A strategy for winning over temptation

DAILY BIBLE READING:

Nehemiah 9:22–10:39 
1 Corinthians 9:19–10:13 
Psalm 34:1-10 
Proverbs 21:13

TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

1 Corinthians 10:13 (CSB) "No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide a way out so that you may be able to bear it."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Our Verse for Today is an often misquoted passage. 

Many times, when life gets tough, some Christians will say something humorous like, "I know that God says He won't give me more than I can bear. I just wish He wouldn't trust me so much." In saying this, they assume that 1 Corinthians 10:13 talks about difficulties in life.

Yet, that's not at all what the verse is talking about. Words like difficulties, trials, or anything of the sort do not appear in this verse.

The words that do appear are tempted and temptation. This verse is not addressing the difficulties of life. It is aimed at giving comfort and hope to the person who is being tempted to sin.

In it, God says that no matter how powerful the temptation and how hopeless it may feel to get out of the temptation without sinning, we are assured that God won't allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to pass the test. Further, He will always make sure that we aren't so boxed in by the temptation that we simply must sin. There will always be a way out of the situation in which we can maintain our integrity.

Now, this is easy to write. It is quite another in 'real life.' But, that's where a few principles come into play:

• We must know God's Word so much that we have a very clear sense of what is right and wrong. This means that we must read and study it every single day.
• We must reflect (meditate) on Scripture so that we not only know what it says but that it becomes ingrained in our way of thinking and influences how we see everything in and around us.
• We must have at least one friend who holds us accountable (ask us tough questions and has permission to point out sin in our life when they see it).
• We must have a holy anger at sin so that we have plenty of motivation to avoid it and to choose the high road regardless of the consequences.
• We must learn how to live under the control of the Holy Spirit so that we can be directed by Him in moments of testing.

Friend, Satan sends temptations your way to defeat you on the field of battle. God sends many of those same temptations your way to test you and strengthen you. Satan sends them to harm you. God sends them for your good. How you respond to temptation determines who will accomplish their purposes. 

May we determine to respond to temptations in such a way that God is always glorified (seen to be the good God that He is).

Fight sin with Scripture

DAILY BIBLE READING:

2 Samuel 2:12–3:39 
John 13:1-30 
Psalm 119:1-16 
Proverbs 15:29-30

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Psalm 119:11 (CSB) "I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Psalm 119 is a fascinating chapter for quite a few reasons:

• It's the longest chapter in the Bible.
• The chapter progresses through the entire 22 letter Hebrew alphabet with each set of 8 verses starting with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet from the first letter (aleph) to the last (taw).
• Virtually every verse has a word for the Bible (law, your word, precepts, commands, instructions, rules, etc.)
• It's essentially the halfway point in a journey through the entire Old and New Testaments.

In our Verse for Today, the author notes that he had discovered a way to keep from doing those things that would offend his God and hurt himself - he treasured God's Word in his heart.

Psalm 119:11 (CSB) "I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you."

So, how does this work? How can we allow God's Word to keep us from sinning?

First, you've got to spend time with God's Word. It won't do you any good unless you are in it. And our exposure to God's Word really needs to be one a daily basis.

Second, it's not simply reading God's Word that helps us. We need to "treasure" it as our Verse for the Today says. That means we value it. We are enjoying it so much that we reflect on it throughout the day. It is going from our short-term memory to our long-term memory. It's going from our head to our hearts.

Third and finally, it keeps us from sinning by informing us as to what is right and wrong. It changes the way we see things because our mind is becoming more biblical. And as we see the offensiveness of sin by our regular, in-depth exposure to Scripture, we will despise it and abstain from it. When we do sin, will will quickly make things right.

But, the Bible also acts as a weapon. In fact, Ephesians 6:17 calls the Bible a sword. Whenever sin is presented to us as a temptation, the Holy Spirit desires to run to the arsenal of our minds to find a relevant Word of God that we have internalized to fight off the temptation. Jesus illustrated how this is done in Matthew 4:1-11 as He fought off temptation with Scripture.

So, to fight off sin in your life, spend time in God's Word. As a teenager, a Sunday School teacher mentioned a quote that I quickly wrote in the front cover of my Bible. It's so true:

"The Bible will either keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible." - D.L. Moody

Overcoming temptation with prayer

TODAY'S BIBLE READING:

Numbers 11:24-13:33
Mark 14:22-52
Psalm 52:1-9
Proverbs 11:1-3

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Mark 14:37-38 "Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, 'Simon, are you asleep? Couldn't you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.'"

