Growth Points: Overcome Temptation

Don’t tempt me…

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
-1 Corinthians 10:13

As I sat at my desk, ready to write this post, the devil jumped in with temptation. Like, come on, I’m trying to write a post about temptation while being tempted not to write it. The snide voice whispered: You don’t need to write this post. No one is holding you accountable. It’s too much work after all.

I’m having none of it.

Today’s growth point is…

I’m sorry if this is a touchy subject for you – it is for me. The devil’s temptations are unlimited, and Scripture can attest. From tempting Adam & Eve with the promise of being like God, to tempting the Israelites with promises of rebellion and new leadership, to tempting Jesus with power in the wilderness, to tempting each of us today, the devil has schemes.

I am not here to zone in on any one form of temptation, because the devil will never come at you from only one front. He’ll use Temptation A to distract you while Temptation B comes in for the gut punch.

Temptation is a hard battle, please believe me. I’ve fought the devil on multiple fronts for years. Before we hear Jesus’ take on fighting temptation, I want to correct a misconception: fighting the devil isn’t an action movie; it’s trench warfare. You don’t (usually) storm the devil’s base in fifteen minutes and banish your struggles into the land of shadow. No, in this battle, you grit it out in the trenches, day after day, gaining a few inches today, losing them tomorrow, then fighting to take ’em back.

Don’t give up. The moment you stop caring, the enemy overtakes you. A faltering defence against evil is way better than no defence. Please don’t give up. There’s a secret weapon that Jesus is waiting to give you.

In His Words…

In Matthew 26:41 Jesus says,

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

The antidote to temptation is a life of prayer. I’ve discovered by trial and error that praying, “Jesus, help me resist temptation,” isn’t always enough. To overcome temptation, we must form a lifestyle of prayer. Firing a potshot at your enemies won’t defeat them; practicing every day at the shooting range is key.

I also want you to note that Jesus says “fall into temptation”. God will never tempt you. James 1:13 says, “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.”

God is on your side, and He will never tempt you to do wrong. Temptation isn’t God’s way of testing your willingness to follow His commands. It’s spiritual warfare against the enemy. God is on our side. So pray, and pray, and pray some more. Load your spiritual arsenal against the enemy.

Room to Grow.

To prove that overcoming temptation is possible, let’s look at Matthew 4. Verses 1-2 say this…

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.”

Now if you’re anything like me, wait-a-minute bells should be ringing. You just said God never tempts us, yet here it says Jesus was led ‘into the wilderness to be tempted’. What gives?

God did not tempt Jesus; the devil did. God fully knew that Jesus would face trials in the wilderness, but He did not cause them. As much as we hate to hear it, by following God, we will face temptation and challenges. These challenges are not because of God; they are because we’re following God. Temptation does not come from God; it comes from following God. Choosing what’s right will always come with a cost.

If you aren’t currently being tempted by the devil in any measurable way, you’ve likely grown complacent. Now bear in mind that temptation is not a sin. Temptation can lead to sin, but temptation is not sin. Even the greatest Christians are tempted (see Matthew 4). The separator between them and us is their ability to fight – and conquer – temptation.

How did Jesus fight off the literal devil? Verse 2 makes it clear: Prayer & Fasting. Jesus spent 40 days steeling Himself as He fought the devil, and He won. Ladies and gentlemen, Jesus beat the devil. And that Spirit of victory over Satan now dwells in us because of the Holy Spirit. We can overcome temptation.

Battling Temptation.

In our ongoing war with temptation, we need two things: physical protection and mental protection. (Forgive my Canadian spelling.)

1. The Correct Armour

 “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.”
-Ephesians 6:10-11

We need protection if we want to wage this war against the devil. On top of the Armour of God (Ephesians 6), we have some bonus weapons. These are super-secret tools that no devil, demon, or tempter has.

First, accountability. I’m in the same fight as my Christian brothers and sisters, so it’s only fair that I share my battles with them. In war, if I see a sniper aiming straight for me, I’m going to call my buddies for aid, right? When I see the devil aiming a lie or temptation at me, I need to do the same. My friends, we’re fighting the same war. The reason we’re “losing” is because we believe we’re each fighting separate battles.

Second, straight up truth. It’s called the Bible (aka the Sword of the Spirit). When the enemy comes at you with materialistic machine guns, prideful pistols, lustful lasers, idolatrous IEDs, and deceptive daggers, hit him with Biblical bombshells. Such as James 4:5: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Every time the devil tempted Jesus, He hit back with Scripture. Jesus’ weapon against temptation was the Word of God. In the face of temptation, Jesus responded with Scripture. And He was using just the Old Testament; imagine the power we wield with the addition of the New Testament.

2. The Correct Mindset

“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
-Philippians 4:13

Having physical protection against the devil is awesome, but we must guard our minds just as ardently. We can’t let spiritual shell shock beat us. Temptation is a hard fight, but God is with us. By using Scripture and prayer as weapons, we will one day defeat Satan.

I know this sounds basic, so allow me to go further. As part of my Economics course in school, I’m learning about opportunity costs. The dictionary defines this term as “The loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen.”

When we give in to temptation, we often overlook the opportunity cost. The cost of doing things God’s way vs doing them our way is staggering. The opportunity cost of giving in to temptation is everything else God calls us to do. When we give in (which I’m sure we’ve all done), we aren’t just saying yes to the devil’s scheme, we’re also saying no to everything God wants.

I often think of the “benefits” of letting temptation win, without looking at the opportunity cost. The time I spend going against God’s plan for me is time I could’ve spent praying, reading the Word, or ministering to those around me. Say God asks me to volunteer at church this weekend, but the devil tempts me to stay home instead. There’s very little cost to that (from a worldly standpoint). But the opportunity cost is staggering – I’m disobeying God and forfeiting eternal rewards.

Once I begin to accept that every choice comes with an eternal benefit or cost, I can see this battle in a new light. God isn’t asking you to overcome temptation just for the sake of it. He wants you to overcome temptation so you’re free to do the best alternative: serve His Kingdom.

In Summary.

God has given us the tools we need to beat the devil’s schemes and win the war. We have accountability, prayer, and Scripture. We also have assurance that God is with us. He knows what temptation is like, and He will help us through it. Whatever you’re facing, if you choose His way, you’ll get a far better alternative.

Don’t give up! Even if you lose today’s battle, we will win the war. Ask for help where you need it, cultivate a life of prayer, and use God’s Word as a weapon. If you need encouragement, read Luke 10:19-20.

And, as Paul said in Hebrews 2:18,

“Since Jesus Himself has gone through suffering and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested.”