Uunderstanding And Overcoming Temptation: Protect Yourself From Temptation’s Traps, by Dr. Daniel Morris

[Note: This book was provided free of charge by Aneko Press in exchange for an honest review.]

This is definitely a timely book, and the author gives a clinical approach to the subject of temptation which is befitting of a physician of the Medieval variety, with several references to the theory of humours and their relevance to susceptibility to different types of temptation. As my life is full of temptation of different kinds, I wondered if it would have been preferable to focus on the way in which people are susceptible by their surroundings, but although the author does examine temptation in the context of age, he does not do so with regards to business or school or church. At under 200 pages, this short book focuses more on the identifying temptation part and less on the overcoming it, but this is a natural bias, I suppose.

In terms of its contents, the book is well-organized and straightforward and direct, and combines graciousness with strictness. The first part looks at the sources of our temptation, from the weaknesses of the flesh to the direct blandishments of Satan. This part is the longer part, and the part that must be done first in order to be successful in living a godly life. The second part of the book looks at how to overcome temptation, and this involves part self-reflection and self-knowledge and part divine aid through the Holy Spirit. This is not a surprising insight, but given the general “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” ethic of the book, it is impressive to see the book choose biblical veracity over philosophical consistency.

Overall, there is a lot about this book to appreciate. For one, it gives a great deal of mercy to those who struggle against temptation, viewing the resistance to temptation as a noble act even if it is not always successful. Likewise, the author gives a great deal of encouragement to those who for various reasons struggle with a great deal of struggles in other areas of life, looking at how life experiences can help shape the struggles we deal with. This is an area that could stand to be expanded even further in future writings or future editions. In the meantime, this is a good book at identifying the source of temptation and detailing the steps in our success or failure in dealing with it. Such reminders are helpful and useful in living a better life. Also of note is the way the author deals graciously with matters of conscience. In short, this is a small book that merits close attention.