Resist Temptation: 10 Traps You Must Avoid

Temptations

Food, alcohol, shopping, or the "bad boy" who needs to be out of your life permanently, are all temptation traps you must avoid. When you learn how your mind processes the seductive messages it receives every day, you'll begin to understand how to resist temptation once and for all.

Is it really true that you could resist temptation if you try harder? Yes and no. In addition to the "devil on your shoulder" prodding you to make bad choices, there's others equally responsible. Marketing and sales professionals spend billions of dollars enticing you to buy what they're selling. And guess what? 9 times out of 10 you're better off not buying it.

You can always simply say no to the latest electronic gadget or a sparkling new necklace from the shopping channel. But it's hard to do because there's psychology behind the sales pitch. Your buttons have been pushed in exactly the right order to unlock your resolve. A good manipulator will use the same techniques in your personal relationships. Even bad habits sabotage your own good intentions.

Susan Diamond writes Prayables at Beliefnet

Benefits

It starts with benefits. The "sinful salesman" begins by telling a story about "all the good things that will happen to you when you... [Fill in the blank]." Then your brain mixes a pleasure cocktail and drip by dip whets your appetite for more. Impossible to resist? No. There is a way.

Your body holds the clue. It takes in the calories you consume, skims the best of all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients you need to survive, and then sends it along its merry way to make its exit. Your mind doesn't work that way unless you condition it to.

The human brain has millions of tiny cells that absorbs emotions like pleasure and worry. Unlike the body, there's no natural way to flush your mind of unnecessary worry or an overabundance of pleasure. It's thoughts that trigger the your mental waste system. You are completely in control of how long you let those thoughts linger or how quickly you send them packing.

Worry

When your heart starts pounding, and your breathing quickens, your body is confirming your mind's greatest fear, danger. An innocent trigger can incorrectly set the fear factor in motion. Reverse it. Breathe deeply and give yourself a good talking to. A boost of oxygen and clear instructions will calm you, body and mind.

Now you understand how the body and mind works together with outside factors to entice you. You know the 10 traps you must avoid and how to resist temptation. Add something else. Pray for the strength to overcome temptation and give thanks to God for His glorious creation.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. -Corinthians 10:13