HOW TO OVERCOME TEMPTATION

KEY TEXT: 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV) – “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

The above verse means that there is no temptation that is too difficult to overcome and that there is no temptation that is outside this world. All temptations we are facing have been faced before, and some of the people who encountered them were able to overcome them.

God, in His faithfulness, will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can. Take note that it is the Devil who brings temptations, not God.

James 1:13 (KJV) – “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.” It is Satan who brings temptation. However, God understands the point of weakness in every man and cannot allow the Devil to tempt someone beyond what that person can overcome.

God cannot allow someone who has less spiritual strength to face the same test that Job faced or the same temptation that Jesus encountered after fasting in the wilderness. The reason is that God does not want us to sin.

God doesn’t take delight in sin. However, He allows us sometimes to face temptations to strengthen our faith, to remember that we are in a sinful world, and to keep our focus on Him. When we lose focus on God, is when temptations defeat us.

Let us look at the first temptation.

Genesis 2:16-17 (KJV) – “¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ¹⁷ But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

All commandments of God are easy to obey. 1 John 5:3 (KJV) – “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.”

When we look at Genesis 2:16-17, the instruction given to Adam and Eve was the most simple to obey. Of the thousands of trees God created, they were free to eat all of them except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That was such a simple instruction to keep. That is the same way God has created seven days a week, freely giving you six days to do your work but asking for only one, which is the seventh day. It is also the same way God gives you income to control and asks you to return to Him only 10 percent.

Let’s find out where the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was located:

Genesis 2:9 (KJV) – “And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was located at the garden’s center, right next to the tree of life. The tree of life represented life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represented death (because God told them if they ate from it, they would die). However, they chose death over life, which is the same case with us today.

We neglect and despise the ways of life and choose the paths of death. The same way God planted the tree of life close to the tree of knowledge of good and evil is the same way that the power to fight temptation is right next to us.

Revelation 3:20 (KJV) – “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.”

When someone is knocking at your door, where is that person? That person is right outside the door. This verse means that Jesus has moved right next to us; our work is to allow Him to come into our hearts. If Jesus dwells in us, He will assist us in fighting temptations, including the ones the enemy has lied to us that are ‘too difficult.

One of the reasons we find some temptations too challenging to overcome is because we have practiced them for such a long time that they have become part and parcel of our character. But Jesus, who came to seek and to save that which was lost, will restore us to the highest, perfect condition that we need to be, no matter how long we have struggled with sin.

In John 5:1-15, there was a man who had been sick for 38 years, and next to him was a pool called Bethesda. An angel came to the pool at a particular season, and if anyone entered the pool when the angel came, they would be relieved from what they were suffering. Take note that 38 years is quite a long time to be sick, 38 years is a long time to be an alcoholic, 38 years is a long time to be gay, 38 years is a long time to be addicted to pornography, 38 years is a long time to be in prison.

John 5:6 (KJV) – “When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?” Jesus asking the man this question meant that the man had the option to choose whether he wanted to be healed or not.

John 5:8-9 (KJV) – “⁸ Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. ⁹ And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked.”

Jesus healed the man, but notice He healed him because the man was willing to be healed. What shows that the man was ready to be healed? The fact that he arose, took up his bed, and walked meant that he believed since he did exactly as Jesus had told him to do. With his power, the sick man could not do that. Jesus did all the work (which was healing him), his job was to believe, and the best way to show that he believed was by doing everything Christ had told him to do.

A good number of Christians look at God’s Word as a far-fetched idea. Pastor Randy Skeete says that we see Jesus as only existing in the pages of the Bible and not a reality in our lives.

Many Christians believe living a perfect and holy life is impossible, while Christ has made it possible and easy for us. Christ is therefore asking us, “Wilt thou be made whole?” You need to say YES and ensure that YES is coming from your heart, and you will be surprised by what God will do in your life.

Are you struggling with a specific sin in your life? Ask Jesus to help you overcome it. Jesus does not care how long you have been in it. His work is to restore you to your perfect condition, and He will do that.

So far, we have established the following things:

• There is no temptation you can face that is out of this world. All temptations faced are common to man.
• There is no temptation that God can allow you to meet that is beyond your spiritual strength.
• With any temptation you face, there is always a way of escaping.
• The power to fight and resist temptation is right next to us.
• Our work is to believe that Jesus can help us overcome temptation and leave our worries to him.

How do we fight temptations?

Pray: Luke 22:40 (KJV) – And when He was at the place, He said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

We should pray against temptation daily, and every time we are faced with temptation.

Put serious study to the Word of God daily: In Matthew 4, while the Devil tempted Christ. Jesus answered him, “it is written,” “it is written,” “it is written.” Meaning Jesus knew the Word of God. The same way the Devil tempted Christ with the Word of God is the same way some people may compel you to sin by taking the Word of God out of context.

The Devil can use the Word of God in a deceiving way to tempt us because he knows the Word of God has power. If you do not know God’s Word, you will quickly fall into those temptations. The Word of God has infinite power and is the power to overcome all sorts of the enemy’s tricks.

“A Law in Intellectual and Spiritual Worlds—It is a law both of the intellectual and the spiritual nature that by beholding we become changed. The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is allowed to dwell. It becomes assimilated to that which it is accustomed to love and reverence.” – Mind Character and Personality, Page 331.1, Ellen G. White.

The more you interact with God’s Word, the more your life will be transformed by its power and influence. Do everything that you can to stay close to it. When you are waiting for the train or the bus or when you are in an airport waiting for your flight and you don’t know what to do, open the pages of the Bible or a truthful Christian book. Read your Bible in those moments that you feel like idling or challenge yourself to commit certain verses to memory. Once again, do everything that you can to stay close to it.

“Commit to studying the Word of God daily, when you wake up, meditate on what you have studied in the morning as you carry out your duties of the day, then just before you sleep, go back to what you had studied. You will realize that you have started losing interest in worldly things gradually. Not overnight but gradually” – Pastor Randy Skeete.

MAY GOD GIVE YOU THE POWER TO FIGHT TEMPTATIONS!!!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your faithfulness in every trial. I acknowledge that temptations will come, but I trust in Your promise that I will never face more than I can bear. Strengthen me to resist sin and to take the way of escape that You provide. Fill my heart with Your Word so that I may stand firm, just as Jesus did. Help me to keep my focus on You and rely on Your strength, not my own. Thank You for Your grace and power to overcome. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Activity

1. Identify a temptation you struggle with.
2. Find at least three Bible verses that directly address that temptation. (Example: If struggling with fear, use 2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear…”).
3. Write these verses down on a card or save them on your phone.
4. Whenever you face the temptation, read the verses out loud and pray for strength.
5. Over time, this will help renew your mind and make it easier to overcome temptation.
6. Share this message with someone.

Author: Mark Alex   

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