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

I don't know about you but temptation is alive and well in my life. There are certain things that cry out for my attention and if I indulge (or overindulge) it would be sin. The refrigerator is just one of those enticing voices.

So, how do we develop the spiritual strength to abstain from that which would exploit our areas of weakness? Pray!

Jesus told the disciples to "keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation." Simply put, if we pray, then there will be temptations that will not be victorious over us.

But, we're not talking about 5 minute prayers here. In this same conversation, Jesus asked Peter, "Couldn't you watch with me even one hour?" So, the kind of prayer that overcomes temptation is lengthy, heartfelt prayer.

How does this work? How does prayer help us to overcome temptation? Let me give you two reasons that come to mind:

1. Prayer enables us to trust in the Lord's strength

If we are living life in our own strength, we will fall. But, if we are keenly aware of our personal weakness and, therefore, rely upon the Lord for our strength, we will find that we have what it takes to say "no" to temptation (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

2. Prayer literally removes tempting situations

In the "Lord's Prayer," Jesus told us to pray: "And lead us not into temptation" (Matthew 6:13). When we look further at this prayer, we realize that Jesus is encouraging us to pray in the morning (we ask for bread in the morning - Matthew 6:11). So, in the morning, we are told to ask the Lord to keep us from situations that would tempt us and cause us to fall. In doing so, God may remove many or all of the things from our day that would have caused us to stumble.


So, pray! Spend time in prayer to the Lord today! Create a prayer list and go through it. Or, open up God's Word and just start praying through the verses in front of you. But, whatever you do, pray! It is possibly the most powerful weapon you have to keep you from temptation!

Defeating Temptation with Prayer

TODAY'S BIBLE READING:

Exodus 29:1-30:10 

Matthew 26:14-46 

Psalm 31:19-24 

Proverbs 8:14-26

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Psalm 31:24 "

So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the LORD!"

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

In Matthew 26, the reader has the luxury of knowing how the story plays out. We already know of Judas' betrayal before it happens. We know of Peter's denial before he did it.

So, when Peter tells Jesus that he would follow Him even until death (Matthew 26:33-35), we know that his words were superficial. They show the intention of his heart but they lack the passion and spiritual strength required to carry them out.

After Peter's confession, Jesus takes his disciples out to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus tells Peter where He can get the spiritual strength and passion required to say no to the temptation that awaited him. Listen to what He tells Peter.

"Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, 'Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?   Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!'" (Matthew 26:40-41)

Did you get that? Our spirit desires to follow the Lord but our fleshly nature just can't do it.

What is the answer? What are we to do?

Pray!

"Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation."

Prayer is where our passion is fanned into flame. Prayer is where we tap into the spiritual strength available to every follower of Jesus.

But, we know what happened in the Garden. Peter didn't pray and so he fell to temptation and denied the Lord he loved.

There is a powerful principle hear. Do you want victory over temptation? Do you want to become more like Jesus?

While there are many biblical principles that come into play to help us attain a greater degree of Christlikeness, the most important activity is prayer.

It's that simple.

"Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation."

Will you find time to prayer today? If you do, there will be temptations that would have defeated you that will fall before you.

So, pray!

Learning about temptation from a fish

This may sound a little silly at first but follow me on this:

Imagine that you are a fish (see I TOLD you this would sound silly). You are swimming in a beautiful, clear mountain river. The cloudless blue sky above is vibrant with color. The sun’s rays are penetrating the water and enliven every muscle in your body.

You don’t have a care in the world as you swim around in that river. You dart here and there gathering little tidbits of food. Much of your time is simply spent enjoying the experience of moving effortlessly through the water.

You feel so alive!

Then, your eyes observe the moment a worm drops into the water in the distance. It looks delicious and the first fish there will enjoy the meal. Rather than lose such a prized possession, you race toward your prey. "Oh, what an incredible day is this!"

As you near the worm, you open your mouth wide already savoring it in your imagination. You bite down … and immediately feel a piercing pain. Your mouth feels like it is on fire. A moment later, the pain becomes unfathomable as a hook penetrates your flesh and your body is yanked through the water.

In fear, you try to swim the other way. A thoroughly peaceful moment has now turned to sheer terror as you fight for your life. But, it’s too late. The inevitable is happening and you will be someone’s dinner within a few hours. The one who put the hook in your mouth will be filled with joy as they savor every last bite.

