I NO LONGER BELIEVE IN THE MOMENT OF WEAKNESS

          There are times that I will try to adopt a new way of thinking. Typically it is not a spiritual conviction so much as a social inclination for popularity or coolness. For a while I thought I would look great if I just bought v-neck shirts and wore them exclusively. Farther back I thought that only wearing Converse shoes would make me different. Even farther still, I believed that my eclectic taste in literature would set me apart. All these things are live-and-learn situations. No, my book taste doesn't matter, no Converse didn't make me cooler, and no, v-neck shirts do not make me look great.
          But there are also times in which this funny thing happens that people call epiphanies or revelations. While driving to work this morning, I had one of those. In a moment of confession I realized; there is no such thing as a moment of weakness. This phrasing is used extensively to describe when men slip off their wedding bands after having a few drinks, or when a girl says yes when she should say no, or when we indulge in drink and food to the point of being miserable.
          I no longer believe in this phenomena for one main reason: these "moments" are not isolated vignettes in life, but merely the pinnacle, or better yet, the ravine that we ourselves have been climbing into. I firmly believe that the out-of-control lifestyles and the face-first-in-the-mud moments take time to happen. You don't just wake up one day and decide to cheat on your wife. You don't just snap and start shooting people. There is a chain of events in each case that lead up to that "moment". For example. As a man there are many temptations around that deal with my pride. Some of these are sexual, some of them are not. But any of them that are allowed an audience in my mind or heart will begin to chip away at my resolve, little by little, piece by piece until the day when I no longer have a resistance to that and give in.
          The enemy understands that the battleground for our spirit is not going to be quick; otherwise he would voraciously attack until we gave in. 1 peter 5:8 says that he roams, seeking those whom he would devour. We think Satan is dumb; he isn't. One of his tactics is to slowly take away what we call our witness until what is left is a shell of a person who has no strength left to fight and therefore exits the battle.
          We are quick to point at someone and say, "How in the world could they have done such a thing?" when we really have no idea what they have gone through. My perception of others is focused through my lens, my understandings, my backgrounds, my convictions, my quirks and traits. Your lens may have different filters and so might the next guy. Just remember that the "moment of weakness" isn't just one moment, but several events and possibly a lifetime of being slowly worn down to the point of breaking.
          Think about Jesus in the wilderness. Satan didn't quickly attack and leave, he worked on Jesus for 40 days and nights. What resolve Jesus had! What strength he showed! What an example he left for us! What hope he shares with us! If you've fallen as a result of life, or whatever, know there is hope, know there is forgiveness, know there is strength to be found in connection with the Holy Spirit.