Temptations

Why do we tempt ourselves? Why do we constantly put objects of desire in front of us that cause lust, jealousy, covetousness, and envy?
We see them in most movies. We see them on commercials and television. We even see them on billboards. We constantly are faced with temptations and then we decide to put others in front of us. I understand the idea of thinking someone is beautiful, but if there is even the slightest possibility of causing us to sin should we not try to remove it from our lives?
I write this because I have been personally convicted of this recently. I put things in front of me that fuel habitual sins and they become my desire more than God. It gets to a place I would rather have then and think on them than to think on God. Now I realize that we cannot completely avoid everything, but we can limit it. Sinners will act like sinners and dress like sinners no matter what. And to accomplish the Great Commission we must be willing to engage them with the gospel in their environments.
But what about outside those environments? In the comfort of our own room should we really place pictures of men and women that can cause us to lust? No. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” James 4:7. If we let the devil in our own room then we do not resist him. As Christians we go into a fallen world everyday. We must have a place to retreat from the temptations of the enemy. A place we can go into our prayer closets without worldly distractions surrounding us.
We are dead creatures, sacrificed to Christ, and alive solely in Him. If we are to serve Him fully we must focus on Him, and not the temptations of the world. Create a place where you can go and have nothing to distract your focus from God. For most of us that is our dorm room. In there let us tear down all those things that can create a diversion from God and His glory.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil. 4:8).