How to Overcome Temptation

by Omaudi Reid
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Johnny was one of the cashiers at a local restaurant in his town. He had a
sloppy manager who did not run the store well, and so Johnny often had to
help him out. Johnny taught that helping would give him the opportunity to
become a manager. Johnny ran into some financial problems, and was
coming up short with his rent money. While at work, he realized that he had
plenty of opportunities to “borrow” some money from his register; his
manager probably would never notice. Johnny took it, and was able to pay
his rent. Unfortunate for Johnny, his theft was found out, and he was fired.
He was one of the greatest kings in his time. But one day, at the height of his
career, from his balcony, he saw a beautiful woman taking a shower. Using his
power as king, he invited the married woman to his castle, and had sex with
her. Then, to cover up his adultery, he used his influence to have the
woman’s husband murdered. Undoubtedly, this brought much anguish in the
remainder of David’s time as the King of Israel – an awful blemish in an
otherwise successful career.
None of us are above falling into the above temptations. The fact is
throughout time and history, among rich and poor, of all races, humans
experience similar types of temptation. We are all tempted. I Corinthians
10:13 – There hath no temptation that taken you, but such as is common to
man; But God is Faithful. Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that
ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape that ye
may be able to bear it.
Christians are not immune to temptation, the scripture says: I Corinthians
10:12 -...Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Facts about Temptation:
Temptation is being lured away by the desires of our own sinful nature away
from God’s will. James 1:13-15. God does not tempt us with evil; temptation
comes from our own desires. All good things come from God.
1. Drawn away by our own desires
2. Enticed – we receive a persuading offer to fulfill the desire.
3. Lust conceived – the desire and the desired meets
4. Sin is committed.
I Corinthians 10:13 God makes a way of escape for the temptation we face.
We really can only overcome temptation through the grace and power of God.
“I could not help it”, or “there is no way out” is not true for the Christian. God
has given us the things we need to overcome temptation. Yes, we can fall.
But through God’s grace we receive forgiveness to free us, and empowerment
to continue our walk with God, and overcome our struggles. Let’s look at
what the Bible tells us about overcoming temptation.
How to Overcome Temptation
1. Be Mission-Minded
Romans 12:21 – Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Wake up each day with God’s plan, mission, and purpose on your mind. With
God’s mission on your mind, you have already taken out many of the
opportunities to be drawn away. People often fall to temptation, because they
got distracted from their purpose. When we walk with God’s mission on our
mind, we can be people of influence thereby overcoming evil with good. Our
basic mission is to glorify God, and to spread the gospel of Christ.
2. Watch Matthew 26:41 – Watch and pray, that ye enter not into
temptation.
Have a daily security check. Presuming that you cannot fall into temptation is
a recipe for falling into temptation. Be your own eyes and ears – watch what
gets into your mind, and ponder what you are doing. In other words, we
must be alert and aware of the devil’s tricks, and of the evil that is around us.
3. Pray & Fast
Through prayer God provides the spiritual strength and empowerment to
overcome sin. We cannot overcome the sinful nature without inner
strengthening power of the Spirit of God. Through prayer we draw near to
God, and his Spirit fills us
4. Stay Away and Run Away
Stay Away – I Peter 2:11 – Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the
soul.
I Thessalonians 5:22 - Abstain from all appearance of evil. Do not open up
yourself to situations and things that expose you to temptation. Have some
boundaries in your life. Many Christians attempt to see how far they can go
without sinning. Is it not wiser to stay away from the edge of a cliff, in order
to avoid falling over?
Run Away – 2 Timothy 2:22 – Flee youthful lusts. The word ‘flee’ means to
run. Sometimes you got to run from the source of the temptation. Joseph ran
from Potiphar’s wife to prevent sleeping with her. Sometimes someone may
try to instigate a fight with you, it’s best to leave the area. There is no shame
in running from the source of a temptation.
5. Resist James 4:17 – Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from
you.
Sometimes it’s impossible to run from, or stay away from the situation. In
that case, we must resist. We resist by speaking out. Rebuke the devil by
saying: Get behind Satan for the word of God says… or I bind the spirit of
lying in the name of Jesus, and I walk in Truth. Sometimes when being
tempted by others, we can correct them as a form of resisting. Often we go
along with the crowd, and refrain from speaking out, and as a result we
follow the crowd in doing things we never intended to do. The best way to
avoid this, is to speak out when others try to pressure you do wrong.
6. Consider Your Brother/Sister Romans 14:13...no man put a stumbling
block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. Also Galatians 6:1.
Refrain from knowingly doing those things that may entice your brother to
sin. Example, if you know your brother gets violent when you call him by a
nickname, then don’t call him by that nickname. You may end up being
punched in the face, and you may respond in a way that you later regret.
Considering others also means helping those who have fallen into temptation.
Help up your brother, because one day you may also need help. Don’t think
you are ever above your brothers or sisters in Christ.
7. Ask for Help
James 5:16 – Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another
that ye may be healed.
If you need help, call someone, and confide in a Christian friend. Often if we
have someone by our side, the temptation is much easier to overcome. Two
heads are better than one.
If you fall into a temptation, don’t give up. God has provided the grace for
you to receive forgiveness of sin, and strength to walk again. Peter
succumbed to temptation and denied Christ, but after being strengthened, he
never denied Christ again - even facing death. Through Christ’s grace we can
overcome temptation and walk in victory.
Although I wrote this article, I would like to acknowledge that some of the
points came from the inspiration of Bishop K. D. Collins, from his teaching on
How to Overcome Temptation.
..............About the Author..............
Omaudi Reid is the chief editor of Harvesters Online, and author of Creating
Unbreakable Bonds. Passionate for God, he has been preaching and teaching
for several years. He is happily married to Guerline Reid with three children.
Find out more about him here.