Things I’m Asked: How can I overcome temptation?
Let’s face it, everyone battles with this… and it is a continuous battle. The human landscape is littered with the wreckage of what was once integrity, humility and truth. I do hope some of that wreckage was not yours. Not for nothing did God say to Cain, ‘sin is crouching at the door; it desires to have you, but you must master it’ (Genesis 4:7).
It is somewhat mollifying to know that Jesus understands the pressures of temptation (Hebrews 2:18). He was tempted himself (Luke 4:1-13), and because he understands, he’s able to help us when we are tempted (Hebrews 4:15-16). From this, an important truth follows:
It is not a sin to be tempted. It is what we do with temptation that matters.
Temptation on its own is harmless – it is just an invitation.
As the English 19th century literary critic, Churton Collins, wrote: “We are no more responsible for the evil thoughts that pass through our minds than a scarecrow for the birds which fly over the seed-plot he has to guard. The sole responsibility in each case is to prevent them from settling.”
Temptation on its own is harmless – it is just an invitation. It must be allowed to mix with our own evil desires before any sin is committed (James 1:14-15). Therefore, Satan can’t make us sin by tempting us. Satan needs our “yes” first.
God is not against us for our sin, but for us against our sin.
But here’s the conundrum: The Bible teaches that Christians no longer have to do what their old nature wants them to do. We are told that the old nature can be ‘crucified’ when we make Christ the leader of our lives (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20). And yet, no Christian has ever managed to be entirely good. Even the apostle Paul battled with temptation (Romans 7:18-19). The apostle Peter was dead right when he said there was a war going on between our old nature and the Spirit of God (1 Peter 2:11).
What I’m saying next is pretty obvious, but I’ll say it anyway because it’s important: God does not want to spoil our fun. God is not against us for our sin, but for us against our sin. As Benjamin Franklin said: “Sin is not hurtful because it is forbidden; sin is forbidden because it is hurtful.” Jesus tells us that Christians are meant to live ‘life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10). And the apostle Paul reminds us: ‘God … richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment’ (1 Timothy 6:17).
Because God loves us and wants to be in a relationship with us, he doesn’t want us to dampen his Holy Spirit’s presence within us by continuing to sin. God calls us to be free of sin, rather than enslaved by sin (John 8:34; 2 Peter 2:18-19).
The trick is to put an end to temptation early before it takes hold.
Remember: Satan loves to kill, steal and destroy, which is why he’s made sin so addictive. The trick is to put an end to temptation early before it takes hold. Once we let ourselves savour the idea, wilful sin follows (James 1:14-15). So, don’t savour it. Distract…
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