Dealing with Temptation
1 Corinthians 10:12-13
Struggling to make ends meet on a first-call salary, the pastor was livid when he confronted his wife with the receipt for a $250 dress she had bought. "How could you do this?" "I was outside the store looking at the dress in the window, and then I found myself trying it on," she explained. "It was like Satan was whispering in my ear, 'You look fabulous in that dress. Buy it!'" "Well," the pastor replied, "You know how I deal with that kind of temptation. I say, 'Get behind me, Satan!'" "I did," replied his wife, "but then he said, 'It looks fabulous from back here, too!' Temptation is all too real. - copied
Every one of us is confronted everyday with temptation from three sources – the world, the flesh, and the devil. None are immune. When temptation comes we can either overcome it or it can overcome us. How we deal with temptation will determine the outcome. Let me share with you four steps for dealing with temptation.
I. Keep in Touch with God
A. We’re all familiar with words to the theme song of Ghostbusters – “Who you going to call? Ghostbusters! Something Weird and it don't look good. Who you going to call. Ghostbusters” But temptation is not fantasy or a fairytale; it’s reality. When were faced with temptation we need to know who to run to. Run to God. Too often instead of running to God, as sinful men we tend to run away and stay from God.
B. James 4:7 “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
C. Matthew 6:13 “And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
D. Many pray, “And do not lead us into temptation except when we want to be tempted”
E. Have you heard about the guy who was trying to lose weight, but came to the office one day with two dozen donuts? His co-workers asked him why he got the donuts if he was trying to lose weight. He answered, “I came to the corner where the donut shop was, I told God that if He wanted me to buy some donuts, He’d have to provide a parking spot right in front of the donut shop. Well, God answered my prayer. On the eighth time around the block, there it was!”
F. Matthew 26:41 "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
G. When we are tempted, we need to go immediately to God in prayer and ask Him to help us resist the urge to commit the sin.
H. When a believing person prays, great things happen. Remember prayer changes things.
I. James 5:16b “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
II. Keep God’s Word in Your Heart
A. The Power of God’s Word - "The Bible is no mere book, but a living creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it." - Napoleon Bonaparte
B. Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God [is] living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
C. Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
D. In spiritual warfare as in physical warfare, the effectiveness of any weapon is directly proportionate to the efficiency of the one operating it. For this reason, during a late, great war, the U.S. Army assigned a new recruit one rifle which he kept throughout his training. It was called his "piece," and it became a part of him. The recruit handled the piece continually, disassembling and reassembling it. He cleaned it. He conducted basic maintenance. He carried it 12 hours a day. When crossing rivers or streams his head might have gotten wet, but his piece had to stay dry. Six months later in the heat of battle, the soldier knew every inch of it-every mechanism. He understood things that could malfunction and how to remedy them. He could break it down and reassemble it in just seconds, blindfolded. Man and weapon had become a synchronized and deadly, efficient fighting machine. The spiritual warrior's proficiency with his basic weapons should be no less remarkable. But quite sadly, if believers had to rely on their own Bible familiarity in life and death situations, the majority would helplessly perish.
E. Psalms 119:11 “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!”
F. If you are unaware of what God has written in the Bible, you will likely listen to what Satan whispers in your ear."- Bill Gordon
G. In Matthew 4:1-11, we see the devil tempting Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus overcame Satan with the Word of God. Three times he was tempted and each time Jesus quoted Scripture to counter the temptation of the devil. What is noteworthy is that each passage Jesus quoted was a passage that directly confronted that specific temptation.
H. Psalm 119:9, 105 “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word... Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”
I. This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book.
III. Keep Good Company
A. 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’”
B. Proverbs 1:10, 15 “My son, if sinners lure you do not go along... My son, do not follow them in their way. Do not even set foot on their path”
C. When travelers climb dangerous precipices in Switzerland, they frequently go tied together and all fastened to the guide, who steps carefully and climbs most cautiously up and down the dangerous part of the mountain. A company of tourists climbing one day made rapid progress until suddenly one of them slipped. He pulled down the second and the third and so on, until it seemed as if all would be dashed to death over the precipice. But the guide knew exactly what to do. With gigantic strength, he wielded the peculiar ice pick that he carried and struck it deep into the ice; and when the strain came upon him the rope tightened and all were saved. We are thus bound together by the cord of influence. One slipping is likely to pull down another, but it is a possible thing for the awful power of the downward tendency to be averted if just one man in a company or one member in a household is planted firmly on the Rock of Ages. Whether we choose to be, or not, we are our brother's keepers. --J Wilbur Chapman
D. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.”
E.
F. It has been said: "The best mirror is an old friend." Your friends can see the flaws—and the strengths—which often remain hidden to you. Hence, it is essential that you use the friends whom God has given you to build a system of accountability for your spiritual walk. – Dr. Stan Toler, ed., Pastor's Little Instruction Book.
G. Acts 20:35 “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
H. Galatians 6:1 “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who [are] spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.”
I. Have a list of people you can quickly call: mom, dad, brother, sisters, or friends in the gospel. Find those who will support you on your spiritual journey.
IV. Keep Away From Evil
A. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
B. (GW) “Keep away from every kind of evil.”
C. William Jennings Bryan used to tell of a man in his home town in Illinois who had been the victim of drink. He reformed, signed the pledge, and apparently was delivered out of his evil habit. But, when he rode into town, he continued to hitch his horse to the rail in front of the tavern. He pitched his tent toward Sodom, and soon was again a drunkard. The way to avoid evil is to avoid the appearance of it. -McCartney
D. Just like Superman weakens as he gets near the Kryptonite, we weaken when we get near the temptation. (Kent Crockett, The 911 Handbook, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003, 33)
E. 2 Timothy 2:22 “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.”
F. Joseph is a great Old Testament example. When Potiphar's wife tempted him he fled out of the room (Genesis 39:1-20). Joseph is a great Old Testament example. When Potiphar's wife tempted him he fled out of the room (Genesis 39:1-20).
G. "Flee temptation … and don't leave a forwarding address."
H. Trochilus, one of the disciples of Plato, miraculously escaped from a storm at sea in which the ship was sunk and he himself almost perished. When he reached home, the first thing he did was to order his servants to wall up two windows in one of his chambers which looked out upon the sea. His fear was that on some fine, bright day, looking out upon the sea when it was calm and tranquil and flashing in the sunlight, he should again be tempted to venture upon its treacherous waters. There are not a few windows looking out upon the sea of temptation which the soul would do well to wall up. -McCartney
I. An example of the Holy Spirit's guidance can be seen in a statement by J. Wilbur Chapman. He said, "My life is governed by this rule: Anything that dims my vision of Christ or takes away my taste for Bible study or cramps my prayer life or makes Christian work difficult is wrong for me, and I must, as a Christian, turn away from it."
Conclusion: Resisting temptation can be accomplished by prayer, Bible study, Avoiding compromising situations and being accountable to someone.
