3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation
By Lynette Kittle
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” - James 4:7
In the 1960s and 1970s, comedian Flip Wilson created a character named Geraldine, who coined the phrase “The devil made me do it,” whenever she wanted to do anything wrong.
His portrayal of human nature, to blame our sins on the devil, hit home and made people laugh at the truth of it. Although, like Geraldine, many of us also like to blame the devil for our sins, James 1:14 explains, “But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.”
Even though we try to push it off on the devil to take the fall for our misconduct, God calls us to take responsibility for it. Like James 1:15 describes, going from temptation to sin is a growing process within us. “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
If Evil Desires Lead to Temptation, How Was Jesus Able to Be Tempted?
Unlike us, who have been born with sin residing within us, Jesus wasn’t led to temptation by an inward desire because He had no sin. Matthew 4:1 explains, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”
Although He was led by the Holy Spirit, God was not the one tempting Jesus. James 1:13 explains how, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.”
Jesus shows us how to submit to God by submitting to His word, as He did when tempted. Each time the devil tempted Him by distorting the truth about God, Jesus corrected him with the truth of God’s word.
Who Tempts Us?
Like 1 Peter 5:8 warns, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
As Job 2:2 describes, “And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.’”
Even though God is not the one tempting us, He allows us to be tempted, as we discover through the story of Job. It’s hard for us to fully understand why God would give permission for Job to experience such sorrow, loss, and hardship.
But we do see through Job’s testimony, many truths about God are revealed, and He is glorified.
Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
3 Steps to Take
It seems submitting to God is the difficult part of resisting the devil, because when we are willing to do so, the fleeing part comes easy. Following are three steps to take when facing temptations that will help us submit to God.
1. Rely on the faithfulness of God. 1 Corinthians 10:13 encourages us that “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
2. Don’t depend on your own strength. Some temptations may seem so strong and attractive, that it doesn’t seem humanly possible for us to resist them, which is true; if we try to depend on our own strength, we’ll surely fall into them. Like Proverbs 3:5 instructs, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
We need to resist thinking that we can handle temptations on our own, because we cannot. Philippians 4:13 directs us where to turn for that strength. “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”
3. Believe that God will give you a way out. When God allows us to be tempted, He promises it doesn’t have the power to overtake us unless we let it, because He will provide a way out.
In times of temptation, we can believe what God has said and turn to Him, believing what He has assured us, that He will lead us out of temptation, like Jesus prayed, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13).
Intersecting Faith & Life:
If you’re facing temptations in your life this week, ask God to stop them from growing into sin and death, trusting Him to help you submit to Him through the three steps discussed.
Further Reading:
How to Overcome Temptation: 4 Ways
Photo Credit: ©Pexels/Tobi
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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