OVERCOMING TEMPTATIONS - PART I

As long as we have desires and the ability to reason, we will face temptations. However, we have a choice if we want to allow our desires to overcome our reasoning. Although we know the truth and the consequences of not walking in the truth, we can still choose not to walk in the truth because our reasoning is blurred by our desires to make us feel good. Imagine a known pastor in Dallas, TX, who has served the Lord for almost 50 years, found guilty of adultery. The minister knew that what he was doing was sinful and hurting his family and the people under his leadership, yet he allowed his sinful desires to control him. As a result, he lost everything when his sin was exposed. Temptations occur not only in sexual matters, but in every aspect of our lives. Eve failed to obey God despite being in a perfect environment. Eve was tempted when she saw that the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom (Genesis 3:6). 

It is very important to note that if the temptation is not present, desire is never aroused. If Eve had not started a conversation with Satan, temptations likely would not have occurred. Or, if the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil was not in the Garden of Eden, temptation to eat it would not have happened. The point that I am trying to make is that avoiding situations that can lead us to be tempted can help us overcome being tempted. This could mean unfollowing certain accounts on social media, changing your driving route to avoid a bakery, or leaving your phone in another room. The idea is not to put ourselves in situations where we can be tempted. We have to get rid of anything that can be a source of our temptation. The other way to overcome temptation is to make logical choices before the temptation hits. We prepare ourselves for how we will react before we enter a compromising situation. For example, if we are trying to avoid donuts and our church always offers free donuts, before arriving at the church, we have already decided that we will not get donuts and avoid going to where the donuts are. By doing this, we are not allowing our emotions to dictate our actions, but we make decisions based on our reasoning. 

James 1:19 says, "Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry." The reason God wants us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry is that we are allowing ourselves to think before we respond to our situations. We are not allowing ourselves to be overcome by our impulses, but by our reasoning. We think before we take action and do not do things based on our feelings. 

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Why is it important to think before I do things? What are the ways that I can overcome temptation based on today's devotion? What are the things that I can do to avoid temptation today? 

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, please give me the courage and strength to do the things that I must do to overcome temptations in my life. I can do all things through you who strengthens me. Please help me not to allow my desires to dictate my actions, but to think before I do things so that I may protect myself from doing sinful things that will eventually hurt me. In your name, Jesus, I pray, Amen.