"My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.
My son, do not walk in the way with them; restrain your foot from their path;"
Proverbs 1:10, 15
We all go through temptations. Anyone who says they are not tempted is in denial. Not everybody has the same temptations. Some are tempted by fear and others are tempted with addictions to drugs, alcohol, or even food. Whatever the temptation, we need to learn to resist them, so God can work in our lives and we can experience peace.
As we get more mature in God and seek Him with all our hearts, we will be able to withstand temptation more and more. The more we withstand temptation, the easier it gets to conquer temptation. It is hard for me to admit at times that I am not to the point where I do not give in temptation. Each day, I am working toward maturity, which I know through reading the Word and praying, I will achieve.
There are scriptures that help us overcome temptation. Some of us have read these scriptures, but we do not know how to use them on regular basis to fight temptations. One way to use the scriptures is by using them as prayers. Take out the I, you, or we, and add you're own or someone else's name. These scriptures are also only effective when we believe them. Make sure that you believe every Word you read and say, because it is truth and will give you victory.
"God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble."
Psalm 46:1
The steps to combating temptation that I have found in the Word of God are studying and applying the Word to our lives, praying every day, keeping focused on dreams and goals, resisting the devil, overcoming evil with good, and becoming subject to God by standing up against the devil. These are steps that I pulled right from the scriptures. If we use these steps, God will help us and give us overcoming power to have victory over temptations.
The Word
"Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You."
Psalm 119:11
The Word of God is our training manual. It contains everything we need to live a positive, successful life. When we read the Word, it gives us the spiritual education we need to resist temptation. Of course, this can't help us unless we apply the information to our lives. There are many people who know God's Word by memory, but they never apply His Word. This is why there are Christians in the World that are depressed, sick, frustrated, and unable to resist temptation.
Think about it this way: Even Lucifer (Satan) knows the scriptures and used them frequently when talking to Jesus in the wilderness. There is a world of difference between knowing and applying God's Word. One way to apply the Word is to pray the Word. This is when you take a scripture and add your name in the scripture and use it to pray to God. Another way is by taking all the bible stories and learning their relevance to your life. How can the story of Queen Esther be applied to our lives? She was an example of faithfulness and she showed the importance of obedience.
Prayer
"Keep awake and watch and pray [constantly], that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Mark 14:38
Prayer is another vital part of resisting temptation. Meditating on God's Word is the only way to consistently give our temptations and frustrations to God. When things get really frustrating to me, I tend to go through depression. This is when I have to pray. Usually, I can tell if I am about to get depressed, because it usually hits me when I am tired or irritated with myself over something I didn't do or didn't feel I did right. If I am wise, I will begin to pray and give God all my temptations and frustration.
One temptation for me is food. Like so many others, I am an emotional eater. If things are going right, I can stick to a diet and lose thirty to sixty pounds. On the other hand, if I struggle with trials, temptations, or depression, I can't get enough food and stuff myself. Of course, this makes my depression worse, because I feel out of control. This is why pray during these chaotic times is important, no vital, to my emotional, physical, and spiritual health.
Keeping focused on Dreams and Goals
"I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.
I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward."
Philippians 3:13-14
In my previous blogs, we have talked about setting and reaching goals. This is vital for success in any area of our lives, but it is even more important when dealing with temptations. When we work on getting through a temptation, we need to have dreams and goals that we can focus on. Looking at what lies ahead and creating our plan for the future is a great way to get past these temptations. It is not enough just to think or talk about our dreams and goals. We must write down our dreams and goals, so we can keep our mind off of the temptation trying to get in the way of our success.
For instance, in the past couple of weeks, my youngest son has suffered with the flu. He has kept me busy and up at night. For this reason, I have not posted my blog for two weeks. A few times this week, I have thought about not working on my blog. In the past, if I didn't think I would get something right the first time, I would give up. Now, I understand that I am working toward a dream and have set goals that I need to accomplish. Writing these dreams and goals down is how I keep myself on track toward success and away from temptation.
