OVERCOMING TEMPTATION

INTRODUCTION A. In this study we are going to look at temptation from a Biblical perspective. Temptation is something every one of us will face, because everyone has a destiny and enemy (Satan) that wants to keep us from it. If Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, why would we be exempt from it? B. Definition: Temptation is an evil thought or desire that seeks to draw us into the act of sin. a. The initial temptation itself is not a sin, but is meant to lead us into sin. b. Sin blocks our intimacy with God and hinders His will for our lives. c. Satan s very first action in the garden was to tempt Adam and Eve into sin. C. No one is exempt from temptation (Wesley Picture). Satan does not stop tempting us once we reach age 50. For Millennials, temptation comes in the form of sex, drugs, money, etc. For Baby Boomers, the temptation is food or negative inner attitudes (such as bitterness, unforgiveness, control, etc.). D. The Church is living is a generation unlike previous generations. Sin is filling the earth on a level on an exponential level due to technology, television, the internet and social media. Sin is becoming normalized and given medical names to give it acceptance and validate its legitimacy. a. Sex Addiction- Compulsive and uncontrollable sexual thoughts and desires. b. Pedophilia- Sexual attraction to little children (anyone under the age of 18). c. Agalmatophilia Sexual attraction to a robot, statue, doll or mannequin (robosexuals). d. Mechanophilia Sexual attraction to a machine, car, bike, or airplane. E. Though the conditions are real the symptoms point to a deeper reality- Sin in the flesh that is stirred up by demonic spirits. Satan and his demons are alive and active- seeking to steal, kill and destroy the abundant life that Jesus offers [John 10:10]. Satan is called The Tempter (1 Thessalonians 3:5). "If you fall to temptation and come under Satan's rule for a time, you learn what an evil taskmaster he is. He wields an iron rod in one hand and a cruel lash in the other, with which he intends to drive all his subjects to hell. But the sincere child of God, when he sins and feels the sting of Satan's whip, knows how to escape. He runs to the Word and to God Himself. And he yields to the kind ministrations of the Spirit." A.W. Tozer F. Temptation is at every turn. Pornography is a click away, food is on every street corner, lust is on every TV show. Therefore, our guard cannot be down. Multitudes in our generation will fall away (i.e. lose out their salvation) because they cannot say No to temptation. Luke 8:13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 All our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ (a picture/ type of salvation). 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND ROSE UP TO PLAY." 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 P a g e

PROMISE: ENDURING TEMPTATION James 1:12-17 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 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 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. A. Eternal Reward- God promises supernatural blessing, favor, grace and joy for the person who resists temptation. The reward for enduring (or persevering) through it affects us now and in eternity. The Lord promised the crown of life for those who overcome. God approves of those who have a track record of being faithful to consistently war against what tempts them. a. Though we all have and will fall to various temptations in our lives, overcoming on a consistent basis is entirely possible. Do not buy into Satan s lie that says there is no ultimate victory for you or that You will never overcome. We are victorious because Christ is victorious. 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are under grace. b. God does not reward us because we have 100% victory, 100% of the time. He rewards us because our heart is set upon 100-fold obedience. The lifestyle that God approves is one that is pressing into daily obedience. God does not call us to live a perfectly sinless life, but a holy life. B. Endures - Overcoming temptation requires patient endurance. If we wait (rather than indulge in it), it will pass. Sin s pleasure is passing, God s pleasure is eternal. The more we resist temptation the easier it becomes to walk in regular victory. Hebrews 11:24-26 Moses chose to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 for he looked to the reward. 1 John 2:17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. C. Let no one say James addresses the lie that says God put that in my path and tempted me to sin in order to teach me more about his grace or God tempted me so that I could teach others who struggle with this sin. God does not, nor will He ever tempt man with sin. He cannot go against His Word. God wants our victory, not our defeat. THE SIX STAGES OF TEMPTATION James 1:14-15 Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 When desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. A. Stage #1: Initial desire Being drawn away by lustful desire occurs as our imagination is stirred up as we begin to casually think on the possibility of walking out lustful actions. Satan wants temptation to sustained thoughts (fantasy). There is a big difference between a momentary wrong thought and being captured by it. Stage one is the easiest stage to resist the power of temptation. 2 P a g e

