Taming Temptation

Everybody faces temptations. The Bible talks about the sin that so easily besets us in Hebrews 12, while speaking to believers. Getting saved does not mean you will no longer be tempted. In fact, you become a target when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. However, the Lord also gives His children power to overcome temptation. Not that we will become perfect and sinless. . .because as long as we are in these old bodies of ours, sin will be too present among us. When we are tempted, let's use these three avenues of escape.

1. FLEE when you are tempted in your flesh.

The works of the flesh are mentioned in Galatians 5 right after the fruit of the Spirit. Our flesh, the old sinful nature that we still have, takes natural desires and incites us to fulfill these desires in an ungodly way. Sexual sins, gluttony, laziness, and other sins would be called sins of the flesh.

Joseph illustrates the way to avoid sin when tempted in your flesh. . .HE RAN AWAY! Sometimes we simply put ourselves in bad situations. Stay out of the places that you know will cause you to be tempted. Don't go down to the bar. Don't wander the streets at night. Then there are times when a fleshly temptation comes into our lives and the only recourse we have is to get out of the area. There is nothing wrong with running away. You don't have to stay and try to fight the thing. Get out of there! Joseph ended up in jail by false accusation, but God had been honored and would continue to honor him.

2. Faith overcomes the world.

The world tempts us to get "stuff", to keep up with the Jones', to treasure the things that will not last for eternity. In the Bible the world often refers to a system of thinking and of acting that is contrary to the Lord. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. . ." 1 John 2:15 says. James 4 warns us that friendship with the world makes us enemies of God.

Be aware. This world is no friend of God!

In order to overcome the world, strengthen your faith. Get into the Word of God and allow it to get into you. Faith overcomes the world. Faith looks at life from God's point of view. Faith sees an eternal perspective that the world avoids. So strengthen your faith. Read, study, memorize, and personalize the Scriptures. Gain a place of faithfulness to church attendance. Away with this hit and miss stuff, your faith will never grow when you are not faithful to God's house. Begin to put the commands of God into practice in your life. Associate with those whose faith is strong. Other Christians can help you see things from God's perspective. Above all, do not neglect your personal Bible time.

3. FIGHT the devil.

The devil is not a figment of your imagination. He is real, and he is your enemy, Christian. How can we ever hope to defeat this master-mind enemy? "Be sober, be vigilant, for your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you," James says. Ephesians 6 lists our armor as Christians as we fight against the unseen world of spiritual darkness. Our Christianity is also a warfare. "Onward Christian soldiers marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before."

Fight the devil by getting as close to God as you can. "Draw nigh to God. . .resist the devil." When we were small children and were frightened or threatened, our answer was to run to daddy or to mom. That was a place we considered safe. When storms come, we often seek out a place of safety. . . a storm cellar or basement. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Let us learn to get closer to Him.

We draw near through the blood of Jesus, and we overcome the devil through the blood of Jesus. We draw nigh to God as we praise Him, and we overcome the enemy through the word of our testimony (praise). We draw near to God as we offer Him sacrifices of selfless worship, yielding ourselves as living sacrifices to Him, and we overcome the devil as we love not our lives even to the death. Revelation 12:11 speaks of the overcomers.

God wants you to be an overcomer. You do not have to sin every time you are tempted. God makes a way of escape according to 1 Corinthians 10:13. Let us not get the idea that we have arrived and cannot fall to temptation, because when you think you can stand, you will certainly fall. Rely upon the Lord's avenues of escape and tame temptation in your life.