It Is Not a Sin to be Tempted
Many people go into a panic of self-condemnation when they are tempted
to sin—not because they actually crossed the line or did anything wrong, but
simply because, for a split second or two, they actually wavered and considered
the possibility of giving in. This is exactly what the devil hopes they will do
because it weaken their confidence and increases their vulnerability. But the
fact that evil sometimes appeals to us does not prove that we are unworthy. It
is just a normal part of mortality. We all recognize the truth of President
Kimball’s words: “Because men and women are human and normally carnally minded
. . . to do evil is usually easier than to do right” (The Miracle of Forgiveness,
x). It we would win our battles with temptation we must recognize that the Lord
does not reject people because of their fallen nature, but invites them to come
to him for a new heart and transformation of character.
We all wish we were perfect and above temptation, and someday, if we
remain faithful, that day will come. Meanwhile we must remember that it is y
the resistance and conquest of temptations that we become holy. The more we
resist, the more Christlike we become. President Kimball said,
The difference between the good man and the bad man is not that one had
the temptations and the other was spared them. It is that one kept himself
fortified, and resisted temptation and the other laced himself in the compromising
places and conditions and rationalized the situation. (The Miracle of
Forgiveness, 231-32)
Instead of allowing Satan to erect barriers between us and the Lord
simply because we feel tempted—instead of allowing him to make us to feel evil
or dirty because of temptations (even when we do not give in), we should
understand that Lucifer does not tempt us because we are evil. He tempts us
because he knows who we are and how good we will become if he can’t stop us.
Once we accept these truths and stop feeling condemned for every temptation that
appeals to us, we become free to overcome our temptations in a new and
wonderful way.
Feeling the power of Satan does not make you evil. The fact that you’re
struggling does not mean that you are in his power or that the Spirit of God is
not also striving with you. Evil consists, not of recognizing temptations, but
of yielding to it. (Don Norton, Ensign, August 1978, 33) (Steven A.
Cramer, Putting on the Armor of God: How to Win Battles with Satan [Springville,
Utah: CFI, 2011], 82-83)