Avoid, resist, and flee Temptation
"Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Avoid it, do not go on it; turn from it and pass on."
Proverbs 4:14, 15
"So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you."
James 4:7
"Shun youthful lusts and flee from them, and aim at and pursue righteousness (all that is virtuous and good, right living, conformity to the will of God in through, word, and deed); [and aim at and pursue] faith, love, [and] peace (harmony and concord with others) in fellowship with all [Christians], who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart."
II Timothy 2:22
First, we need to avoid temptation. This is sometimes better said than done, but it is the best way to get through moments of temptation. For example, if I am having a problem eating too much ice cream, then I need to not bring ice cream into my home. Of course, that would work if I didn't live with other people that love ice cream. Unfortunately, there is ice cream all the time.
Second, we need to resist temptation. If someone brings ice cream into the house, which they do all the time, I need to consistently tell myself that I do not need the ice cream, and I need to stop getting myself a bowl when everyone is indulging. It is okay for me to have a little ice cream, but I don't need it all the time. Every time my family gets out the ice cream, I need to prepare myself and know exactly how much I can eat or not eat.
Third, we need to flee temptation. There are times when I try to avoid temptation, but temptation ends up right in front of me. Then I try to resist temptation, but the temptation is too much for me. This is when I need to flee from the temptation. If my family decides they want ice cream, I need to run to the other room and not even watch. Usually, we think we are strong enough to avoid and resist the temptation on our own, but that isn't always the case. Many times, we just need to flee and get away from whatever is trying to tempt us.
Overcome Evil with Good
"Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome (master) evil with good."
Romans 12:21
Sometimes, we are so focused on what we are doing that we get frustrated and ready to give into any temptation. When we are frustrated and ready to give up, we need to do something different. Instead of doing something for ourselves, we need to do good for someone else. If I am tempted to sit down and concentrate on depression, I make a decision to get up and help someone else in need. This means doing something good for someone in my immediate family or someone outside my family who is struggling. It can be a small thing like writing an encouraging letter or something major like giving someone money to get their electric bill turned back on.
During a time in my life that I was going through really severe depression, I decided to start writing encouraging letters to people who were going through tough times. That is another reason I started writing this blog. It is away for me to feel like I am doing something good even when I feel bad. My husband, Brenton, likes to give away books to men who are struggling. He doesn't just do this when he is feeling good, but a practice that he does in good times and bad. Why? It takes our focus off of ourselves and onto encouraging someone else.
Stand Firm
"So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you."
James 4:7
For a long time, I did not understand what it meant to stand firm. Now, I understand that when we stand firm, we are making a decision to not give into temptation. Sure, we might fail from time to time, but we get better at resisting temptation each time we stand firm or make a wise decision.
An example of standing firm is me deciding to not give up my writing my blogs just because I miss one or two. Of course, I need to do my best to write my blogs each week, but from time to time I might fail to do so. What I am trying to do to stand firm is make a decision to work on extra blogs so I can get ahead. This way I have an extra blog I can post just in case I have a sick child, an emergency, or just can't get my blog written for the week.
Challenge for the Week
"Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant]."
James 4:10
This week, we need to write down our temptations and make a plan to combat them. When temptations arise we need to work on studying and applying the Word to our lives, praying every day, keeping focused on dreams and goals, resisting the devil, overcoming evil with good, and standing firm. Temptations will arise, but we have a choice about how we can handle those temptations.
One thing we need to do is not hide the temptation. At one point in my life, I tried to sweep my problems under the rug, but, now, I am very open about my issues. This had done wonders for my support system. When temptations arise, I am able to freely talk with others and get help from those who care about me.
Note: There is one thing I want everyone to know about me. In the past, I have let my depression go without getting help. Finally, when I was twenty-seven, I attempted suicide. This is when I actually started getting the help I needed. In addition, I was put on anti-depressants that helped me at that time. If you feel the temptation is too much for you to handle, please seek help. My blogs are no substitute for professional counseling. Don't ever feel a shamed; we all need extra help from time to time.