That word picture is what we must keep in mind every time we toy with sin and temptation. Satan, the fisherman loves to bait his hooks so that we are tempted to go against God’s law - which are intended for our good. But, in so doing, we throw caution to the wind and are free to experience the consequences whatever they are and whenever they come.

The best thing we could do is to see Satan and sin for what they are. His desire is to “steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10) and sin accomplishes that purpose. Don't take his bait! Ask God for strength to say "No!" to temptation. If you take the bait and violate God's instructions, you are doing so to your own harm.

1 Corinthians 10:13
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Sermon (video): "How to Defeat Sexual Temptation" (Genesis 39:1-21)

The story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife is a well-known story among Christian's and non-Christians alike. However, God did not simply put that story into the Bible to satisfy our desire for narrative. If we look closely enough, we can see at least 5 action steps that we can take to defeat sexual temptation.

Some reflections on the categories of temptation

As I reflected upon my Bible reading this morning, I came across something that was fascinating. I've noticed it before but it never gets old.

As I read through Matthew 4 where Jesus was tempted by Satan, I couldn't help but realize that He experienced the three primary temptation categories that are listed in 1 John 2:16. Every single time we are tempted to sin, it is in one of three ways - our body craves something it is not supposed to have, our mind craves something it is not supposed to have or our ego craves something it's not supposed to have.

In the following chart, I list the sin category on the far left.

Second, I give a very basic clarification of that temptation.

Third, I show how Eve, along with Adam, fell into sin by way of each of the three temptations.

Finally, I show how Jesus demonstrated that He was sinlessly perfect as He overcame each of those three categories of temptation to sin that Satan lobbed at Him. (And notice that Satan knew God's Word but didn't get the temptations in the order they are listed in Genesis 3 and 1 John 2. He knows God's Words but handles it carelessly.)

List of primary temptation categories in 1 John 2:16	Clarification of the temptation	Mankind’s yielding to the temptation	Jesus’ victory over the temptation
“Lust of the flesh”	My body wants something that it’s not supposed to have.	“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food…” (Genesis 3:6)	Jesus didn’t turn stones to bread so He could eat even though He was starving (Matthew 4:3-4)
“Lust of the eyes”	My mind wants something that it’s not supposed to have.	“So when the woman saw that the tree … was a delight to the eyes,” (Genesis 3:6)	Jesus didn’t take the shortcut to His future reign over the world after viewing the impressive kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:8-10)
“Pride of life”	My ego wants something that it’s not supposed to have.	“So when the woman saw … that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,” (Genesis 3:6)	Jesus didn’t think too much of Himself by presuming upon God’s watchful care (Matthew 4:5-8)
The result…		“… she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:6). The further result was God’s disapproval and separation from mankind.	“Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.” (Matthew 4:11). This was a demonstration of Jesus’ sinless perfection as He would go to the cross and take our place bearing God’s punishment on our behalf.

The Temptation of Jesus

We all know what temptation is, don't we? We've been there, done that and could write a book about it.

As far as what temptation is in its essence, it is when desire meets opportunity. 

If I have a desire for a Diet Coke (that Kim tells me I'm supposed to avoid) but don't have access to one, then there is no temptation. If, on the other hand, I have access to a Diet Coke but don't have the desire to consume it, there is no temptation. Yet, if I am craving a Diet Coke and one is placed in front of me ... walla! ... temptation!

From that we can understand what sinful temptation is. It occurs when we have a sinful desire and an opportunity to indulge that desire. 

But what about Jesus? In my Bible reading this morning, I came across Luke 4:1-13 where it gives the account of Jesus' temptation. This is a point of much debate and has been for centuries. 

Why? Because Jesus is God in the flesh. As God in the flesh, He was fully human yet lacked one thing that every other human had/has - the sin nature. We are all born with a sin nature that explains our sinful cravings. We sin and violate God's laws because there is within us what the Bible sometimes calls "the flesh" that wants to focus upon gratifying self regardless of what God has said. Even though God's laws are given for our good, we often violate them to our own harm ... because of the sin nature.

Well, Jesus didn't have a sin nature. Thus, the question: "How could Jesus be tempted if He didn't have a sin nature? He was given opportunities to sin by Satan in Luke 4:1-13 but if He didn't have the desire, then how could it be temptation?" But, an even bigger question than that is, "How could it be said that Jesus was tempted when He was, in fact, God?" God can't be tempted, right (James 1:13)?

