John Ortberg explains the process by which giving in to temptation can become part of a dysfunctional Christian life, from Temptation: How Not To get Hooked, Chapter 12 of The Me I Want To Be:
The first thing we must do if we are going to give in to temptation is wrapped up in the single word quench.
“Do not quench the Spirit,” Paul says. Any time I have a desire, the Spirit will prompt me to set it before God and ask the question, “Lord, what do you want me to do with this?” Or I can simply ask regarding any course of behaviour, “If I walk down this road, where will it lead in the long run – toward or away from the me I want to be?”
God will never lead us to manage a desire in a sinful way. If I want to walk down the wrong road, I must begin by silencing God’s divine voice within me. I must be careful not to pray about his desire with a submitted spirit. I must make sure I don’t talk about this desire with wise friends who will hold me accountable. I must make sure I don’t look carefully at pages of Scripture on the subject and reflect on them. I must do all these things without recognising I am doing them. I must keep myself in a state of spiritual and mental vagueness where God is concerned.John Ortberg, The Me I Want To Be, Zondervan, 2010, pg 139.
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