Choosing to commit a sin
is analogous to intentionally downloading a virus in our own, or someone else’s, computer. We live in a sea of temptation of all kinds. The temptations in that sea are alive. They wait and work for opportunities to lead us away from the He Who programmed us. Since He lived among us, and knows the temptation we face, He has provided the means to let us erase our errors and restore His Program within us.
We get better at resisting the downloading of errors if we consider our own thought patterns when we deal with temptations. One such recurring thought before a sin is: “It’s really not that bad.” That’s often accompanied by the popular variation, “What’s the harm in it? Really?” As soon as we recognize thoughts to that effect, we know that we are approaching a line that we shouldn’t cross. But, part of us wants to ignore those red flags. We want to do what we want to do, and we want to do it now. There are, within our minds, many spirits leading us in that direction, all living in the parts of our mind where the demons of Vanity reside, usually at the cranial end of nerve ganglions.
That’s where the Lord’s Prayer comes in handy: “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Those words, like the ones that come into our minds that justify our giving into temptation, are also alive, and come from a stronger source. We should repeat them often, listen to them, and obey them. If we do, the desirous demons within are paralyzed.
