Why Can’t God Simply Lift Us Out of Our Weaknesses?
- God Loves You
God will not give freedom as a gift because He loves you. His love for you is so powerful that He would never force you to do something you do not want to. He is being fair by not forcing you to change because you might relapse into sin. If He protected you from temptation, that temptation could become like the apple in the Garden of Eden.
“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6).
It’s impossible to avoid temptation. If God, without your consent, force you to overcome your weaknesses. You may feel God restraining you from tempting, alluring choices, leaving you feeling trapped and helpless as if you are in prison.
- He Worries About You
God will not give freedom as a gift because He worries about you, considering Satan’s rage. God, being the God of war, understands that no matter how many blessings and gifts He gives you, if you were to stumble, your enemies would show no mercy and strip you of those blessings. Therefore, He holds back His gifts, giving you only what is suitable for your growth with Him. Each time He blesses you, Satan grows angrier. If you were to fall, Satan would be ruthless, tearing you apart and causing you to lose everything. That’s why God gives you blessings gradually.
The more you show strength and willingness to stay with Him, the more He will bless you. He can see that you want Him now, and as a loving Father, He senses potential danger if your willpower inclines toward sin. He will help you correct it quickly through the Holy Spirit before Satan can seize it.
When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first. (Luke 11:24-26 ESV)
Pay attention to the end of this verse: “The last state of that man is worse than the first.” Before, you were just another person in Satan’s clutches. But after you asked God for help, He cleansed your house, swept away the darkness, and adorned it with His grace. If you don’t do your part to maintain this house through prayer and good deeds, Satan will return with even more temptation, bringing other spirits with him.
God wants you to have everything with Him again, but He also wants to strengthen your steps, just as David said:
“He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps” (Psalm 40:2).
In His love, God wants to protect you from what will happen if you let go of Him and follow your old temptations. Jesus also warned against receiving what is holy if we cannot keep it because of temptation:
“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces” (Matthew 7:6).
If you throw what is holy to the dogs and the pigs, they will trample it and then turn to destroy you. God, in His love, doesn’t want that to happen to you. That’s why He doesn’t give you what is holy as a gift. He could, but He doesn’t want you to, in a weak moment, choose temptation over Him. If you do, your last state will be worse than the first.
When you seek salvation from Him, He walks slowly by your side. With each step, He strengthens your resolve. He will ensure that the process of going back is not quick. The more you walk with Him, the more blessings you will receive. You will gain more power over evil, and most importantly, your faith will become steadfast. It will take time to turn back, and during that time, He can save you if you continue to listen to His voice. He will protect you from falling prey to Satan.
Remember: when we speak of letting down our guard and submitting to temptation, we are not talking about a moment of weakness where we relapse and quickly repent, holding onto His hand. We are talking about choosing to remain in sin after a moment of weakness, whether because of a preference for darkness or a longing for the excitement of a sinful lifestyle. Choosing to stay in that mindset distances us from God’s guidance and makes us susceptible to sin.
“The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with His hand” (Psalm 37:23-24 NIV).
- God is fair
God will not give you the freedom from your weakness as a gift because, by definition, it’s a sin. How is it fair to give you power over porn, which is a sin, but not give the same power to others struggling with their sins, even if they’re not related to porn? If He grants everyone power over their weaknesses, then what would be the need for salvation? Satan would challenge God, claiming that He gave His creation power they didn’t deserve, and that would not be just.
Finally, if you ask God to give you power over your weakness as a gift, then you have not fully understood the story of salvation. You’ve become like Adam and Eve with your eyes closed, failing to understand what it takes to be delivered from your weakness. (More on this in the next post.)
Keep praying.
WinThisBattle!
