4 Ways to Beat Temptation…

This is #4 in a series of blogs by PJ on Relationships and Sexuality. This blog gives four ways to overcome temptation…

1. Take radical action

Jesus said that if your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away (Mt 5:27f). Imagine the aggression required to gouge your own eye out! Jesus is telling you to take radical action. To get desperate. To get on the attack against this sin. You can do this by doing the following:

2. You must really want to be free

“Hate what is evil, cling to what is good” (Rom 12:9). If you are not convinced that it is serious sin which God hates, then don’t bother to read on.

3. Be self-controlled

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8-9)

“Do not offer the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness … but rather offer the parts of your body to God as instruments of righteousness” (Rom 6:13)

Self-control is vital. You see, although Satan can tempt you to sin, for temptation to be converted to actual sin, it needs to borrow a part of your body. For example, when you are tempted to think jealous or proud or lustful or angry thoughts, sin can only actually happen if you surrender the instrument of your mind to sin to use. Also, don’t let sin borrow your eyes to look at things that you shouldn’t. Don’t do that. Be self-controlled.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it (2 Cor 10:12).

It is therefore never an excuse to say, ‘But I couldn’t help myself’. You could have. Just stop it.

4. Be alert

Two weeks before writing this I was visiting Johannesburg Zoo. When we were at the lion enclosure, my friend Hugh told me of how in some parts of Africa, people attach human-looking face masks to the backs of their heads as a deterrent to a lion-attack.  Apparently, a lion prefers to attack an unsuspecting victim from behind, but with the mask on, the person looks alert from the front and the back! Let us be similarly vigilant knowing that Satan is ready to pounce if we let our guard down. And he never plays fair – standard military tactics are to attack the enemy between 3am and 5am, because this is when the human ‘body clock’ is in its slowest mode.  Satan will almost always attack you with temptation when you are in a weak and vulnerable state.

Keep an eye out for my next two blogs that each give four more ways to beat temptation…