How to Resist Temptation in the Workplace?
By Kaixin
God says, “But to people, it seems like a world of gaiety and splendor, one that is becoming more and more so. When people look upon the world, their hearts are drawn to it, and many are unable to extricate themselves from it; great numbers will be beguiled by those who engage in trickery and sorcery. If you do not strive for progress, and are without ideals, you will be swept away by this sinful wave.” Just as God’s words say, the world is becoming more and more dazzling, and all kinds of temptations can be found everywhere, which are money, position, power, salacity, and so on. These temptations, like poppy flowers, are equal to beautiful traps, one after another, where most people can’t get rid of them. Thinking back to my own experiences, I would have sunk deep into these beautiful traps, hardly freeing myself from them, without the protection of God and the guidance of God’s words.
I am 27 years old, a clerk of a Building Sales Center before. Fortunately, I accepted the Gospel of God’s kingdom in 2013, so I was engaged in my job as I had a church life. At that time, our Sales Center consisted of 3 subsidiaries, namely Marketing Company, Property Management Company and Real Estate Company. The Real Estate Company was in charge of the other two companies. As for me, I was actually a customer service staff from Property Management Company though I belonged to Sales Center. What I did every day was serving tea and refreshments for customers, and sweeping up after they had left. It could be said that my position was the lowest among the members in Sales Center, without few inquiries. However, I owned an enriched life every day even though I employed myself for a common and insignificant job with a low income, for I had no need to, behaving like other girls in Sales Department, ingratiate myself with my boss and flatter him for getting a promotion. After work, I could spare time to live the church life, reading God’s words and fellowshiping the truth together with brothers and sisters, relaxed and free. Nevertheless, it was not long before my calm life was set up a gradual succession of events.
The General Manager of the Real Estate Company is Zhang, (family name) so he is usually called President Zhang, a leader supported by all the members in the whole company. He, at the age of 40, with a dignified appearance and a pair of glasses, looks genteel, and talks humorously. At that time, he got on well with our young people, and all the staffs admired and worshiped him very much. On one occasion, he took a seat in the area where I worked, so I served him a cup of tea, while he asked casually my name and education background. I answered him and continued working. Afterward, each time he came, I would serve him tea while he would have a chat with me. In my imagination, leaders are sitting up in high positions, so I, an ordinary staff, is nobody in the sight of them. Yet, to my surprise, President Zhang was so easy to approach that every time he had tea here, he would have a chat with me, a petty clerk, which made me consider he was very kind.
Later, he came to have tea more and more frequently. Once he asked me with a smile, “How do you think of the uniforms in Sales Department?” “Sales Department stands for the image of our company, so the uniforms certainly look nice!” I answered. He shook his head and said, “I don’t think so”. Then, he looked me up and down, and said, “Theirs are not as nice as yours. Due to your pretty figure, whatever you wear, you are beautiful …” Getting such praise from him, I thought that, he was kind and humorous, and under his leadership, I not only had no pressure when working, but felt relaxed.
As he came many times, little by little, we kind of “know” each other. My work place-bar counter also turned a significant position in his eyes. Whenever the bar counter had matters or something wrong, he would always show up to help me. It was hard to think that I, a lowest and pettiest clerk, was thought highly of by him that I felt flattered. Besides, I, the president-backed girl, had been originally looked down upon, but now got a rapid ascent in Sales Center. My colleagues complimenting me and even my manager was holding an modest attitude toward me. I could ask for a leave easily from my manager now rather than had met a mass of difficulties before. As for that reason, I was even more grateful to Mr. Zhang. In my heart, all these advantages were offered by him, and I thought: I am going to work harder later. I will spare no effort in my work, even though I just make tea and pour water. I will prove worthy of getting his regard. While his shining image was rising more and more highly in my mind, a series of matters came shortly, which made my opinion of him entirely reverse. …
One day, he came to bar counter as usual. Finding the flowers on bar counter need pruned, then he helped me do it actively. When I was sweeping the pruned branches and leaves, I asked him, “Mr. Zhang, do you like growing flowers?” He laughed and answered me, “I prefer females to flowers.” After hearing his evil-smell words, I, immediately, felt terrible and very embarrassed, so I did not respond to him. After that, not only did he come to bar counter to chat with me, but also sent short messages to show great concern for me, and he began to use some vague words in the messages later. Only then did I realize that he had treated me beyond a relationship between a leader and a clerk. I was aware that it was not after God’s will, for he was a married man, while I was a believer in God. I would not only bring disgrace to my character but dishonor God’s name if I got entangled with such a man. To testify God, I must make a clean break with him. But if so, it meant that I would lose his daily care in all respects of my work, so I put myself into a quandary.
