Resisting Temptations

The Scriptures tell us that we all face temptations. 

First Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man.”

Perhaps this provides a little encouragement as we often feel that the world is caving in on us alone, and that others are immune to temptations. We are told that Christ was also tempted. 

Where, then, do these temptations come from?

First of all, they do not come from God, although He does allow them. 

James 1:13 says, “For God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.”

In the first chapter of Job, we see that God allowed Satan to tempt Job, but with restrictions.

We can know that temptations come from Satan.

Temptation originates in us as well.

We are tempted when we are “carried away and enticed by our own lust”.

We allow ourselves to think certain thoughts, allow ourselves to go places we should not go, and make decisions based on our lusts that lead us into the temptation.

How then do we resist the temptations?

First of all, we must return to the example of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness by Satan in Matthew 4:1-11.

Each of Satan’s temptations was met with the same answer: “It is written,” followed by Scripture.

If the Son of God used the Word of God to effectively end the temptations—which we know works because after three failed efforts, “the Devil left him” ...how much more do we need to use it to resist our own temptations?

All our efforts to resist will be weak and ineffective unless they are powered by the Holy Spirit through the constant reading, studying, and meditating on the Word.

In this way, we will be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2).

There is no other weapon against temptation except the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God”. 

Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”

If our minds are filled with the latest TV shows, music and all the rest the culture has to offer, we will be bombarded with messages and images that inevitably lead to sinful lusts.

But if our minds are filled with the majesty and holiness of God, the love and compassion of Christ, and the brilliance of both reflected in His perfect Word, we will find that our interest in the lusts of the world diminish and disappear.

But without the Word’s influence on our minds, we are open to anything Satan wants to throw at us.

Here, then, is the only means to guard our hearts and minds in order to keep the sources of temptation away from us. Remember the words of Christ to His disciples in the garden on the night of His betrayal:

“Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” ...(Matthew 26:41).

Most Christians would not openly want to jump into sin, yet we cannot resist falling into it because our flesh is not strong enough to resist.

We place ourselves in situations or fill our minds with lustful passions, and that leads us into sin.

We need to renew our thinking.

We need to no longer think as the world thinks, or walk in the same way that the world walks. 

Proverbs 4:14-15 tells us, “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not proceed in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not pass by; Turn away from it and pass on.”

We need to avoid the path of the world that leads us into temptation because our flesh is weak.

We are easily carried away by our own lusts.

Matthew 5:29 has some excellent advice. “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw if from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”

That sounds pretty severe! Sin is severe!

Jesus is not saying that we literally need to remove body parts.

Cutting out the eye is a drastic measure, and Jesus is teaching us that if necessary, a drastic measure should be taken to avoid sin.

Resisting tempation begins with knowing that Satan is the supreme “tempter”.

We know that Satan’s power over Christians has been effectively destroyed as the war has already been won through our Savior’s death and resurrection which conquered the power of sin and death forever.

Nonetheless, Satan still prowls the earth looking to drive a wedge between God and His children, and his temptations are unfortunately a daily part of our lives.

Yet with the power of the Holy Spirit and the truth of God’s Word to help us, we will find ourselves effectively resisting temptations.

The apostle Paul encourages us with these words:

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Indeed, every one of us faces temptations of some kind; even Jesus was not immune as He was “tempted in every way, just as we are”.

Although Satan may be the dark force ultimately behind the tempting, it is our fallen and corrupted human nature that allows these temptations to take root and cause us to act on them, thereby “giving birth to sin” (James 1:15).

But it is the power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to free ourselves from the sin and temptations we struggle with in our daily lives.

Thus, if we have the Spirit of Christ residing in our hearts, we already have what it takes to resist the flaming arrows the devil sends our way. 

The Word of God has always been our best defense against Satan’s temptations, and the better we know His Word, the easier it will be to claim victory over our daily struggles.

The Psalmist tells us... “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you”

(Psalm 119:11).

There are many temptations that we sadly fall into because our flesh is naturally weak, but we have a God who will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear; He will provide a way out.

We can therefore be victorious and then will thank the Lord for deliverance from temptation.

Jesus’ experience in the desert helps us to see these common temptations that keep us from serving God effectively. Furthermore, we learn from Jesus’ response to the temptations exactly how we are to respond...with Scripture.

The forces of evil come to us with a myriad of temptations, but all have the same three things at their core:

lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

We can only recognize and combat these temptations by saturating our hearts and minds with the Truth.

The armour of a Christian solider in the spiritual battle of life includes only one offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).

Knowing the Bible intimately will put the Sword in our hands and enable us to be victorious over temptations. 

In addition to God’s Word, prayer can help us to resist temptation.

The night He was betrayed, Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and He told Peter to pray “so that you will not fall into temptation” (Mark 14:38).

Also, in the “Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus taught us to pray that we would not be lead into temptation.

Yet, when we do fall into temptation, we know that “God is faithful; He will not let us be tempted beyond what [we] can bear,” and that He will provide us with a way out.

This is a promise from God, and like Abraham, Christians should be “fully persuaded” that God has the power to do what He has promised.

Another way to help us resist temptation is to remember what Jesus Christ did for us.

Even though He never committed a sin, He willingly endured the torture of the Cross for us while we were still sinners.

Every sin we’ve ever committed, or will commit, played a part in nailing our Savior to the Cross.

How we respond to Satan’s worldly allurements is a great indicator as to just how much the love of Jesus Christ occupies our hearts.

Now, even though Christians already have the tools necessary for victory, we need to use our common sense and not place ourselves in situations that prey upon, or stimulate, our weaknesses.

We are already bombarded every day with images and messages that tantalize our sinful lusts.

We don’t need to make it more difficult than it already is.

Even though Christ’s Spirit resides in our hearts, it is cloaked with our flesh which can be very weak at times.

When we know something is or can be sinful, Paul warns us to “flee from it.”

Remember, the “tempter” is also the master of rationalization, and there is no limit to the arguments the devil can offer us to justify our sinful behavior. 

Armed with His Spirit and the truth of His Word, we are well equipped to overcome Satan’s assaults.

No matter what trials and temptations come our way, God’s Word and Spirit are infinitely more powerful than any of Satan’s schemes.

When we walk with the Spirit we can look at temptations as opportunities for us to show God that He is indeed the Master of our lives...

Amen...