Day Twenty Seven: Defeating Temptation

What was helpful in the reading today?


This is such good news:

There is always a way out.

You may sometimes feel that a temptation is too overpowering for you to bear, but that's a lie from Satan. God has promised never to allow more on you than he puts within you to handle it. He will not permit any temptation that you could not overcome.

These four actions to overcoming temptation are key!

Refocus your attention on something else.
Reveal your struggle to a godly friend or support group.
Resist the Devil.
Realize your vulnerability.

Lots of good wisdom in this chapter.

The more you fight a feeling, the more it consumes you. You strengthen it every time you think about it. Since temptation always begins with a thought, the quickest way to neutralize its allure is to turn your attention to something else. Don't fight the thought, just change the channel of your mind and get interested in another idea.

The battle for sin is won or lost in your mind. Whatever gets your attention will get you. Temptation begins by capturing your attention. What gets your attention arouses your emotions. Then your emotions activate your behavior, and you act on what you felt.

Let me be clear: if you're losing the battle against a persistent bad habit, an addiction, or a temptation, and you're stuck in a repeating cycle of good intention-failure-guilt, you will not get better on your own! You need the help of other people.

Do you really want to be healed of that persistent temptation that keeps defeating you over and over? God's solution is plain: Don't repress it; confess it! Don't conceal it; reveal it! Revealing our feeling is the beginning of healing.

Hiding your hurts only intensifies it. Problems grow in the dark and become bigger and bigger, but when exposed to the light of truth, they shrink. You are only as sick as your secrets.

The reason we hide our faults is pride. We want others to think we have everything "under control." The truth is, whatever you can't talk about is already out of control in your life: problems with your finances, marriage, kids, thoughts, sexuality, secret habits, or anything else. If you could handle it on your own, you would have already done so. But you can't. Willpower and personal resolutions aren't enough.

How can we resist the Devil?
The first step is to accept God's salvation. You won't be able to say no to the Devil unless you've said yes to Christ. Without Christ we are defenseless against the Devil, but with "the helmet of salvation" our minds are protected by God. Remember this: if you are a believer, Satan cannot force you to do anything. He can only suggest.
Second, you must use the Word of God as your weapon against Satan. Jesus modeled this when he was tempted in the wilderness. Every time Satan suggested a temptation, Jesus countered by quoting Scripture. he didn't argue with Satan.

Given the right circumstances, any of us are capable of any sin. 

We must never let down our guard and think we're beyond temptation. Don't carelessly place yourself in tempting situations. Avoid them. Remember that it is easier to stay out of a temptation than to get out of it. The Bible says, "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."