For that reason, I came before God to pray to Him, begging God to give me a strength of overcoming sin and divesting myself of the flesh, and lead me to walk on a right way. After praying, I read His words, “So were you able to see Satan’s intentions? Were you able to see the purpose behind what it said? Were you able to see its plot and its cunning scheme? (No.) What kind of disposition is represented by Satan’s way of speaking? What kind of essence have you seen in Satan through these words? (Evil.) Evil. Is it insidious? Perhaps on the surface it smiles at you or reveals no expression whatsoever. But in its heart it is calculating how to reach its objective, and it is this objective that you are unable to see. You are then seduced by all the promises it gives you, all the advantages it talks about. You see them as good, and you feel that what it says is more useful, more substantial than what God says. When this happens, does man not then become a submissive prisoner? (Yes.) So is this means used by Satan not diabolical? You allow yourself to sink low. Without moving a finger, with these two sentences you are happy to follow along with it, to comply with it. Its objective has been reached. Is this not so? (Yes.) Is this intention not sinister? Is this not Satan’s most primal countenance? (Yes.)”
After reading God’s words, when thinking back to the scenes of contact with him, I was suddenly enlightened that there was Satan’s temptations. Since I came into contact with him, he has been seducing me bit by bit, by saying some good words on the surface, helping and supporting me, so as to win the favor of me. In fact, he had an evil intention within, while I was attracted by his “shiny” appearance and felt he was good. Eventually, his evil and filth were shown in his speeches and actions, such as boasting my figure, ingratiating me, caring for me, sending ambiguous messages. Actually, he was hatching a sinister plot. According to God’s words, I learned that his essence could be deceptive. All that he said and did were for the sake of his hidden intentions, but I was unable to discern his substance, yet, I was deceived by his falsehoods. Without the revelation of God’s words, I couldn’t distinguish and see clearly his ugly appearance, and I would have fallen into Satan’s tricks. Would I have lived with my dignity and been called a believer in God if I had sunk low for such an evil man, with enjoying his honeyed words, evil passions and lusts? After thinking of it, I got the ability of discriminate, and I made up my mind to break away from him and forsake the benefits of flesh in case of Satan’s tricks. Later on, when he ingratiated me again, I escaped him consciously. I did not reply to him after receiving his messages … It seemed that he found I meant to keep away from him, so he told me to do things for him with his intentions. I, however, just treated them as my job and did not chat with him but was engaged in working. Thanks God! As I made a conscious effort to keep away from him, his plot failed, so that he was ashamed of disturbing me. I thanked God for keeping my heart away from Satan’s temptations. https://reurl.cc/rg0VE
After that, I believed that my life would return to normal as before. However, out of my consideration, he chose to beguile me with money, after failing to seduce me …
With the Spring Festival approaching, I was on duty as usual. Unexpectedly, he asked me to his office by sending me a message. I knew that he was on the second floor alone, so I hesitated: It is an order from the leader, so I cannot say no. But what will happen if I go…. Feeling timid, I prayed to God quickly to grant me with intelligence, and so that I would be able to overcome Satan’s temptations. Then I went upstairs and came into his office. I stood far from him specially. Seeing the condition, he smiled and said, “Look! You are scared.” With that, he took out 200 yuan from his pocket and handed me. He said it was my bonus for my contributions to our company that whole year. However, it was evident to me that I did not make a special contribution to our company at all. Why should I get that bonus? So, I declined his kindness, and said, “I just do my job. Moreover, I got my salary monthly. I can’t accept the money”. But he insisted on putting it into my pocket. During the pulling and dragging between us, I was conscious of his intention of getting close to me. Just at that moment, God guided me to stop being entangled with him. Then I quickly said, “Thanks. I will go downstairs to work.” Before he gave a response, I rushed out of his office. I drew in my breath deeply outside, and thanked God for protecting me from losing my chastity. Afterward, I paid telephone fare for him with that 200 yuan, which brought me peace. After that affair, I learned that all the staffs of the Property Management Company did not get any welfare from Real Estate Company before the Spring Festival. So I understood that he wanted to tempt me using the benefits. At last, he noticed my recharging his mobile. Over a month followed, he did not disturb me. I thanked God in my heart. It was God who gave me wisdom to overcome Satan’s temptations to cause Satan to be ashamed.
