Eleven
Fleeing From Temptation
PHILIPPIANS 2:13
For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him.
Temptations are often the real test for Christians; even believers fall victim to them. The enemy is a tempter; he will try everything to tempt you. But the great thing is he never wins. God does. God is so forgiving that it doesn’t even matter how many times you’ve given into temptations, how many sins you’ve committed, or how dark your past may be. God only cares about your future, and He has a bright one ahead for you.
Oftentimes temptations get the best of us. The enemy attacks your weaknesses, in hopes you will take focus off of God and fall. But when we resist temptation, and realize God has already overcome it for us, He rewards us in the most unimaginable ways and grants us riches superior to anything the enemy could have given us. The enemy is not strong enough to overcome God’s power, which overcomes everything! So, with The Lord on your side, there is no such thing as failure! Count on Him to pick you up again and redeem you. God promised He won’t put anything in your path that is more than you can take—remember tat anytime you feel tempted or pulled into something that could potentially deviate you from God’s path.
Know that God has already overcome that temptation for you and is waiting for you on the other side—the side of victory! When temptations arise, think about the gifts God has given you, and try to understand all the obstacles and tempting situations will only bring you closer to Him as you rely on His strength and ask in His Name for help.
Like Ephesians 6:11-12 says, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” The accuser knows how much God loves you, and he will fight to try to distract you from His love. Regardless of his attacks, stay in strong faith, knowing that God has equipped you with His armor and shield to overcome everything that comes your way. The accuser wouldn’t be fighting so hard if he didn’t know great things were coming your way; he knows God is about to unleash His miracles and blessings straight your way.
Matthew 26:41 encourages us to, “Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter to temptation. The spirit is willing but flesh is weak.” Temptations come in many shapes and forms, and often seem far too difficult to overcome—and they are, with only our strength. No temptation is too strong for God, though.
Do not punish yourself or think God loves you less because you’ve given into many temptations. Even Christians suffer with this. God is working within you and strengthening you to resist temptation and do what is right. Just like the enemy who tempts us, every temptation lies to us. They leave us feeling powerless, hopeless, and like a failure to God for giving in. Not only that, falling victim to temptation often leaves us with unshakable, heavy burdens of guilt and shame that only the blood of Jesus can truly clean. The good news is, since God is on our side, as long as we continue praying and pressing on, we can submit these temptations to Jesus and let Him deal with them.
Jesus is more powerful than any temptation the enemy can throw at you. The devil may try to tempt you, but you have The Holy Spirit living inside of you. Remind yourself of God’s unfailing love and let your thoughts be focused on God when temptations arise.
Of course, we are only human, so one time or another we will fall into temptation. But don’t get discouraged. Any time we fail, God says “Don’t worry, my child, for I am still with you, and I will forgive your sins.” He cares about you, and knows all your struggles and needs. The Spirit within us is so mighty that it is more than capable of overcoming the minimal power of lust and temptation that the flesh is weak to.
It doesn’t matter that our flesh is weak, because of Who lives within us! Submit to The Holy Spirit and flee from flesh-filled, lustful thoughts. Submitting to bad habit or giving into a temptation repeatedly is a hard chain to break, but just remember: God rescues us every time and His love for us is perfect yesterday, today, and forever—no matter how many times we fall, He will pick us up.
God tells us in Ezekiel 14:6 to, “Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!” As you continue your spiritual journey, be proud of yourself for getting this far and thank God for holding your hand and giving you the strength to turn from your old ways. Thank Him for making you new again. Leave behind your old habits and form ones that glorify Him. Look for ways to sow righteousness, like Hosea 10:12 tell us to do: “Reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until He comes and showers righteousness on you.”
James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” You are subject to a spiritual battle between God and the enemy. They are both at battle for control over you, and you have the freedom to pick your choice.
Although God is incomparably mightier and stronger, some still struggle with making this choice. We can either serve the world or serve God. There is no meeting in the middle.
Serving God is a blessing. It is an honor and a privilege. We should never assume being a Christian and serving our Creator is too “hard” or too “strict.” Take a moment and imagine trying to charge through this life without any help. Just think of the impossibility of living a blessed, successful life without God’s favor on you, without His help and assistance. A life without God is not life at all, and is nothing but pointless and hopeless. Jesus is our only true hope. He is our refuge and we need to take comfort in Him.
Choosing to serve Jesus as your Lord and Savior means you get to see His endless power working in you everyday. It means you are living a life filled with purpose, destiny, grace, and success! But the only way to live that way is to serve and love God with all your heart. You can choose: follow Jesus or follow temptation.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 says, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
The way our eyes see is completely different from walking by faith. Our eyes focus on earthly things—things that are “seen.” These things run out, expire, and are powerless. Our eyes gives us the truth of the world—walking in faith lets us see the Truth that is Jesus Christ. The Bible says to “walk by faith, not by sight.” This means avoiding earthly pleasures and desires and focusing our attention on the very evident and real Glory of Jesus Christ and His eternal, limitless power.
Fighting any kind of temptation—whether it involves lust, envy, cheating, stealing, lying, or whatever it may be—is often a long, hard battle. Don’t think you won’t fall victim to temptation just because you love and serve God—it’s quite the opposite.
The enemy hates to see us flourishing with God, so he will try harder to tempt and pull you away the stronger you grow and mature in God. Don’t give up or think you are doing something wrong, just continue serving the Lord and praying for strength and deliverance from all temptations.
Truly submit to God, and the devil will flee from you. When temptation comes your way, remind yourself that God never leaves you unequipped. Then, you can smile rest assured that the strength of God will pull you through and make you overcome all temptations.
Psalms 26:2 says, "Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.” It’s not difficult to submit to temptation—it can be done with no effort and without us even realizing it. Sometimes it seems impossible to resist, or like we don’t have to strength to escape.
Soon, we stunt our potential to spiritually mature. Yes, we continue to pray and believe in God, but in turn we unconsciously separate from Him. That’s the effect of giving into temptation—it separates us from God. It is false fulfillment. Once you begin submitting to temptation you grow weaker in the spirit, get addicted, and asking God for forgiveness doesn’t even enter your mind. Don’t let this happen to you. Recognize how strong God has made you and the amazing plans God has for you.
We have to truly call out to God and pray for forgiveness. He knows you are only human, and that you are weak, so he will forgive your sins. We shouldn’t take advantage of His forgiveness, though. God’s job is to forgive us, but our duty is to change our ways and pass the next test against temptation. By the blood of Christ not only are your sins forgiven but you are also given the strength to start a new life, start new habits, and flee from temptation. Just because God forgives us doesn’t mean we can go and sin without caring and just say, “It’s okay, God will probably forgive me.” No, if we truly live in faith and trust in God’s unlimited strength, we can pass any test. You can overcome the power of temptation and sin. God will reward your efforts. He will give you what no temptation could offer you.
Peter warned us to, "Be of sober Spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." God said our spirit is strong, but our flesh weak. Our spirit is what keeps us together and close with God, and able to resist temptation. That’s why it’s vital to strive for spiritual growth and excellence, because when we do, we become so much closer with The Lord, who then grants us His strength to overcome lust and all other temptations that our flesh is weak to. If we just stay with God, the victory is ours!
Faith Reminder
The world can be very tempting, and it is difficult to avoid them and stay pure in the fallen place we live in. We won’t be perfect. We will fall and give in occasionally. But that doesn’t mean we have to stay in shame or continue giving in. God forgives us, shining out all shame and guilt, and strengthens us by letting us learn from our mistake so that we don’t give into temptations the same way and we can walk stronger in The Lord.