As we move through life, we find it very easy to be tempted. Tempted by so many things, begging for value and care in our lives. Take lust for example, disguising itself as love and trying to pull us in closer and closer. Anger and hate, dictating what we feel, taking attention away from our other emotions. We are tempted into drama, curiosity mixed with a false sense of compassion or care trying to involve us in something we otherwise probably don't need to be involved in. All of these temptations complicating our thoughts, messing with our feelings.
The simple answer to combat many of these temptations is simply to avoid them and not do them, but the very thing that makes them so tempting is the pleasure they initially bring. It is much easier to hate something or someone, than to let it go and forgive. It is easier to make yourself believe every feeling is love, rather than know the difference between it and lust. It is much harder to break a habit, than to keep it going. However, this pleasure that giving in to temptation brings, is purely temporary.
Understand: this temporary pleasure is not pleasure at all. Just as the temptations disguise themselves as something appealing to distract our minds and fool our feelings, this short lived sense of happiness masks itself as being 'true pleasure'. Real pleasure does come through giving in to temptations and letting outside factors invade our brains and mess with our being. It comes in overcoming challenges, feeling confidence in who we are and in our abilities. This brings power to us, and it is a power that is unlike any type of disguised emotions. -Hunter Jones
