Use the HALT Acronym to see how easy a target you are for temptation

The other day at a church breakfast, one of the guys shared something he had learned by listening to a speaker at a recent conference.  It is very good and resonated with me so I thought I would share it with you.

There are times in everyone’s lives when we become weak and easily drawn in by temptation.  Using the H.A.L.T. acronym we can easily identify and counteract, making temptation a little harder to give into.

Hunger – When you are hungry, you turn into a predator looking for something to consume.  Think back to the times when you were so hungry that you stuffed your face with whatever was readily available with no regard to nutritional value or calories.  Whether you raided the fridge or pulled into the fast food drive through, consequences went out the window to satisfy your need.

Anger – Reactions to anger often include giving into temptation.  Indulging in drugs, alcohol, sex, and pornography to dull these feelings are very common.

Loneliness – When you get lonely watch out.  This is my greatest pull of temptation.  Instead of seeking company or finding a noble activity, we usually seek to make ourselves feel ‘better’ by indulging in illicit behavior.

Tired – If you work hard and are tired often, the pull of temptation is great.  It’s almost as if we ‘reward’ ourselves for the hard work by giving into temptation.  We justify our deservedness when our defenses are weak.

Be careful if you are experiencing any of these symptoms because temptation will come knocking.  This reminds me of the scripture when Jesus went to the desert for 40 days of fasting and praying.  The devil came out to the desert to tempt him when he was hungry, lonely, and tired.  The devil took advantage of this time of weakness to put Jesus to the test.

The devil is no dummy.  He waited till Jesus got weary then came to offer him the world all in exchange for a little bit of sin.  Jesus was very hungry, tired and was all by himself praying to the Father in preparation for his ministry.  A weakened Jesus would be much easier to break than a Jesus who was physically and mentally sharp!

The devil turns up the heat on us during times of weakness too!  We need to counteract these times of weakness and go pray for the strength of the Lord!  Eat, seek reconciliation, connect with a friend and get some sleep to, but don’t forget to ask the Lord for help.  He was tested in every way that we are and is familiar with our human frailties.  He is our intermediary with the Father.  Is that not great?!