Overcoming Temptation

INTRODUCTION:

Jesus is the ultimate Christian

We can learn how to overcome anything in life if we pay close attention to His life.

By listening to what He says and by watching what He does.

The greatest test that we all face as Christians is temptation. After Jesus was baptized, Matthew tells us that he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

No one can avoid being tempted.

-Good people are tempted

-It doesn’t matter how spiritual and holy you become.

Temptation is inevitable, but it doesn’t COME FROM GOD. The Bible says...

"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone..." (James 1:13)

THE TRUTH ABOUT TEMPTATION:

• It is inevitable!

• It normally comes after a major victory in our life.

• It often attacks us where we are weakest.

• Yielding to temptation has more to do with a person’s character than with their circumstance.

Jesus was tempted in the same areas that we are tempted: "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin." (Hebrews 4:15)

Lust of the flesh.

2. Lust of the eyes.

Pride of life. The Bible says that; " pride comes before a fall".

THE TACTICS OF the devil

1. Satan likes to twist the truth

verse 4:6, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down."

Then, notice what Satan did next. He quoted scripture at Jesus. He said...

verse 4:6, "For it is written: ’He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."

2. He tries to make you believe that he can give you what has already been provided

verse 4:9, "All this I will give to you if you bow down and worship me."

Jesus told his disciples to "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." (Mark 14:38).

B. The victory is certain if we don’t give up praying and communicating with God

"Pray without ceasing"

C. The victory comes as we rely on God’s word.

Verse 4, "Jesus answered, It is written: man does not live by bread alone, but every word that comes from the mouth of God".

Verse 7, "It is written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test".

Verse 10, "It is written: "Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only".

The victory is certain if we are transparent (MATT. 4:1-2)

Even the Bible is transparent. It says in verse 2 that; "Jesus was hungry".

It’s transparent about Jesus humanity.

It doesn’t hide that in the body He was weak.

It doesn’t hide the fact that even Jesus was tempted.

CONCLUSION

Every leader in the Christian faith is going to be tested. Many of those tests will come in the face of temptation. A strong leader knows the value of:

• The Test of Transparency: We need one another.

• The Truth about Temptation: It is inevitable; follows a victory; attacks our weakness; and yielding has more to do with character than circumstance!

• The Tactics of the Tempter: Twists the Truth; Promises what is already Provided; and Never Lasts but Never Leaves!

• The Triumph over Temptation: We REMEMBER SCRIPTURE; WE REBUKE SATAN; and WE RE-AFFIRM our SURRENDER to Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.