Just while I thought his test had been over, a bigger one was approaching to me quietly….
One day, when I was busy doing my work at the bar counter as before, he came to inspect my job. But this time he said to me seriously, “As I appreciate your ability of working, thinking highly of you, I would like to employ you as a secretary in our Real Estate Company. All I am doing is to offer you an opportunity to improve yourself. This is all that I can do for you! Just think about that.” He left those words to me and went away. Hearing his words, I racked my brains to think how to choose: Should I accept it or not? If I accept, what if it might be a trick from Satan again? Then how should I deal with his evil intention? If I refuse, a good chance for me will be lost. There are high salaries, good treatments, two-day weekends, festivals and holidays in his company, and chances of trip by plane, while I was in my current position with hard work, a low salary, and could learn nothing, got no success even with effects…. Therefore, I was almost convinced by such a big temptation of interest. Afterward, he called me out to talk about it. When I saw him, he said, “I am looking forward to your joining our company. You are a hardworking girl, should get a chance to challenge yourself.” Thinking of the good treatments in his company, the earnest invitation from him, attacked by a burst of sugar coated bullets fiercely, I began to think of going to his company. Moreover, he took pride in saying that his company had sold 20 suites of buildings that week, which made me believe his company was competent. I even began to dream of enjoying a nice life with a good treatment after going to his company…. When we were walking and chatting in a park, he tried to get close to me once again. At that moment, I woke up to myself from my dream suddenly, then I stepped backward consciously. He smiled and said, “You are scared! I was afraid you would fall down. I was going to support you.” “I am all right. I won’t fall down.”, I said cautiously. He, a foxy man, tried to sidetrack quickly and said, “You are clever enough! Your present job cannot match your ability! One’s destiny is under the control of his hands! You should struggle when you are young.” After hearing his words, I felt abhorrence, for God says that the destiny of man is under the control of God’s hand, not under man’s hands. Thinking back to his actions just then, I was fed up with him. It turned out to be a fact that he still meant to get close to me and engage in evil activities by making use of offering me a platform of learning. At that time, I regretted that I had been carried away by benefits, running the risk of falling into Satan’s trap. As a result, I went back home hurriedly with an excuse.
After returning home, I reproached myself: God’s words have revealed Satan’s evil essence of a tempter. Why was I still tricked by it? With my puzzlement, I came before God to pray to Him, and seek Him. Later, I read God’s words, “Every word Satan says as well as its motives, its intentions and the way it speaks—they are all adulterated. What is the main feature of its way of speaking? It uses equivocation to seduce you without letting you see it, nor does it allow you to discern what its objective is; it lets you take the bait, …” “People think that once they have fame and gain, they can then capitalize on them to enjoy high status and great wealth, and to enjoy life. Once they have fame and gain, they can then capitalize on them in their pleasure-seeking and unscrupulous enjoyment of the flesh. People willingly, albeit unknowingly, take their bodies, minds, all that they have, their futures and their destinies and hand them all over to Satan in order to attain the fame and gain they desire. People do this without ever a moment’s hesitation, ever ignorant of the need to recover it all. Can people still have any control over themselves once they go over to the side of Satan in this way and become loyal to it? Certainly not. They are completely and utterly controlled by Satan. They are also completely and utterly unable to free themselves from the quagmire they have sunk down into. Once someone is mired in fame and gain, they no longer seek that which is bright, that which is righteous or those things that are beautiful and good. This is because the seductive power that fame and gain have over people is too great, and they become things for people to pursue throughout their lives and even for all eternity without end. Is this not true? … Satan uses fame and gain to control man’s thoughts until all they can think of is fame and gain. They struggle for fame and gain, suffer hardships for fame and gain, endure humiliation for fame and gain, sacrifice everything they have for fame and gain, and they will make any judgment or decision to both maintain and obtain fame and gain.” From God’s words, I understood that the reason why I had been tricked was that when Mr. Zhang asked me to be a secretary in his company, to pursue fame and gain, and what I considered was getting fleshly benefit, enjoying flesh, and being looked up to by others, but unknowing Satan tricked me in that way to reach its evil intentions later. So, on the surface, he considered my future, as a matter of fact, he used fame and gain to tempt me again. Once I had fallen into the trap of Satan, I would have been bogged down in the mire of evil deeper and deeper for fame and gain, and departed from God’s way, farther and farther, so finally been degenerate so that I would have no human likeness, only to be devoured by Satan, lose God’s salvation. Indeed, driven by fame and gain, I was unable to see through Satan’s treacherous intentions, I was tempted by sugar coated bullets from Satan to be disoriented and Satan led me along by the nose. Without God’s timely revelation and protection that had made me see clearly Satan’s evil intentions, I would have fallen into the trap Satan had set for me. Consequently, I had to acknowledge that I had been possessed with fame and gain which belong to Satan, falling to its tricks unconsciously. How fool and blind I was!
