What do these things have in common? A fishing lure, a mouse trap, a bear trap, a bug zapper, a Venus Fly Trap (1) Designed to be attractive, to look good, to entice, to lure. (2) Intended to catch, to trap, to destroy.
Life is filled with traps--but most of them aren't too obvious. Temptations are made to be more subtle, deceptive. They look good; they seem like fun; they promise a good time, they advertise something pleasurable.
Temptations never look like a trap. They don't show off their consequences. Temptations never announce in advance that they will destroy you.
Temptation makes something destructive and bad look attractive: "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it" (Gen 3:6).
Temptation: "something that tempts, entices, or allures; something that seduces or has the quality to seduce; something that can ruin or destroy."
The truth is, things that look good or feel good may be bad!
According to a radio report, a middle school in Oregon faced a unique problem. A number of girls began to use lipstick and put it on in the bathroom. After they put on their lipstick, they pressed their lips to the mirrors leaving dozens of little lip prints. Finally the principal decided something had to be done. She called the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the custodian. She explained lip prints caused a major problem for the custodian, who had to clean the mirrors every day. To demonstrate how difficult it was, she asked the custodian to clean one of the mirrors. He took out a long-handled brush, dipped it into the toilet, and scrubbed the mirror. Since then there have been no lip prints on the mirrors. When tempted to sin, if we could only see the real filth we'd be kissing, we wouldn't be so attracted to it.
Some try to scare themselves into doing what is right and avoiding temptation.
Paul Harvey reported a while back on Muhammad Ali who said he'd come up with a way to resist temptation. Wherever he went, he always carried a small box of matches. "Whenever I go to a party and I'm tempted by a beautiful woman," he said, "I simply pull out one of the matches and strike it. Then I put it out with my fingers and remind myself, ‘Hell is a lot hotter than this.'"
But matches and mind games won't always do the trick. That's why we need to find God's strength to overcome temptations.
Jesus said (Matt 26:41): "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak" (i.e. the flesh is vulnerable to temptation; human nature is at risk and prone to failure). MSG: "as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire."
Jesus tells us we must do two things:
- Watch = be on guard, be on the alert, be careful and vigilant. It's has a military image--standing guard against the enemy's attack. Just as soldiers guard the base, we need a checkpoint in our soul to keep the enemy from getting in.
- Pray = seek God's help and strength. If "watching" is guarding the base, "praying" is calling in the reinforcements. When we're under attack by the enemy, call for God's air support to strengthen our defenses and to defeat the enemy.
In many ways temptation is like an enemy on the outside trying to sneak through the gate. But even more alarming, temptation is like an enemy already on the inside, trying to sabotage our existence. Temptation is often an internal battle.
Paul wrote about this. He said (Gal 5:17, NASB): "...the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please." NLT: "These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict."
Even more alarming, Paul wrote about his own struggle in this conflict:
"18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it" (Romans 7:18-20).
If the Apostle Paul--filled with the Spirit, speaking in tongues, working miracles--struggled with temptation, where does that leave us? Every day temptation comes our way; every day the enemy tries to catch us off guard; every day he works to tear us down, to discourage us, to defeat us.
So what should we do? How do we increase our spiritual strength so we can resist temptation and overcome the enemy? Is it possible to live a victorious Christian life?
The answer is "yes"; it is possible to live in victory over sin; it is possible to resist temptation and defeat the enemy. Paul pointed out that while it's true we are made of flesh and have sin dwelling in us, we also have the Spirit of God within us. Jesus' power lives within us!
"24 Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 7:24-25, NLT).
"...live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves" (Gal 5:16, NLT).
Jesus came as a human being so he could experience the same kinds of struggles that we experience. The Bible says he was tempted in every way just like us--except that he didn't give in! He had the power to overcome! (Heb 4:15)
Because Jesus was victorious, he can give us the power to beat temptation!
