Resisting Temptation

Chuckle: "Frequent naps prevent old age, especially if taken while driving."

Quote: “If you don’t want temptation to follow you, don’t act as if you are interested.” --Richard L. Evans

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it" (I Corinthians 10:13 NIV).

Last time, we dealt with the nature of temptation -- how Satan goes about tempting us to sin. Today, let's think about how we can resist temptation and never give Satan a foothold in our lives as Christians. Please notice several things in our text passage. (1) Your temptation is no different from that of others. (2) God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear with the Holy Spirit's help. (3) If you let him, God will always provide you a way out so you can resist the temptation. "Since he himself (Jesus) has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted" (Hebrews 2:18 NLT). So then, with the Holy Spirit's help, here are some practical steps we can take to neutralize Satan's temptations:

1. Stay close to your Lord through prayer, Bible study, and public worship. Your fellowship with your Lord will provide you the strength to resist temptation.

2. Fill your mind with wholesome things. Avoid TV programs, movies, and literature that are filled with immoral content, especially in those areas where you are weakest.

3. Stay busy in God's work. Participate in the ministries of your church and help meet the needs of others. I'm reminded of the old saying, "An idle mind is the Devil's workshop!"

4. Choose your close friends carefully. Make certain they share your Christian values, lest you be influenced to adopt ungodly standards. Only attend social events where wholesome activities that honor God are featured. 

5. Find a close Christian friend for a prayer partner and confidant. Reach an agreement with him or her to hold each other accountable for your thoughts, words, and actions.

6. Remove yourself immediately from any situation where you feel tempted to compromise your Christian values. Even a minor yielding to a temptation makes it increasingly difficult to extract yourself from similar situations in the future.

The Bible says "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you" (James 4:7-8 NIV). Although God and the Devil are at war, we don't have to wait until the end to see who will win. However, Satan is here now, and he is trying to entice us over to his evil way of thinking and acting. In the power of the Holy Spirit, we can resist the Devil each time he approaches and he will flee from us.

Love, Jerry & Dotse