When Temptation Handles You.

We've been talking about Temptation and how to handle it. What do we do when the inevitable happens, and it wins? When you give in to the temptation, what then?

We can learn some important lessons from David in his Psalm 51, and looking at the experience he had with losing to temptation (2 Samuel 11-12) , and what he did immediately afterward....

1. Repent of the Sin

Psalm 51 reveals that true repentance is when we take--

A. Full Responsibility—not diminishing its sinfulness/wickedness and horribleness (various words for sin used here and in Ps. 32). 3 different words he uses, "Sin", "transgression", and "iniquity", show he understood the depths to which he had fallen. He didn't deny it, or try to minimize how awful it was what he had done. We are truly repentant when we take full responsibility for our sin, and realize the truth of what we have done, see it as God sees and call it what God calls it. Not soft peddling it.

B. Personal Responsibility—not blaming anyone else. Look at the number of times I, me, mine used in first verses of Ps. 51. Many want to deflect attention from themselves and their part in any sin. David saw his own responsibility and accepted that before God.

C. Godward Responsibility—it also affects my relationship to a holy God. V4—I have grieved a holy God in these awful acts. There is no "victimless" sin-- it may not seem it, but even if no one else is involvd, it affects our fellowship with a holy God.

2. Recognize Godly Conviction

The Holy Spirit Convicts of sin, righteousness… He only brings to our hearts those things we are guilty of. And it comes to us as awareness, guilt, shame, for what we have done. God's conviction is always specific.

Many are under a general cloud of guilt that does not come from God, but is from the enemy. Satan, being an "accuser of the brethren", is ever about reminding us of things God has forgiven us of, trying to make us feel unworthy, incapable of serving Him.

What does God do with confessed sin properly repented of?

“Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea…” Micah 7:19
“for Thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back…” Isaiah 38:17
“ As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12

3. Readily Confess
In 2 Samuel 12:13, when David was confronted with his sin, he immediately said, "I have sinned against the Lord..." . He readily confessed when he was confronted. We can learn from his example. The longer we delay in confessing, the more we empower the enemy and the harder it becomes to deal victoriously with the sin.

David is the only man in the Bible called a man after God's own heart. Was it because he was perfect? Obviously not. It was because when his sin was revealed to him, he readily agreed with God's verdict on it.

4. Redeem the Failure

Psalm 51:14 “then I will teach transgressors…” Your failure can be the single greatest token of God's amazing grace the world ever sees. Many never recover from a failure because they are afraid someone will find out about it or think less of them. The failure becomes a "stick" in the hands of Satan to keep us fearful, cowering in fear, or intimidated thinking we could never do anything for God, "look what we've done, how we've failed...." Nothing could be further from the truth. The folks God uses most effectively are not the perfect ones, but the ones who have allowed God to help them overcome their failures. They've not wasted their failures, they have allowed God to redeem them. You can too.

Moses, Paul, and a host of others join David in winning over the ultimate failure.

Addiction led to the worlwide ministry of Celebrate Recovery
Bankruptcy led to salvation and ministry of Dave Ramsey
Abortion has led to ministry of many in Crisis Pregnancy ministries
Pornography addiction led to the founding of Citizens for Chrisitan Values in Ohio

"all things work together for good to those who love God..."

May God use these truths to help you in your spiritual walk. If you would like an audio of this message, please contact me with your address, or email me. You will find our email address at our church website is http://www.rhbaptist.org/