, such a temptation will often be taken to go against his conscience, against certain social norms of behavior. The meaning of the word "temptation" in most cases is negative. There are very few positive ones, and they hardly exist. Now you know what the word temptation means.
Examples
We can find the most vivid illustrations of temptations in various holy religious books. Probably a lot of people know about them. The most famous examples are, perhaps, the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, as well as Jesus Christ the devil in the wilderness. If in the first case, people violated the prohibition of God, for which they were expelled from paradise and became mortal and subject to sin, then in the second case, God himself, being in the human body, was tempted by Satan as a mere mortal and withstood the test, thus showing that a person needs to fight against temptations. Examples are present in other religious teachings. So, according to Buddhism, Buddha was tempted by the death god Mara.
Temptations come from ...
One who is non-religious often claims that a person succumbs to temptations only due to certain circumstances in life. What exactly life itself makes a person drown out his conscience, steal, circumvent the law, commit adultery ... how many different temptations exist! A religious man will say that there are some "dark forces" behind the temptations. It is they who tempt. For each person, their own temptations are selected, aimed at what the person is most exposed to. Temptations come from Satan, but are allowed by God, so that a person once again will be convinced of his weakness, the need to constantly be with God, the need for God's help.
What are the temptations
Briefly tell about them. Almost all types of temptations are aimed at supporting the "external man" in the fight against the "internal man": the temptation of civilization, power, wealth, fame, and "exclusivity." There are a lot of them ... But do not confuse all these types of temptations with the trials that the Lord sends to people. Because, as we have said, they do not come from God, but from His connivance.
Why man is tempted
Man is naturally weak and fickle. Throughout his life, he continually changes, and if he doesnât change, he will necessarily correct his life views and principles. This process is influenced by a variety of things, people, situations. From books read to deeds of friends. From the behavior of loved ones to terrible life losses. And temptations ... it is often for a person also an opportunity to learn something new, unknown. To find out what he had just heard, maybe seen, but did not. Yes, he knows that in theory this is bad, but what is it in practice? After all, man is also very curious ... Forbidden is almost always seductive and attractive. It penetrates into the consciousness of man most often when good and morality begin to dominate everywhere in him (on purpose or not). The temptations of man want to lead him off the righteous path and once again prove his weakness.
A brief excursion into history
Man has been tempted from time immemorial. Throughout the entire existence of homo sapiens, that is, a rational person, a person has been, is and will be subjected to temptations. That is his nature. History knows examples of the temptation of not only individuals, but even entire nations, countries. When one country with its population almost entirely supports the idea of ââsupremacy and supremacy, superiority over the others. In the Middle Ages, rulers were also tempted by their power: one could easily burn a person at the stake just because he did not please the powers that be with something. In the days of the Ancient World, rulers waged wars because of their pride and vanity, seduced by the same power, wealth and position. And in our time, as we can see, practically nothing has changed.
Recall your favorite books ...
Examples of temptations can be found in almost every literary work. This, for example, Goethe's Faust, Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita, Collin McCullough, and The Thorns Singing and many others. Very often temptations are the reason for plotting and further development of events. Reading books in which there is a topic of temptations, the reader often reflects on his life, rethinks it and draws certain conclusions.
What are the temptations of modern man
The modern world is a dynamically developing organism, but with its old, even ancient, diseases. Diseases that grow in the new century with renewed vigor, sometimes in a new guise. And there are many reasons for this. This is an increased belief in the power of man himself, in the invincibility and infallibility of science, a departure from morality, a neglect of the lessons of history, the covenants of ancestors, traditions, and this is a cardinal revision of the life and traditional foundations of society towards material wealth. Modern man remains subject to all the temptations that existed before, but with all the dynamism of the world, others, previously unknown, have been developed for man. Which, however, are again aimed at the same goal: to eclipse the spiritual, excommunicate a person from God. Therefore, the meaning of the word "temptation" is relevant at all times.
Benefits of civilization
The emergence of such benefits of civilization as cellular communications, the Internet and the like, in addition to various indisputable positive and useful properties, also has negative properties. And if we politely bypass the former in this article, then we will definitely focus on the latter.
Itâs hard not to notice them. Modern people are already so used to the Internet and mobile phones that they cannot imagine their existence without them, as they had once been without going to Sunday service every week or without reading some interesting book for the night. You can answer that prayers can easily be found on the Internet and you can read them yourself; in fact, like an entertaining book. Yes, and everything else ... Here you and social networks, where all the friends are in one place at once, and all the directories, all the information ... Here you have a bunch of forbidden materials that you wonât find so easily without the Internet ... Well, how not to see them, if everything is nearby, everything is at hand? But itâs worth imagining, even for a moment, what will happen to the current person if you take and disconnect the Internet from him. How long will he last? Should a person take away cellular communications? Will he remember how to do without them, without these benefits? Can he, on occasion, be prepared to give up the many amenities offered by civilization? It is these benefits that laziness develops in man. Itâs worth considering ... Sitting in the office at the computer and lazy clicking with a computer mouse is called work. Very often, such a person becomes simply unusual or too lazy to even go over to somehow stretch his body. In a word, the temptation of a new century appears. The temptation of civilization, easy life and quick profit.
All ages are submissive to temptations ...
No matter what age the person is, temptations haunt him. First, take the child as an example. It would seem that the baby is a creature that does not yet have its own life position; which only on an intuitive level distinguishes between good and evil ... But he is also subject to temptations! His parents, for example, forbade him to eat more sweets than they should. But the child wants to. And he, having thought that âsince itâs impossible, but really want it, itâs possibleâ, he climbed into the closet and took them without demand until his parents saw. Yes, after that he will make whining, guilty eyes, say that âit wonât happen anymoreâ, but ... the temptation to eat sweets turned out to be higher than the fear of breaking the parental ban.
Next, let's take an example of a girl of high moral principles. She knows very well how she should behave in society, in accordance with the norms of morality and etiquette. But here is the paradox: for some reason, for some reason, she does the opposite. And even she canât explain to herself why ... Whatâs called, "the devil got it." Sometimes a man, say, about forty years old, a once exemplary family man and a wonderful man, a reliable friend ... but suddenly left his wife and children to a completely foreign woman whom she is barely familiar with, canât explain his behavior. It is worth adding that in old age a person, of course, has his own temptations.
Temptation
As already mentioned, man is weak in nature. That is why he lets temptations to himself at such a close distance from which they can hit him with precision. And get in. To fight them, you need, first of all, persistent unwavering principles and faith. Someone believes in God, someone in their conscience. Unbelievers can be advised to be afraid of the law, to know that sooner or later they will have to answer before conscience or before state law. And for believers ... And for believers in moments of temptation it is worth praying strongly and asking for help from someone who is tempting and permits them to not forget about him and his strength, which the adversaries crave. Well, the fear of the Creator and the Last Judgment, too, no one changed. Therefore, let us ponder the question of temptations and will continue to be more careful in our thoughts, words and deeds. Be careful. Temptations of a person - this is a kind of test that must be passed with his head held high.
Do not forget also that temptations can meet a person at every step, from minor to global. To succumb to temptation is to make a huge mistake. Therefore, may your conscience always be clear. God bless you from all kinds of troubles and temptations!