For a lot of Christians, myself included, we probably have a very clear grasp that Christ took on the weaknesses of human beings in order to empathize with our weaknesses.
He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. (Hebrews 5:2 NIV)
While this may be a great comfort for us seeing that God knows the struggle that we're going through and maybe, just maybe will cut us some slack every time we succumb to weakness. No! That should definitely not be our mindset.
Christ himself was subject to weaknesses. That is definitely true. Before I only saw this as empathy, understanding, and a reminder that if Christ himself was subject to weaknesses and yet was able to overcome them, I can also do so. However, God revealed to me some insights that challenged me to go beyond that.
The reality of tempations/weaknesses in life
Wherever we go or whatever our state in life is, the reality is as long as we are in this world, we are battling against temptations/weaknesses. Denying that reality won't help us in any way. It just leads to a false sense of peace. Instead, we need to be proactive and geared to fight whatever temptations/weaknesses that come our way.
However, before we fight, we should know as much information as we can. This is actually related to a future topic I will definitely be sharing with you about how our hearts, minds, and legs work together toward spiritual maturity. Anyway, back to the topic at hand.
Denying a reality is contrary to the principle of fighting. In fact, the Bible says a lot of things about seeking counsel before going into action. This also aligns with what God taught me yesterday that it's not about denying about the reality of temptations/weaknesses but the decision to fight them. Remember, a child of God should not leave room for sin.
The individual who truly repents, not only sees sin to be detestable and vile and worthy of abhorrence, but he really abhors it, and hates it in his heart. A person may see sin to be hurtful and abominable, while yet his heart loves it, and desires it, and clings to it. But when he truly repents, he most heartily abhors and renounces it. – Charles Finney
Accepting the reality does not mean living in defeat
While we accept the reality of having temptations/weaknesses, we don't allow ourselves to be defeated. God has a lot promises about us having victory over sin and Satan, that we have been equipped to live holy lives, that we can approach the throne of grace with confidence, etc.
The truth is, God has already us the necessary things to fight. Aside from that, He promises us that He is always there to keep us. What is important to understand though is one must have humility in order to just be nothing before the Lord, to let Him mold us into whoever we should be. This is actually one of the things that Christ demonstrates, the unadulterated dependence to the Father.
In conclusion, the challenge for us is to make sure that we have the desire to live life holy and pleasing before the Lord. That's the first step. What comes next is to start living by faith in the Lord by understanding what His instructions are promises are. Then, the important thing is to start moving in line with God's instructions, fully-dependent on Him.
What can I say? The joy of seeing the potential of God's working is so great that! I sincerely pray that we all see that, experience that, and live that.