There are some situations that we tend to avoid as people because we do not wish to deliberately provoke our weak areas. For example, someone struggling with the problem of alcoholism would probably not be well-advised to go bar-hopping. If someone has an accurate idea of their strengths and weaknesses, most people (unless they feel like a weakness needs special effort to be less of a problem) would much rather spend time working on strengths than weaknesses. I know that is the case for me–time spent on strengths makes them stronger much quicker, while time spent on weaknesses requires a great deal of effort for minor improvements.

Nonetheless, there are times when some weaknesses are so glaring that they must be worked on, even if the situation is less than ideal. In these circumstances we might even find it necessary to steel ourselves against our weaknesses through aversion, but only if our hatred of evil or our desire to be whole and better is so great that we are strongly motivated to work against our problems. These circumstances are not necessarily very common, but at the same time when such situations come we ought to be aware of them and to take advantage of such opportunities to become stronger and better people, as best as we are able. Being able to visibly conquer our fears and our weaknesses gives us a great deal of confidence, which is immensely helpful in life.

Those of us who believe in the God of the Bible are supposed to pray that God will not lead us into temptation, but instead deliver us out of evil. While we know that God cannot tempt anyone with sin, it is rather clear that our lives are full of opportunities for temptation. Even if we are generally people of self-discipline, we are not perfect, and in moments or situations of weakness we may be tempted to great evils in moments when we are not fully prepared to resist. We therefore ought to be sensitive of our own spiritual state and not seek out those places where we know we are weak until we have developed greater strength and self-control over our actions and behavior.

And yet we never know when we will be tested and provided with opportunities for growth. Sometimes these will be choices we make ourselves, with our eyes at least somewhat open, and some of them will be complete surprises to us, unexpected trials and tests and opportunities for growth. When we ask God not to lead us into temptation, we have to be sensitive to the fact that He may lead us into trials and tests that force us to work very hard on ourselves and on our relationships. These may in fact seem like temptations, and we must be wise enough and humble enough to prefer to be good rather than to feel good, to grow rather than to remain comfortable in a bad place. Our prayers and plans must be careful, and when we have unexpected opportunities to find grace and improve ourselves, let us take advantage, and not be afraid to step beyond our comfortable ruts, even as we avoid the pitfalls of temptation.