Luke 4:1-2 (New Living Translation)

"Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry."

For starters, the Word of God calls it "temptation" so, well, um, that's what it was whether we understand it or not.

Second, Adam and Eve were not created with a sin nature. They were created neutral to sin. They could take it or leave it. Unlike us, there wasn't a driving force within them that compelled them to sin. Yet, they sinned. 

I believe that it is in this way that we are to understand Jesus' human nature. He was fully human. Yet, He had more in common with Adam than He did with you or me. (In fact, Jesus is compared/contrasted to Adam in the New Testament - see Romans 5:12-21 & 1 Corinthians 15:45-49). He did not have the driving force to sin within Him that you and I have. He was neutral to sin like Adam and Eve in their original state. In His human nature, He could take it or leave it.

Yet, that being the case, one can see how even though Jesus was neutral to sin could be tempted in the three areas that Satan hurled at Him.

Jesus was hungry (He hadn't eaten for 40 days!) and Satan tempted Him with the idea of recklessly using His divine power to turn rocks into bread (Luke 4:3-4). That would be VERY tempting!

Jesus knew that claiming a position of authority over the world would require His substitutionary death (see Philippians 2:5-11). Satan provided a shortcut (Luke 4:5-8). We can see how this would be tempting, can't we?

In the third and final temptation, it seems as if Satan was calling upon Jesus to prove that He really was a person of divine value. He could find out by jumping off the highest point of the temple and seeing Heaven's angelic host come to His rescue (Luke 4:9-12). The assurance from Heaven could be tempting. 

So, it is true that Jesus was tempted. Even though His human nature was neutral to sin, we can see how the temptation that Satan lobbed at Him was truly tempting.

Yet, how are we to understand that Jesus was tempted when we consider His divine nature? After all, since He was God in the flesh, He couldn't be tempted (see James 1:13)?

An explanation that has made the most sense to me is found in the book, "Systematic Theology" by Wayne Grudem. In it, the author states that we may understand Jesus' human nature by picturing someone in a baseball game. They are the catcher behind home plate. The pitcher winds up and throws the ball. The catcher is supposed to catch it and absolutely not let it get past him. Yet, if the ball gets past him, there is a backstop behind him to stop the ball.

It was noted that the human nature of Jesus is the "catcher." Satan lobbed temptations at Him and he combated those temptations in the realm of His human nature. (If He had combated them in the realm of His divine nature, it could not have been accurately said that He was tempted since God cannot be tempted.) If His human nature had failed and was made willing to yield to temptation, His divine nature would have stopped it from happening. Yet, that never happened. Jesus battled Satan and sin in His flesh and emerged victorious.

In fact, we could even say that Jesus knows what temptation is like even more than we do. We often only experience momentary temptation before we give in. Yet, Jesus bore the full weight of temptation because He refused to give in.

So, Hebrews 4:15 is absolutely accurate when it says that Jesus was genuinely tempted. "This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin."

Since Jesus has experienced temptation and understands what it's like, call out to Him when you are struggling. Not only does He know all things as God, He experientially knows what it's like. He can help you, friend.

How to be victorious in times of temptation

Temptation is a problem for everyone of us. Because of our sinful desires and areas of weakness, we often stumble into sin when a sinful opportunity comes along to satisfy that desire. Then, we end up dealing with guilt (once again!) and going through the whole process of confession, repentance and restoration.

As I read through the account of Jesus' temptation (Matthew 4:1-11), I was reminded th...at a knowledge of God's Word is absolutely essential to combat temptation. For every sinful opportunity that Satan verbally threw at Jesus, Jesus deflected the poisonous dart by saying, "It is written..." and then quoting Scripture.

Internalizing (reading / meditating on / memorizing) God's Word so that we have immediate access to it when tempted is vital! It is the weapon we've been given to fight off the enemy in the face of immediate temptation. We are engaged in spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10-18) so we must arm ourselves with "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17).

It is a foolish Christian indeed who fails to arm himself/herself with a growing knowledge of God's Word. By failing to take the time to internalize God's Word, they will be forced to take the time to spend in guilt, confession and repentance.

Who is responsible when I sin?

I came across an interesting verse in my Bible reading this morning. 1 Chronicles 21:1 says: "Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel." This verse simply states that the sin that David committed of numbering his army and thus depending upon his military might (that results in the death of many Israelites) was caused by Satan. I suppose he could have literally said, "The devil made me do it."

