Temptation

GOD tells us that man is born imperfect and that he must use the opportunities and events in his earthly life to perfect himself as far as possible. He must use them according to the directions of his intelligence and according to the wisdom of God’s law. It is not, however, easy to act always with this holy moderation. Man's feelings, moods, sentiments, appetites, and desires are not always willing to obey his intelligence. He sometimes feels too strong a love for some things and too weak a love for other things. This continual tendency to go to extremes is called temptation. Temptation is not sin. It tends to draw a man to do what he knows is wrong, or seeks to hold him back from what he knows is right. Temptation simply brings out what is in a man. One knows himself better when he has dealt with temptation. It proves his faults and tests his virtues. Just how much he really desires to earn Heaven, is seen by what he does to reach it. How much he really loves God, is seen by how much he is willing to do for God. The first safeguard against temptation is to recognize it, to see it as it really is without its attractive camouflage.