Psalms 19:8, 11-14 (NLT)
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NLT)
No one is above temptation. It matters not a whit whether we are a brand-new convert or a spiritually mature believer, we all experience temptation. Only the proud or the ignorant think otherwise.
For me temptation began with a pair of scissors. For you it was probably something equally innocuous. Perhaps you were tempted to fudge on your expense account, or to tell a little "white" lie, or to cheat on an exam, or to give in to gossip or complaining or some such thing. Often it is upon such little matters that our spiritual destiny hinges. If we remain faithful here our spiritual character is reinforced. Conversely, if we fail here, we risk setting in motion a pattern of compromises that will eventually lead us to ruin.
Psalms 19:8, 11-14 (NLT)
8 The commandments of the Lord are right,
bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear,
giving insight for living…
11 They are a warning to your servant,
a great reward for those who obey them.
12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?
Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins!
Don’t let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt
and innocent of great sin.
14 May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NLT)
If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
1 Corinthians 10:12 (MSG)
Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.
Based on insights from these passages and from my life experience and that of others, I want to give you four steps for overcoming temptation:
1) Develop An Early Warning System:
No one needs to be caught unaware when temptation strikes for God is faithful to warn us. The first alert generally comes in the form of conviction.
If we fail to respond to this inner warning from the Holy Spirit, the Lord will often send someone to speak with us.
Being self-willed by nature it is almost impossible to convince us that we are in any real danger. Now the Lord may be forced to speak in more dramatic ways—through dreams or unusual events.
2) Avoid tempting situations.
Let Joseph be your example: Genesis 39:6b-10 (NLT)
If you are serious about avoiding temptation there are certain things you cannot do, and certain people you cannot associate with.
Therefore, come out from among unbelievers,
and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.
Don’t touch their filthy things,
and I will welcome you.(2 Corinthians 6:17 NLT)
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15 (KJV)
11 Dear brothers…I beg you to keep away from the evil pleasures of this world; they are not for you, for they fight against your very souls. (1 Peter 2:11 (Living Bible)
3) Make yourself accountable—James 5:16 The Message
Temptation flourishes in the dark but expose it to the light and it withers and dies. In the secrecy of your imagination, it can feel irresistible but confess it to a trusted Christian friend and it is exposed for the tawdry thing it really is.
Having decided to make yourself accountable, you now face a critically important decision--choosing your accountability partner.
Your spiritual partner should be spiritually mature and emotionally whole. You should select a person whose:
1) Personal relationships are in good order.
2) He/she should model the kind of behaviors you seek to develop in your own life:
a) faithfulness in the things of God
b) submission to godly authority
c) spiritual disciplines
d) trustworthiness
e) self-control.
f) he/she should be well grounded in the Word of God.
Since you will be sharing the most intimate details of your spiritual life, it is absolutely mandatory that your accountability partner be a person of uncompromising integrity.
One word of caution along this line. Never trust a person who tells you another person's secrets. Writing in Proverbs the wise man tells us to, "...avoid a man who talks too much" (Proverbs 20:19 NIV).
The kind of relationship we are talking about is more than mere friendship. It is a covenant relationship in which you voluntarily submit to one another.
4) Run for your life.
When you first experience temptation the way of escape is broad and easy to find but the longer you delay the narrower it becomes and the harder it is too find so act quickly.