Fighting Temptation (The Impala Christian)

Sometimes in the month, I saw a documentary involving the animals, jackal and impala. Jackal with an average weight of 10kg is a carnivore belonging to the same family as wolf and dog while impala is an African antelope having two long horns and an average weight of 60kg. Both of them live in the wild.

The jackal was going to prey on the impala but it could not go for a direct attack because of the impala's obvious bigger size and the hefty horns. The jackal therefore resulted to running around the impala and taking a little bite on the hind limb on every attempt. The impala on its own part was busy trying to attack the jackal with its horns and it failed in all its attempts.

Both animals continued in that cycle on the same spot until the impala was too exhausted to mount any further attack and the hind limbs could not support it anymore due to the pains from the several bites of the jackal. It soon went down helpless and became a sumptuous meal for the jackal.

As I watched the scenario played out between those two animals, I got an impression in my spirit that several Christ confessing and Holy Spirit filled Christians daily suffer the same fate with the impala. Many Christians have fallen and are still falling into avoidable sins, sins considered too little to cause any harm.

The first mistake of the impala was that it stayed behind still grazing while the others had moved on. It could not let go of the green grass. It was too comfortable that it ignored the company of the others. So also most Christians get too comfortable with their achievements, spiritual or physical, forsake the assembly of the brethren and soon become victim of the archenemy (Heb 10:25; Psa 133; Pro 27:17; 2Cor 2:11; 1Pet 5:8).

Secondly, the impala did not take any precaution even after realizing the presence of the jackal. The Bible enjoins that we MUST not patronize anything perceived to be in the similitude of evil but rather avoid it with all sense of urgency (1Thess 5:22; 1Pet 2:11). Many Christians, just like the impala, are greatly mistaken in that they choose to engage in a superiority contest with sin and/or temptation.

Rather than engaging in an unnecessary battle of wills against temptations, while not do the most honourable thing and run away from that scene. It is not a sign of weakness but wisdom. Even the elders approves of that - he who fights and runs away may live to fight another day. The impala kept fighting till it lost the battle.

Fighting temptation is ungodly. The Bible does not enjoin you to resist temptation or sin steadfastly but the devil. Devil is not temptation/sin and the sooner we understand that the better for us and the less cumbersome our fight of faith will be. If Jesus Christ did not engage sin/temptation in a battle, you are not permitted to.

Over-confidence was the undoing of the impala. Just like Samson, it had believed that it had the physical prowess to fight the enemy at all times. Little did it know that the despised little fox has the capability to spoil the vine and spoil it unredeemably. If you must not end up like the impala, you must put on humility as garment and flee every appearance of evil.