B. Stage #2: Sustained lustful thoughts Being enticed with lust occurs when we become entrenched in lustful thinking. Our momentary fleeting lustful thoughts have escalated to sustained thoughts as we are captured in fantasy by continuing to think on lustful activities. Here is where we are to take our thoughts captive in obedience to Jesus. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, C. Stage #3: Decision to sin Lustful desire is conceived when we make the decision to walk out sinful actions. James uses the analogy of a baby in its mother s womb. The decision to act out our lust causes our sinful behavior to become alive. As a child is alive at conception, yet is not seen by others, so a newly conceived act of sin is alive in us, yet it is still unseen by others. D. Stage #4: Acting out sin Lustful desire gives birth to sin when we act out our lustful desires. At the time of birth, a baby comes forth so that its features can clearly be seen. So also, when lust gives birth to action, the specific features of our lust are now openly manifest. When we act out sin, we give Satan a legal door of entry into our lives that he might work in a greater way in us. E. Stage #5: Sinful addictions Sin becomes full-grown (sin grows up) in us as we become addicted to various lusts. Our lust does not just stop with one act or conversation, but continues to grow up until it is full-grown unless we repent (Eph. 4:22). Repentance is to turn and stop doing what we have been doing. a. As we act out lust, they then become addictions that are much more difficult to overcome. b. Full grown sin is less satisfying and much more depressing. c. It leaves us with increasingly worse consequences that bring loss, shame and pain. d. Our conscience is wounded, weakened and dulled by sinful actions as we get more comfortable in our sin (1 Tim. 4:2). F. Stage #6: Consequences of sin Sin brings forth death (loss, pain, shame). Sinful actions progressively destroy our life as we reap more of their negative consequences. This is manifest in circumstances as well as in quenching and dulling our spirit. It injures our family, ministry, relationships, finances and a part of our destiny in God. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death (loss, pain and shame). G. We only have two choices. Either we choose righteousness and die voluntarily to its lustful lure. Or we die involuntarily because we yielded to it and now reap its shame and painful consequences. If we die voluntarily to sin by denying it then we receive a great reward (Mt. 16:24-27; Jn. 12:24) Matthew 16:25-25 If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25 whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. a. Anonymous Quote: Every temptation must be dealt with at the earliest possible stage. To wait for later stages is to multiply exponentially the difficulty of resisting the sin. It is also to involve one s self increasingly with the sin itself. The first stage brings with it no necessary guilt, but each of the succeeding stages involves growing participation in the sin. At no level is a sinner beyond the ability of God s grace to deliver, but to presume upon deliverance at some later stage is to put God to the test in the way that Jesus refused to do. Consequently, every Christian must seek God s grace early and employ those means that God has ordained for securing sanctification in the face of temptation. SUBMITTING AND RESISTING James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 3 P a g e

A. Overcoming temptation is only possible when two active things are done. First, we must submit to God. Second, we must resist the devil. We will always fail at resisting the devil if we do not first submit ourselves fully to God- mind, body and spirit. Satan will flee if we beat him up enough. B. Acronym to Overcome: R-E-S-I-S-T a. R- Recognize your area of weakness. Everyone has a different area of weakness. For some it s stealing money. For others its food, drugs, alcohol, anger, sex, adultery, pornography, etc. Look at your family line to find out the generational weakness that has come through your family. b. E- Engage the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is your helper and Holy is His first name. He is very skilled at bringing you into holiness if you actively engage him when you are struggling. c. S- Submit Yourself Fully to God. Present your body, soul and spirit to God as a living sacrifice. As you do so, recognize that your life is not your own. He owns you. Your body belongs to Him. d. I- Implement Radical Boundaries. Boundaries are interior barriers that you erect to keep the enemy out. They are very practical lines that you do not cross. If there are no walls around your life there is nothing to keep Satan from coming in to bring his destruction. You can pray for 3 hours a day, but without boundaries we almost always will fall when tempted with the area of our weakness. Proverbs 25:28 Whoever has no rule over his own spirit (self-control) Is like a city broken down, without walls (boundaries that keep Satan out). i. Pornography Set up restrictions on your phone, K9 Web protection for computer. ii. Adultery No ongoing private or personal communication with the opposite sex. iii. Drunkenness Stay away from all alcohol, bars or party atmospheres. iv. Gluttony Order groceries online and go pick it up. Cut out fast food from your diet. e. S- Say No to Temptation. Once we implement boundaries we still have to say No when the temptation arises. One of the greatest gifts God has given the human race is the ability to say No to sin and Yes to righteousness. f. T- Thank God for His Grace. Where sin abounds grace abounds all the more [Romans 6]. The grace of God is His ability and strength in our weakness, as well as his unmerited favor towards us when we fall short. When we stumble grace is there if we will seize it [Jam. 4:4-7]. CONCLUSION A. Jesus taught that a lifestyle of prayer is essential to overcoming because our flesh is weak. a. Our spirit man is willing and eager to resist temptation, but our flesh is often unwilling. b. The flesh cannot be sanctified, it must be crucified. c. Our sinful desires are only overcome as we purpose to put the old man to death and walk in daily fellowship with the Holy Spirit Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Galatians 5:24-25 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 4 P a g e

B. Resisting temptation is about much more than quoting Scripture verses that we have memorized when we are struggling. We MUST rebuke Satan in prayer just as Jesus did in the wilderness. Matthew 4:10-11 Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ONLY YOU SHALL SERVE.' " 11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. PRAYER OF DELIVERANCE Father, I come to You now for myself and my family confessing that we have sinned and have given into various temptations of the flesh. Now, in the name of Jesus Christ we ask for forgiveness and confess the blood of Jesus Christ over our sins and the sins of family generations before us. We now ask for deliverance from all temptation, all sin and all demons that has opened the door to Satan. Satan, I come against you and all your hosts. I reject every temptation and assignment that you would have for us both now and in the future. I refuse all snares, pits, and traps that you have set up to draw us away from the Lord Jesus. I rebuke, refuse, reject, renounce, and resist you Satan and all of your hosts, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the authority of Jesus Christ, I break all curses, temptations, thoughts, fantasies, lies, cravings, addictions, attitudes, strongholds, spells, witchcraft, and soul ties that the enemy has used to lure me into sin. I cast out every evil spirit associated with those particular sins and command them to go right now. I say No to them once and for all, and say Yes to the Lord Jesus Christ. I also cut you off from tormenting, defiling, and destroying, my family line. I confess that my body is a temple for the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit alone. I declare that Your grace is sufficient and Your power is perfected in my weakness. I am redeemed, cleansed, sanctified, and justified by the blood of Jesus. Therefore, Satan has no more place in me. He has no more power over me, because of the blood of Jesus. Amen! 5 P a g e