Overcoming Temptation

This is a combination of 2 sermons I preached recently on Dealing with Temptation. You can call the church office for the audio version.

We all face temptation. James 1:13 gives the source of tempation: "every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts and enticed..." How can a person face and overcome the inevitable times they face temptation?

Recognize the Power of Smallness. Many understimate the importance of taking little steps toward victory, little stands against temptation. Standing against and being victorious over any temptation gives us strength to face stronger temptations.

Think about David's sin with Bathsheba. There were several small battles he fought before he consumated that sin in an act of immorality with her. In 2 Samuel 11, there are a number of "small" battles he lost in the temptation, that could have changed the outcome of his sin.

CS Lewis puts it like this:

Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible. (Mere Christianity, p. 117)

Reckon self to be “dead to sin” and Rededicate your “members” to God (Rom. 6:11-13). Victory over sin comes when we begin to understand our position as children of God. We are dead to sin, it has no power over us unless we let it. And because sin always expresses itself through our body, we must constantly be yielding the "members of our bodies" to God so they will be instruments of righteousness, and not instruments of sin.

Resist and Surrender to God. "Submit yourelves therefore to God; resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7). There comes a time when you have tobecome antagonistic -- "enough, I'm not going to be Satan's puppet in this... I've had enough of being controled by this sin..." .

Reflect on the cost of the sin. (Prov. 6:28; Prov. 7:6-27) There is always a payday for sin. Satan seldome reveals the ultimate patday for the sin he is tempting us with. One of the saddest scriptures in the Old Testament is the description of Samson-- he gave up his secret to a persistant temptress, his hair was cut, his strength disappeared, and when he awoke to fight of the Philistines, the Bible says "he knew not the Lord had departed from him..." . That is what giving in to sin always does if we do not squarely face before the cost of committing that sin. And honestly looking at the cost will better motivate us to avoid that sin.

Here is one man's partial list of the cost he would pay for sexual sin. He would review this list whenever he was feeling particularly vulnerable to sexual temptation:

—Grieving the Lord who redeemed me.
—Dragging his sacred name into the mud.
—One day having to look Jesus, the Righteous Judge, in the face and give an account of my actions.
—Inflicting untold hurt on Nanci, my best friend and loyal wife.
—Losing Nanci's respect and trust.
—Hurting my beloved daughters, Karina and Angie.
—Destroying my example and credibility with my children, and nullifying both present and future efforts to teach them to obey God ("Why listen to a man who betrayed Mom and us?").
—If my blindness should continue or my wife be unable to forgive, perhaps losing my wife and my children forever.
—Causing shame to my family ("Why isn't Daddy a pastor anymore?").
—Losing self-respect.
—Creating a form of guilt awfully hard to shake. Even though God would forgive me, would I forgive myself?
—Forming memories and flashbacks that could plague future intimacy with my wife.
—Wasting years of ministry training and experience for a long time, maybe permanently.
—Forfeiting the effect of years of witnessing to my father and reinforcing his distrust for ministers that has only begun to soften by my example but that would harden, perhaps permanently, because of my immorality.
—Undermining the faithful example and hard work of other Christians in our community.
—Bringing great pleasure to Satan, the enemy of God and all that is good.
—Heaping judgment and endless difficulty on the person with whom I committed adultery.
—Possibly bearing the physical consequences of such diseases as gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, herpes, and AIDS; perhaps infecting Nanci or, in the case of AIDS, even causing her death.
—Possibly causing pregnancy, with the personal and financial implications, including a lifelong reminder of my sin.
—Bringing shame and hurt to these fellow pastors and elders: (list names)
—Causing shame and hurt to these friends, especially those I've led to Christ and discipled: (list names)
—Invoking shame and lifelong embarrassment upon myself.

The Real and Untold Cost July 1, 1996
Randy Alcorn
1996 by Christianity Today International/LEADERSHIP journal

Renew your mind with the Word. Temptation plays with our minds. It is where the battle is waged, and often lost. Before we give in to sin, we always debate and/or begin to rationalize it. We will first begin to "ok" sin in our minds before we do it. Therefore, we must keep our minds saturated with the Word, or we will believe the lie of temptation. We lose the battle many times because we believe a lie. The Word keeps our mind on the truth. "Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Rom. 12:2

Remove your greatest hindrances.
“Bad company corrupts good morals.”1 Cor. 15:33
“flee also youthful lusts…” 2 Tim. 2:22
"come out from among them and be ye separate..." 2 Cor. 6:17

Many do not cosistently win over temptation because they continually surround ourselves with the things that cause our downfall. It may be friends, activities, past baggage unresolved, places you frequent, the music, movies, or thoughts you fill your mind with. All of these are common causes for defeat. Many times, the secret in breaking the power of temptation in a certain area is in removing yourself from its presence, or the presence of those who are participating in it.

Recruit trusted friend(s)
“and if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of 3 strands is not easily torn apart.” Ecc. 4:12

One of the most common reasons we don't overcome sin is we want to hide it and refuse to let anyone know we're struggling with a certain temptation. Or, we are embarrased, and resist asking for help. But having a trusted spiritual friend who can pray for you, and hold you accountable, and ask you the hard questions, and not be a yes person to you will be invaluable in overcoming temptation. Who do you know that could be a friend to you in this? Ask them if they will be willing to hold you accountable and help you get through this struggle.

May God bless you as you face and overcome temptation. If this has been a help to you, I'd love to hear about it. Click on comment, and drop me a note.