You can survive temptation. Learn your enemy’s sneaky tactics. Realize the promised “benefit” fails to deliver what you really want.
If someone offered you houseboat a few yards above Niagara Falls, would you buy it?
Of course not.
Would you let your child attend a Homecoming dance with a convicted murderer?
No again.
These are obvious risks. You wouldn’t feel tempted to “give in.”
So why are otherwise wise folks tempted to cheat on their income taxes or have ongoing private online chats with a member of the opposite sex who’s married or gossip or hold onto a grudge for years?
The short answer: Temptation has been around for as long as time, and you have an enemy who wants to snooker you into believing the lie that giving in means more happiness for you.
The Origin of Temptation
Temptation began with Satan. Satan is a fallen angel. He once was considered a most beautiful angel, named Lucifer; then he desired worship that rightfully belongs to God. God, who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them, kicked him out of heaven, and now Satan tempts people to sin (or, to do, say, or think something contrary to God’s will).
James 1:13 says, that temptation did not originate with God. “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’: for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.”
Satan has been tempting people since Adam and Eve, who fell for his dirty tricks. He tempted Jesus too, but the Son of God obey his Heavenly Father and passed the temptation tests.
How to Say “No”
An excellent strategy to saying “no” to temptation is to recognize the real reason why temptation entices you. Temptation is an enticement to make an ungodly choice because you think that you will gain something: pleasure or another benefit.
A driver cuts you off, putting you in physical danger, and you’re tempted to speed up and cut him off, believing you’ll gain justice. Or your son has an English paper due tomorrow morning and you know how tired he is and how quickly you could write it for him — rationalizing that you’d use his research notes — and he begs for help, so you’re tempted to write it.
Satan’s strategies for temptation fall into three categories, according to 1 John 2:16. Listen.
For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
As a man may take credit for a project completed by a coworker, or a prideful mom may carry on about her child’s achievements, or a preacher may commit adultery — each because he or she believes they have something to gain — you and I face temptations daily too.
My Whoops
A couple of weeks ago, while putting purchased groceries in my car, I noticed sunglasses in the corner of the cart. I had failed to the item on the check-out counter and thus didn’t pay for it.
My 13-year-old son said, “Mom, let’s go back in and pay.” Keep reading this post at BasicsMatter.com, where I blog weekly.
With Joy Overflowing!
