As we continue to work through issues of singleness in the Christian life from a biblical perspective, I'd like to spend some time on dangers and temptations of the single season.
Changes in seasons bring many blessings. We can see
the beauty of autumn leaves, feel the invigorating splash of cold air in the
winter, enjoy the vibrant foliage of the spring, and bask in the radiant sun of
summer. However, changes in seasons also can bring season-specific
difficulties. In some places, summer brings dangerous drought or flooding. In
other places spring brings violent storms. Each season carries unique blessings
and dangers.
The same is true in the seasons of life. Times of
old age and young age each have blessings and trials. The same is true of
marriage and singleness. In this series of posts, we will spend some time thinking
about a few common temptations faced in the single season of life.
Before diving in, let me give three quick caveats.
First, these temptations and sins are not unique to
those who are single. All temptation is common to all kinds of people. The goal
here is to look at a few areas of temptation which tend to be prevalent in a season
of singleness.
This brings me to the next caveat; don’t think I am
insinuating that because you are single you must be struggling with all these
temptations or that you fit every example I give. I am simply offering some
thoughts and praying God will help you evaluate your own heart on these
matters. Since we all tend to have skewed views of ourselves, it may be good to
have a trusted Christian friend help you in this analysis of yourself.
The third caveat is that the single season may be a
permanent season. This is where the analogy of seasons breaks down. God, in His
wise and good plan, may not give you a season of marriage. I say this because I
don’t want to give you false, unbiblical expectations. I don’t want you to
think, “If I am just really good God will give me what I want.” The point is to
look at potential dangers and to seek to honor God by avoiding sin and putting
on righteousness.
With these caveats in mind, let’s ask God to do His
sanctifying work in our lives and look to His Word. In the next post, we'll look at the danger of discontentment.
This is part of the series God, Singleness, and Marriage: How the Bible Gives Purpose and Direction to Singles.
Copyright Ben Khazraee. You may share this article with others, but please direct them to this blog rather than posting the text to your own website, blog, etc. You may share printed copies with friends as long as you do not charge more than the cost of producing the copies.
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