Or could he?

In 1 Chronicles 21:17, David doesn't blame Satan. He takes full responsibility when it says: "And David said to God, 'Was it not I who gave command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done great evil...'"

So, was it Satan or was it David that caused this sin? Well, before we answer that question, let's look at one more verse...

This same story is retold in 2 Samuel 24:1 where it says: "Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, 'Go, number Israel and Judah.'"

So, David claims he was the one who committed the sin. Yet, we also read that Satan moved David to sin. Further, we read that God's anger was directed at David and thus He moved David to number the people and receive the consequences.

Honestly, when I try to figure out who was to 'blame' for David's sin, I'm left dumbfounded. I feel like a kindergarten student looking at a college level calculus equation. I can't understand it ... but that doesn't mean that the equation is not true.

It is in this same way that we are to understand how God works in our world and our lives. Some affirm mankind's freedom to make his own choices (which I do) while others hang out on the other side and affirm God's freedom to make His choices (which I also do). These truths do not cancel out each other. Simply because we do not understand the equation doesn't mean it isn't true.

So, what are we to make of James 1:13-15 where we are told that God doesn't tempt us?

If we look carefully at James 1:13-15, we may read between the lines and understand what issues James may have been addressing. Apparently, there were folks who were excusing their sin by saying, “I was tempted by God!” James quickly tosses that argument out by saying that God isn’t tempted nor does He tempt anyone.

Yet, James is not saying that God doesn’t send difficulties into our lives (see James 1:2-4). God even sends things into our lives that will lead to sin (e.g. Jesus sent the Apostles into the Garden of Gethsemane where they slept instead of prayed and then ran like cowards when Jesus was forcibly taken). God sends good things and bad things our way. His desire is that we always take the escape hatch referenced in 1 Corinthians 10:13 but some folks will not take the escape hatch and will sin.

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 - English Standard Version)

One essential ingredient of temptation is a sinful heart (James 1:14-15). Without it, nothing at all would be tempting. (Imagine someone who has just stuffed themselves with a Thanksgiving dinner. Further, imagine that someone puts a sinfully delicious pie in front of them. It’s NOT going to be a temptation because that person has no desire whatsoever for the pie. Something is a temptation ONLY when it is met with sinful desires.)

It is in that way that we are to understand that God does not tempt us. Does He allow difficulties to come our way? Of course. Otherwise, how could He make the promise of Romans 8:28? Does He allow sinful opportunities to come our way? Of course. He could keep them from us but sometimes, He doesn’t. Yet, His desire in those times of trial is that we grow from the experience (James 1:2-4 again) and take the 1 Corinthians 10:13 escape hatch. Yet, sending things our way does not constitute temptation. Temptation only occurs when we meet the things God sends our way with a sinful heart.

But there is another principle that is activated in the stories of Pharaoh and David (and many more in Scripture) that I referenced above. I addressed it in a recent sermon. It's the principle that is illustrated in Romans 1:18-32. When God's patience has been exhausted and His wrath becomes evident, it is sometimes manifested in the removal of His protective hand to allow a person or a nation to continue down a sinful path that they are intent on traversing. Pharaoh was insistent that he would reject any notion of an Israelite exodus so God gave him over to that option. David was insistent on numbering the people so God's wrath gave him the ability to exercise that option and experience the negative consequences.

Deuteronomy and overcoming temptation

As I continue my 'Read through the Bible in 6 Months" plan, I will begin Deuteronomy tomorrow morning.

At first thought, we may not see the importance of that book. After all, it's in the Old Testament and we live in the New Testament era. Besides, it's just filled with a lot of laws which makes it somewhat laborious to read.

Yet, we realize how valuable this fifth book of the Bible is when we read of Jesus' temptation in Matthew 4. Each of the three times that Satan tempted Jesus, we see that Jesus knocked the temptation out of the park with the baseball bat of God's Word. He used Scripture that He had committed to memory to rid Himself of the temptation. Can you guess which book Jesus had spent time memorizing? Here are the Bible verses that Jesus quoted in response to each temptation:

Temptation 1 - Deuteronomy 8:3
Temptation 2 - Deuteronomy 6:16
Temptation 3 - Deuteronomy 6:13; 10:20

Maybe we need to spend a little more time with this Old Testament book.