Read Genesis 2:15-17 and Genesis 3:1-7. How can we resist temptation? By following four simple guidelines. We’re going to look at two today, and two tomorrow:
Pray for the strength to resist: The Bible is full of people who prayed to God to give them the strength to resist temptation. David, Daniel, Peter, and Paul all prayed this prayer in several ways.
What do you pray? It doesn’t have to be complicated. When you’re being tempted, there isn’t much time to construct a prayer full of poetry and beauty! Most of the time, it’s enough simply to pray, “Help!” “Help! I’ve got to work with that co-worker who really winds me up, today, Lord”. “Help! I’m supposed to be dieting, but that piece of chocolate cake looks good!” “Help! I really want to have a social media rant today!”
We can find the strength to resist temptation simply by asking God to help us.
Activate the emergency plan: Run for your life! Sometimes, the best thing to do when faced with a temptation is to run away from it! That’s not weakness. You don’t win any brownie points for getting as close to a temptation as you can, especially if you then fall into it because you’ve gotten too close!
Tempted to think about something you shouldn’t because of what’s on your television? Change the channel, or better still, turn off the television and do something else. Tempted to overindulge in snacks? Lose yourself in an enjoyable book instead or go for a walk.
Run away from the situation. Don’t stick around to see if you can resist the temptation. Just get away from it.
Every time you follow one of these guidelines and resist temptation, you become more like Jesus.
THINK IT OVER
Think about the following:
• What changes might you need to make in your life to minimise your exposure to temptation?