You might ask, "Why does God allow us to be tempted, anyway?"
Several years ago a mother wrote in The Christian Reader about her 5-year-old daughter who had disobeyed and was sent to her room. After a few minutes, Mom went in to talk with her about what she had done. Teary-eyed, she asked, "Why do we do wrong things, Mommy?" Mom said, "Sometimes the devil tells us to do something wrong, and we listen to him. We need to listen to God instead." The little girl sobbed, "But God doesn't talk loud enough!" [Sept/Oct 1996]
Why does it seem God doesn't talk loud enough? Why does God allow us to be tempted? It's a fair question. Why doesn't God just banish Satan now? If he hadn't been around in the Garden, Adam and Eve would never have given in to his clever words. Why doesn't God squelch our desires? Why doesn't God protect us from situations that could trip us up?
Why didn't God put a tree between Bathsheba's rooftop bath and David's palace view (2 Sam 11:2)? Why didn't God keep Achan from seeing the gold and silver and fancy clothes after the battle in Jericho (Josh 7:20-21)? Why didn't God stop the famine that caused Abraham to go to Egypt--and then lie to protect himself (Gen 12:10)? Why didn't God make Delilah ugly (Judg 16:4)?
There are reasons for temptation [How To Say No To A Stubborn Habit (Even When You Feel Like Saying Yes) by Erwin Lutzer]
1. It tests our loyalty to God. (Gen 22:12; Deut 8:2)
2. It develops our character. (Jas 1:3-4; 2 Pet 1:4)
3. It demonstrates God's grace and power. (Rom 5:20; 2 Cor 12:9-10)
Tools God Gives To Strengthen Us (Luke 4:1-13)
1. The Holy Spirit. (Luke 4:1) Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. Then he was led by the Spirit into a wilderness experience so he could be tested. When we go through the wilderness, we need to be full of the Holy Spirit.
2. His Word. (Luke 4:4,10) Jesus responded to every temptation by quoting Scripture: "It is written..." He was intimately acquainted with God's truth. We need to know God's Word well enough that we can refute those who distort it or manipulate it to say something it doesn't (v 10).
"These occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did..." (1 Cor 10:6-13).
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth" (2 Tim 2:15).
3. Adoption into his family. (Luke 4:3) Satan challenged Jesus: "If you are the Son of God." Satan challenges us as well; he wants us to doubt our place and our authority in God. He doesn't want us to think like children of God. He wants to attack our identity in Christ: "Who do you think you are? You're not good enough! If you were a real Christian..."
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)
4. Authority. (Luke 4:6) Satan--the prince of this world (John 12:31); the god of this age (2 Cor 4:4); the ruler of the kingdom of the air (Eph 2:2)--has authority and power. But God has given you even more authority!
"My dear children, you belong to God and have defeated them; because God's Spirit, who is in you, is greater than the devil, who is in the world" (1 John 4:4, NCV).
5. Resurrection power. (Rom 6:11-14) "19...his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead (Eph 1:19-20).
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. Romans 6:11-14 (NIV)
6. His power and armor. (Eph 6:10-13)
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Eph 6:10-13
7. An escape--a way out. (1 Cor 10:12-13)
12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13 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. (1 Cor 10:12-13)
A couple weeks ago I went with my son, Micah, and took the canoe out on the St. Louis River reservoir at Jay Cooke. It was a bit windy that day, and we had to work hard to paddle against the wind. But it's not just the wind that can influence a canoe. As you know, the reservoir is like a giant bathtub with a drain at one end of it. Where the water flows over the dam, there are strong currents--so there are orange buoys and warning signs to stay away. We didn't go past the warning signs. We didn't paddle up to the dam to see how strong the current was. We heeded the warning and avoided that area completely. Often you can escape temptation the same way--by staying as far away from the temptation as possible. Don't compromise. Don't play with trouble.
God promises us strength to overcome temptation! Don't ignore God's resources.