Dealing with Temptation

Being freed from sexual sin does not imply that there is no temptation. I still have urges, desires, thoughts, and a sinful flesh. But that doesn't mean I have to gratify these urges. In my new nature, the Lord gives me grace to take captive thoughts and put to death sinful desires.

2 Co 10:5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

Christ gives us the power to take our "thoughts captive to obey Him." Now, I don't mean imply that all sexual urges are evil, for it is good for a man to notice a woman's beauty. The second look is the usually the lustful one. It's also good for man to love his wife through sex and enjoying every bit of it. But for those of us who are single, like me, we are called to a standard that only God's grace allows us to work towards through Christ's fulfillment of the law. What is His standard?

Eph. 5:3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.

"Not even a hint" are strong words that we can't fulfill in our own power. But in God's grace, there is power to live to this calling.

So, what are we to do when we are tempted? Have you even been so tempted that you just couldn't bear it and had to give in? I remember that when I "felt the burn" in my head, I was done for. Trying to resist myself was futile. So, what does God command us to do when we feel weak and tempted to sin against Him?

1Co 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

Flee! For temptation to turn to sin, you must have the opportunity. If you remove your opportunity to sin, then you won't sin. The Word tells us to flee from our sin. Why not sit there and bare it? How does that usually end up? We may fight for a few hours or so, but eventually we give in as we always have. For us to sit there and bare it using will power is ultimately relying in our own power to stop sin. This is useless and very far away from God. God never meant for us to bare sin and resist. He knows our flesh is weak, and if we're in a tempting situation, then we need to get out!

Where do we go? We must go somewhere. Sexual temptation likes to be kept alone, so what can you do about it? Go to the Word of God. Here's what Jesus did when He was in the wilderness for 40 days.

Mat 4:3 -11 And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, "'He will command his angels concerning you,' and "'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'" Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

To resist temptation, Jesus appealed to scripture. It has the power to destroy temptation. It can truly fill your heart and turn you away from gratifying sinful desires. God's word is Jesus Himself. He is the Word, and He can free you from your sins. Don't miss the power of God's Word!

What else cuts off temptation? Confession and cutting off sources. Confessing your sins to other believers brings sin out into the light and cuts into it's power. Cutting off "food" for your flesh to gratify itself on is also crucial. I'll have a whole post about this one, but for now let me give you an example. My biggest problems with sexual sins were with the computer and pornography. I would stay up really late and fill myself with pornography until I gratified myself. What I've done to cut off my access is that I installed a filter on my computer. This filter, Safe Eyes, blocks websites I don't belong on and even has accountability built into it.

So, temptation is inevitable. But giving in is not. May the Lord's grace be with you so that you can fight your temptation by fleeing to His word, cutting off your sources, and confessing to other believers.