Overcoming temptation

It has taken me years to understand and overcome temptations. And the only way it was possible to do so was to understand and accept the truth of God’s Word concerning this issue.

First of all, God has made it perfectly clear in I Corinthians 10:13, there is no temptation presented to you that is not uncommon to man. In other words, you are not the only one who has dealt with temptation, no matter how unique you think it is to you. That verse also tells us that God is faithful, to the point, He will not allow you to be tempted above that which you are able to endure. And while you are being tempted, He will make a way for you to escape the temptation, by simply giving you the strength to endure it.

There is no such thing as, “I just couldn’t handle it, it was too strong for me.” By saying and believing that, we make God a liar. Sometimes we are like a ship in a storm, but God has promised us in His Word, we will enable us to land intact on the other side. All we have to do is walk by faith and not by sight. Walking by faith means believing He will do what He said, even though it doesn’t look like it.

I have learned, through the years, to accept the source of my temptations. Jame 1:14 says, “…every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed.” We must be honest with ourselves and admit my temptation is not from God. Neither is it from the devil. It is from within me. It is my desire. It is something I have to deal with. And when you learn you can only deal with it with the help from the Lord, you are on your way to overcoming temptation.

The best way to describe lust is to know the word lust means any kind of desire, and not just sexual desires. The normal desires of life were given to us by God. By themselves they are not sinful or evil. But whenever we want to satisfy our desires outside of the will of God we get into trouble. For example, eating is a normal desire, but gluttony is a sin. Sleep is normal, laziness is a sin. Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled; but whoremongers and adulterers, God will judge.

Our desires must be our servants and not our masters. We can make them so through Jesus Christ. Christian living is a matter of the will, not our feelings. Children operate on the basis of feelings, but adults operate on the basis of will. Adults act on what is right no matter how it makes them feel. This explains why immature Christians easily fall into temptation.

The more we exercise our will in saying a decisive “No” to temptation, the more God will take control of our lives. As Philippians 2:13 says, “For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do His good pleasure.”