To Overcome Temptation

by Thomas Miles
Published May 13, 2005

Temptation happens to believers and non-believers daily. You could say that temptation is a common occurrence particularly for believers. You might also say that the believer's ability to resist temptation is unimpressive. We struggle daily with temptation and fall prey to it more often than not. And the reason is because Satan is after every child of God - and we close our eyes to the warning signs.

God gives us many warnings about temptation. We could compare it to the warnings put on products we buy. Do not use near water. Keep out of the reach of children. Refrigerate after opening. These warnings are for our safety or the safety of others. We might also look at early warnings for diseases or sicknesses such as cancer, heart disease and other medical conditions. These are given for a reason - to keep us safe!

God gives us warnings also to keep us safe, but so often we avoid or deliberately defeat them.

Our attempts to avoid or deliberately defeat warnings could be exampled by the buzzers in automobiles for seat belts. We buckle the belt behind us to stop the buzzer. We crawl under the dash and disable it.

The government mandated manufacturers to install these warnings for our safety. They felt it was safer to be buckled in than to not be buckled in. God feels that it is safer for us to be buckled in to His Word than not to be buckled in to His Word, so He gives us warnings.

He gives us little buzzers that sound off in the pit of our stomachs, or in our hearts. He puts warning labels on things that tell us we should stay clear from them. The Holy Spirit prompts us to do that which is right. We know inside when we are doing something wrong. So often, though, we look for a way to turn off God's warnings.

Satan is the tempter and he slyly watches for the moment you turn your back on God's warning. God knew that we would be tempted so He gave us HIS WORD - the Bible - so we could battle against temptation. He gave us a companion to go before us in battle - the HOLY SPIRIT.

Matthew 4:1-11 shows us how we can overcome temptation because Christ went before us. God tells us to stand before temptation and say:

"It is written" we stand on "...every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

"It is written, thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God."

"Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

By quoting the Word of God to temptations, they must leave and when they leave the Holy Spirit will minister unto us. Mark 14:38 tells us this, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

I Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it."

God's warning signs are very subtle at times, and at times they can be very obvious! We know what they are and for any believer to say otherwise would be to lie. Cast away foolish pride and let the Holy Spirit's warnings keep you free from temptation. Endure temptation and you will receive the crown of life.

James 1:12-17 "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man: but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is full grown, bringeth forth death. Be not deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning."

We need to begin heeding the warning signs put before us:

Do not lie

Do not steal

Do not fight

Do not gossip

Do not kill

Do not look at pornography

Do not lust after the opposite sex

Do not take the name of the Lord in vain

The knot in the pit of our stomachs
The constant looking over our shoulders to see if someone is watching
The constant worry about being caught or found out
The feelings of guilt
The sleepless nights
The upset stomachs
The list could go on and on.
If you want to overcome temptation you must know how to resist Satan. You must know how to heed the early warning signs. As James says in chapter one, each person is attracted by his own desires. Our desires, if not godly, will trap us. They will turn into a form of lust and fester, growing into sin. And as James also says this sin will lead to death.

The world has many things that will fool us and turn us from the real meaning in life. Temptation will sneak in every chance it gets, changing from one thing to the next so as to fool you. God, though, does not change! What God has to offer you and me is unchanging. He gave us His Word of truth. He made us creatures in His own image.

James goes on to say that we should be wary and use caution at all times. He says we should be ready, willing, and able to listen, but yet we should be very slow to speak, watching our words so they edify instead of tear down.

We need to watch our tempers so we do not display anger at the slightest thing. When we walk in anger we walk against God's way. Then James reminds us to get rid of all evil things and to act on God's Word. We will get nowhere in resisting temptation if we do not act on the Word of God.

Study to show yourself approved unto God. Study to bury the Word deeply within so when temptation rises you will have the power of God's Word to defend yourself. Even believers have a tongue that gets them into trouble if they are not meditating in the Word of God and acting on that Word. To overcome temptation place your self in the Word and live by it.

We are to keep ourselves continuously spotless before God, resisting the things of the devil, because if we resist him in the Name of Jesus he will flee from us and we will overcome temptation.

James 4:7, "Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

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