Have you ever been tempted to do something wrong?
The temptation to do something wrong — it may be something as simple as not telling the whole truth – comes directly from our adversary, Satan.
God never tempts us to do wrong.
James 1:13, “And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, ‘God is tempting me.’ God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.”
Sometimes, we get caught or stuck in a cycle of good intentions, failure, and guilt. God wants to rescue us from that cycle. When we want victory over areas of temptation, it is not uncommon to try to resist them. But we are not always successful. The way to win over persistent temptation is by rethinking how we see temptation.
A. We need to understand how temptation works.
We can’t defeat temptation if we don’t understand how it works. We need to realize that our sinful nature and Satan both play a part. There is a predictable pattern of temptation, and once we understand the pattern, we will know how to respond. Here is the pattern:
1. Desire – Temptations such as envy, lust, gossip, impatience, or revenge are not desired. In James 4:1 we read, “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?”
2. Doubt – Satan wants us to question God’s word. Maybe he is saying to you, “Did God say that?” That is the tactic he used with Eve, those many years ago. In Matthew 14:22-32 we have the account of Peter walking on water to meet Jesus. He was doing great until he focused on the waves and began to sink. At that point, he cried out “Save me, Lord!” In verse 31 we read “Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. ‘You have so little faith,’ Jesus said, ‘Why did you doubt me?’”
3. Deception is another part of the pattern – Here Satan dangles a lie before us and we take the bait. Remember this — behind every sin, is a lie that you believe. In Matthew 24:23-24 we read – “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah’ or ‘There he is’, don’t believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.”
4. The fourth part of the pattern of temptation is disobedience – When we believe Satan’s lie we are in essence saying, “I know better than God does what will make me happy.” We legitimize our wrong desire and convince ourselves that it is not so bad. In James 1:14-15 we read, “Temptation comes from our desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions (disobedience). And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
B. We need to know what makes us vulnerable.
In Proverbs 4:23 we read “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Your heart is the center of your emotions. To defeat temptation, we need to identify our thoughts and the feelings that come from those thoughts. This is the area that Satan wants to control. If he can get us to think wrongly and involve our emotions, it won’t be long before it leads to sin.”
Paul, in Ephesians 4:26-27 wrote, “And don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.”
The only way to fight persistent temptations is to identify the emotions that make us vulnerable. Here are a few examples. Which side of the ledger are you on?
· Discouraged and pessimistic ——-Encouraged and optimistic
· Bored and discontented ————Challenged and contented
· Lonely and distant ——————Loved and close to others
· Insecure or unsure —————–Understood and valued
· Holding on to unforgiveness ——-Forgiving and compassionate
If you find yourself more inclined to be like the column on the left, where things are negative, you will be very vulnerable and subject to temptation. The stronger you are emotionally, the less likely you’ll yield to temptation.
C. Determine to avoid tempting situations.
· It is common sense to avoid situations where you might be tempted. In Proverbs 4:26-27 we read, “Plan carefully what you do, and whatever you do will turn out right. Avoid evil and walk straight ahead. Don’t go one step off the right way.”
· Someone once said, “If you don’t want to get stung, stay away from the bees.”
· It’s not a sin to be tempted. It’s a sin to yield to or give in to the temptation. Once you understand temptation and how it shows up, your self-awareness grows.
· Proverbs 18:15 says, “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge for the ears of the wise seek it out.”
· Satan will see to it that you never outgrow being tempted, but you can resist him.
D. When tempted, cry out to God and confront Satan with Scripture.
· Psalm 34:15 says, “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; His ears are open to their cries for help.”
· In Psalm 18:6 we read “In my distress, I called upon the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice; and my cry came before Him, into His ears.”
· Psalm 120:1 says, “I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to Him, and He answered my prayer.”
· We can reach God’s throne with just one word – “HELP!” and, He will answer.
· When we cry out to Jesus, we can expect Him to help us. He’s sympathetic to our situation because He was tempted as we are. In Hebrews 4:15 we read “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
· It should mean everything to us that He understands our temptations, loves, us, cares for us, and will help us.
E. When tempted, refocus your mind on something positive. In James 4:7 we read “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Note: Resisting the devil is different than resisting temptation. When we resist something it tends to persist. So, refocus. Set your mind on something else. In Colossians 3:1 Paul wrote, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.”
Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 wrote “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produced for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So, we don’t look at the troubles we can see now, rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
· Where is the majority of your focus — on things above or on the earth?
· If your mind is filled with good thoughts, you won’t have room for tempting thoughts. Paul, in Philippians 4:8, wrote “Keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly and proper. Never stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.”
F. Choose a couple of good friends to confide in about your struggles.
(Be sure they are people who can keep confidence and are not prone to gossip.) In Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 CEV we read, “You are better off to have a friend than to be all alone, because then you will get more enjoyment from what you earn. If you fall, your friend can help you up. But if you fall without having a friend nearby, you are really in trouble.”
Note: If you can’t or won’t share your struggle(s) with someone, you are already in trouble. The moment you admit to somebody else what you are struggling with, you start to get control over your temptation. In James 4:6 NLT, we read, “And He (God) gives grace generously. As the scriptures say, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”
Note: When you can admit to someone “I’m struggling” then you are being humble and God will bless you with more grace.
G. Joining a Small Group for support can be a real help in overcoming temptation.
· Each of us needs one or two close friends.
· We also need the gift of community.
· Church is important but it is a gathering.
· In a Small Group you will learn to become close and discover that others face the same temptations. A healthy group will protect and support you. In James 5:16 NKJV we read, “Confess your trespasses/faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” Healing takes place when you share your struggles with people you trust.
· Hebrews 10:25 in the Good News Translation reads like this – “Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more.”
Note: We are more likely to tell people our sins than to tell them our temptations. If we shared our temptations more, there might be fewer sins to confess.
H. Never forget that God is in your corner on your side, cheering for you.
· He wants you to be victorious. Listen to what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT … “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.” In 1 Corinthians 15:57 NCV, we read … “We thank God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Note: The solution to your temptation is not willpower; it is God’s power working in your mind to change the way you think about your temptation. The temptation is not sin, but it can lead to sin if you don’t refocus your heart and mind.
Remember … The Bible says “As a man thinks in his heart/mind so is he. We can change the way we think.
