You are at War! If you are committed to living devoted to Christ, then you have an enemy who wants to disrupt that commitment. The Apostle Peter said, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8, NIV)
Temptation
Temptation is the devil’s tool to lure you off your course with God.
No one is exempt from experiencing this alluring attack. Even Jesus was tempted by the devil, though he never yielded. We can learn from Jesus the principles to follow for successfully fending off temptation’s allurements.
1. Live a life filled with God. In Luke 4 we read of the devil’s temptation of Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry. The Bible says, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit.” (Luke 4:1) He was full of the Spirit of God.
Temptation to sin is a temptation to leave God and his ways. The remedy is to be so preoccupied with God that you don’t have the time or energy to be distracted by the devil.
It is like having a girl friend or boyfriend when you are young. You think about them all the time, talk on the phone for hours, text 100 times a day, and spend all available free time with them. What are the chances, when you are living by that kind of devoted love, that you will have wandering eyes for another when you are in that state of mind. Chances are slim.
2. Know the devil is behind the temptation. When Jesus was tempted, he knew it was the devil tempting him. He knew that it was not simply his appetites crying out. There was a sinister enemy who wanted to steer him away from his divine purpose.
When we fail to recognize the author of the temptation, we get lazy and forget that we are in a war. Then we let our guard down. The disciple of Jesus is always strongest when they remember that they are in a battle and must remain vigilant.
3. Know your vulnerabilities. The devil is not stupid. He does not attack you where you are strong. He targets your weaknesses. He attempted to trip Jesus when Jesus “was hungry.” (Luke 4:2) He will do the same with you. You can expect it.
He will target you when you are tired, stressed, lonely, hurt, or disappointed with others. Learn to recognize when you are vulnerable and address those issues before the evil one can capitalize on them.
4. Know God’s Word. Jesus resisted the devil through his knowledge of Scripture. It must be the same with us. There is no substitute for learning and applying the Bible to your life. God’s Word prepares us to identify sin and shows us how we can flee from such sin.
The Psalmist said, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)
5. Resist the devil and run to God. James said, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (James 4:7-8) When temptation strikes we must simultaneously cling to God and resist the temptation.
Have you ever seen a parent holding a small child when another adult comes up reaching for the child saying something like “oh I’d like to just take you home with me”? More often the child will cling to the parent while simultaneously pulling away from the other adult.
We must push away from the temptation as we pull close to God.
6. Stay alert and expect the inevitability of future temptations. Jesus successfully resisted the temptation used on him, but it is worth noting the devil did not give up. Scriptures say, “he left him until an opportune time.” (Luke 4:13)
Don’t be deceived into thinking that you can become exempt from temptations. Successfully resisting one temptation does not mean that others are not coming.
Remember we are at War!
Question: How will you apply these principles in your life? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
The devil and I are at war daily It takes a lot of prayer to win the battle. I have to admit I sometimes lose/
Being honest about our struggles is the first step. Thanks for sharing.
The only way to flee the devil is as you say, drawing closer to God. Doing the things that honor him and just staying so connected with God, to the point of realizing when we are doing something that is offensive to God we would recognize it! It becomes our nature to honor God by the things we do!
You are right. It all boils down to our love relationship with Christ. It must never simple be about following “Christian rules.” It has to be about following Jesus who loved us so much he died on the cross for us.
This is so true and something we don’t give a lot of thought too. We need to be in a mindset of expecting the devil to tempt us when we’re tired and stressed. We also need to be prepared to ward off the devil by clinging to God. I love what you commented above about following Jesus and not a life of Christian rules. Great point! Thank you for sharing!!!
Yes, clinging to God is the key. It is not about rules, but about an amazing love relationship with the Lord.
Greg, my son is married to a prescious girl and has a new home and a wonderful life….He asked me ,,If Christians that are living in God’s will go through trials and temptations ,,then why is my life so good?,,,,,, what would your answer have been?
The Christian life is not a guarantee of constant trials and temptations. Life can go through seasons, some easier than others. Truth is difficulty and challenge comes to people whether they are Christians or not. A life in God’s will can be very difficult or easy. It just depends. What we must do, is follow God and trust him no matter what. Trust him and follow him when it is easy and when difficult.
How do we run away from temptation and to the Lord? One way is by associating with godly men and women with whom we can be accountable in confidence.
So true! That is why our dedication to our local church is so vital. The life of a disciple is never meant to be lived solo!