The Great Escape

This point is illustrated by a story told about a horse pull that was held in Canada. One horse was able to pull 9,000 pounds by itself, another horse pulled 8,000 pounds. One would think with the two horses pulling together they would pull up to 17,000 pounds. But that’s not so…When teamed together, the two horses were able to pull 30,000 pounds! This principle is called synergism. Separate agents working together have a greater total effect than the sum of the individual agents. So much more can be done in a team effort than accomplished by just one. It’s the same way when fighting temptation. I guess it could be called Spiritual synergism. One of the most wonderful things about Christian fellowship is that we can go to one another with our struggles and be honest about our temptations and failures because each of us are nothing more than sinners saved by the grace of God.

>“P” Stands for PRAYER.

When we feel the tug of temptation, the best option we have is to stay close to God…and the best way to do that is pray…Simply talking with God and asking for strength and power. It’s what Jesus instructed us to do when He taught us His model prayer, “…lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” It’s the same instruction he gave his disciples when in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” James tells us about the power of prayer. He wrote, “…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” He also wrote, “Is any one of you in trouble? Then he should pray…” God will hear our voice and answer our call. It’s great to know that we have that power…the power of prayer?

>“E” stands for Evangelism.

As Christians, there’s one thing we must always remember; when we yield to temptation and sin against God, we lose something very precious…the power of our personal witness. Paul warns us not to become a stumbling block to the weak, but always to act in righteousness, not only for our own good, but for the good of others as

well. What we do and what we say affect others. Paul wrote “In everything set them an example by doing what is good.” We must always be cautious in our witness for Christ. We set the example of being strong against temptation….and we are being watched. We must ask ourselves, “Am I living a life for others to see and imitate?” What we do and what we say can cause others grow or fail.

>Let’s review the keys to escaping temptation…

Environment – Stay out of the places and off the paths that lead to destruction.

Scripture – Study and stay strong in God’s word to use as a weapon against temptation.

Centered – When our lives are centered on God, the easier it is to fight off temptation.

Accountability – We must hold each other responsible for our actions.