When we keep falling into temptation we want to be free of it immediately. We want to be able to just stop doing whatever it is that is tripping us up. We can end up harboring guilt, regret, and shame towards ourselves when we keep falling into temptation, and that is exactly what satan wants us to do. He knows that if we have guilt and shame towards ourselves we will never be free from the sin. When we have guilt and shame we will think that we either can’t be free or that we don’t deserve to be free. But that is not true. And we should not hold guilt or shame because God doesn’t see us that way. He knows what it is like to be tempted and He knows what human nature is like therefore he understands our struggle. Jesus faced the same things that we face today so He understands completely what it is like to face temptation.

Remember that I said facing temptation is when the fruits of the spirit are developed in us. Well just like it takes time for a fruit and vegetable to grow and ripen, the same thing goes for the fruits of the spirit. They are planted in us when we accept Jesus into our hearts and they continue to grow and ripen our entire lives. And you know how when we have a afternoon thunderstorm the fruits and vegetables in the garden grow a little more than usual because of the rain from the storm. It is the same with the fruit of the spirit and the storms that we face in our lives. It is in the difficult times that we get to exercise the fruit and it ripens a little more. I hope that I explained that right and to where you understand what I mean lol.

We have to be patient with ourselves. If God doesn’t expect us to get it right the very first time then why do we expect it of ourselves? If he is patient with us and has mercy towards us then why can’t we be that way towards ourselves. Of course we all want to be strong enough to resist temptation every time that it comes but we will all fall into it at times. There is not a person on this earth that never falls into temptation, I don’t care who it is. No one is beyond temptation. Some of us will fall into the temptation a thousand times before we are able to finally resist it and be free of the sin but we will eventually be free if we don’t quit.