Afterward, I read God’s words, “Because the essence of God is holy, that means that only through God can you walk the bright, right road through life; only through God can you know the meaning of life, only through God can you live out a real life, possess the truth, know the truth, and only through God can you obtain life from the truth. Only God Himself can help you shun evil and deliver you from the harm and control of Satan. Besides God, no one and nothing can save you from the sea of suffering so that you suffer no longer: This is determined by the essence of God. Only God Himself saves you so selflessly, only God is ultimately responsible for your future, for your destiny and for your life, and He arranges all things for you. This is something that nothing created or non-created can achieve. Because nothing created or non-created possesses an essence of God such as this, no person or thing has the ability to save you or to lead you. This is the importance of God’s essence to man.” God’s words made me feel warm and moved. His words are full of endless selfless love that God gives man. While I was reading God’s words, my face was covered with tears. When Satan enforced its cunning schemes to tempt me, again and again, I was running into the risk of being puzzled and tempted by it without the truth to distinguish it. It was the revelation of God’s words that made me see through its ugly features and despicable intentions, led me to overcome its temptation step by step and keep away from its abuse and harm. Meanwhile, I reproached myself so much. Although I believed in God, my heart kept far away from Him. I still considered and planed for my own fleshly benefits, and was so much occupied by fame and gain that I could not give my heart to God, so Satan had an opportunity. How worthless what I had pursued was! At that time, it could be seen from my experiences that God’s essence is holy, only God can make me live out a real life, only God’s words can make me have an ability of discerning Satan to keep away from its harm and abuse, and it is only God Himself who is working His salvation quietly. When I experienced God’s love, I didn’t feel pain and worry any more. I set my mind on drawing a demarcation line with Satan. So I was resolute in declining the invitation from Mr. Zhang. After putting down all of these, there were incomparable peace, happiness, release and freedom, flowing into my heart.
Afterward, I saw those girls, who went after Mr. Zhang for fame and gain, coming and going at his call, selling themselves with their flesh and character indifferently. Following him, they often entered all kinds of places of amusement, such as bars, KTVs, golf courses, and so on. Although they got the temporary material enjoyment, what they had suffered in mind and body was endless torment and torture; at the same time, they had become playthings in Satan’s hands. For example, having gone out to engage in social activities with Mr. Zhang, one girl vomited everywhere after she was back, suffering for inarticulate pain. In addition, another girl was as drunk as a fiddler, so the driver sent her back home. Seeing their sufferings, I thanked God for keeping me from falling into mire and suffering from Satan’s harm; otherwise, I would also have been drunk completely without conscious. So I felt all those were God’s salvation to me.
At last, although Mr. Zhang used other means to tempt me, whatever benefits he gave me, I would never shake and hesitate, for I had God’s words as my shield. One day, he even said he would purchase our bar counter under the name of his company. In this way, I would naturally work under him. But at that time, something happened in my family; besides, I did not want to work in that company any longer; so I resigned. With the temptations ended with failures, he had no way but to give up tempting me. One day, he called me and said emotionally, “You are clever! I think that there is great power which is always supporting you! I see a pure land from you …” After hearing what he had said, I silently thanked God in my heart, for I knew that huge power was from God, precisely God’s words. It was God’s words that enlightened and guided me when I got lost and was tested and tempted by the evil one many times, making me overcome Satan’s temptations, and keeping me away from Satan’s harm. All of these were God’s deeds, God’s protection and salvation to me! Praise God! It was God’s salvation that made me get rid of the temptations in the workplace, so that I did not be deceived and harmed by Satan! All the glory be to God!
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