How to Win Over Temptation

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Sermon Series

How to Face Our Future! – Part 4

"How to Win Over Temptation"

Pastor Jerry

James 1:12-11-18

 

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I want us to look today at what God has to say about man's oldest problem, temptation.  The Bible talks about two different kinds of testing. A test can be both a trial and a temptation. But to distinguish them -- trials are situations used by God in order to help us grow. Temptations are used by the devil in order to cause us to sin.

1. (v.12) "Blessed is the man who endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him." There is a prize, a reward, for enduring temptation. "Blessed" comes from having your life under control. When you know how to say "no" to temptation it produces happiness in your life. James says, when you understand temptation, when you overcome it, when you learn to say "no" then you begin to really live. It is a crown which is life -- abundant life.

The question is, “How? How do I win over temptation? How do I say no when I want to say yes?”  James, being the practical apostle that he is, gives us five principles:

1. Be Realistic

 Face the fact: You will be tempted. (Even Christians are tempted). All of us are tempted. And its "When tempted ... "  not "if  tempted..." Temptations are inevitable. Everybody's tempted. You're tempted. I'm tempted. Every day we're tempted. You never overcome it by getting too spiritual. There's a misconception that says, once you're a Christian, once born again, you don’t have to worry about temptation. I Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man." --that means we're all in the same boat. It is not a sin to be tempted. It is a sin to give in to temptation. Hebrew 4:15 "Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are yet he sinned not."  He was tempted but He never gave in. Temptation proves you're human, not that you're evil. The more committed you are …the more you're going to be tempted.

2. Be responsible

 Accept responsibility. Don't blame other people for your problems. We love to blame people, even God. V. 13 "When tempted, no one should say, `God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone." We are in a society of irresponsibility. Blame society, blame the government, blame your parents, blame your spouse, blame the devil, even blame God. Don't make your bad choices and then blame them on God. Be responsible. The fact is I bring most of my problems onto myself. So do you. If I am going to “win over temptation,” first I have to be realistic: (realize) I am tempted. Then number two, I've got to be responsible. I quit passing the buck and making excuses.

3. Be ready

 When temptation comes, be ready. Be prepared for it. Peter says, "Be on your guard." Jesus said, "Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation." Paul said, "Put on the whole armor of God". Be ready. Be prepared. Temptation does not warn you in advance. It catches you by surprise. You've got to be on your guard. We are most vulnerable after a tremendous success. The Bible says, "Let him who thinks he standeth, take heed lest he fall." I think of Bobby Leach who went over Niagara Falls in a barrel and came out unharmed. A couple of days later he slipped on an orange peel and broke his leg. It's the little things the unexpected things in life that kill us. James is saying, “Be ready, don't be deceived.” How do you prepare for temptation? How do you get ready for it? By understanding how it operates. II Corinthians 2:11 " to keep from being outsmarted by Satan, for we know what he is trying to do." God wants you to know how the devil operates, how he tempts. He's been using the same old bag of tricks for 2000 years and longer. It's very easy to discover his process. Temptation is a process, never just a one-time act. James outlines the four steps that the devil uses in order to tempt you:

1. (v. 14) "Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desires ..." -- the first step of temptation is desire. Most desires are OK. You couldn't live without desires: a desire to eat, to drink, to sleep, to work, to accomplish. God gives us these desires. Those are good desires. But any desire out of control becomes destructive. Satan loves to take routine desires and turn them into runaway desires. You become consumed, obsessed by it: food, work, having fun, money. Legitimate desires are good, but when they are out of control they become a problem. The fulfillment of a legitimate desire in the wrong way is dangerous. It always starts with the desire.

2. The second step is deception. "He is dragged away and enticed ..." The word "dragged away" is a hunter's term which literally means "lead into a trap". "Enticed" is a fisherman's term which means "lured by bait". How many fish will you catch with a bare hook? You've got to put bait on it. What kind of bait does the devil use on you? He knows your weakness. He knows what you will fall for. He hides his hook in his bait and the bait appeals to your weakness. The crazy thing is that often we see the hook and we know it's a temptation but we keep right on nibbling…until we’re deceived. Then we've gone to step two -- from desire to deception.

It always starts with the desire. Then Satan moves it to deception. Desire turns to deception and then, …deception turns to 3^rd step: disobedience.

3. Disobedience. "Then after desire has conceived it gives birth to sin." It starts in your imagination. The battle starts with your thoughts. It moves from your thoughts into actions. The devil knows if he can get your attention he will eventually get you to commit the action. What you flirt with, you will fall for. That's the whole purpose behind advertising. They try to get you to imagine something. If they can get it in your imagination with a desire they've got you. If that didn't work nobody would advertise. You might think you haven't done anything by your thinking but you have. The Bible says what starts in your mind eventually comes out in your actions. Desire leads to deception, deception leads to disobedience. Then …Disobedience leads to the fourth step -- death.

4. Death. "Sin, when full grown gives birth to death." That's the tragic consequence of giving in-- devastation. What is death? The exact opposite of what you long for. If you overcome temptation you get the crown of life, but the wages of sin are death – spiritual separation from God. James says we are free to choose any way we want to live. I could choose any way I want to live and so can you. God gives us the freedom of choice. I could choose to live any way I want to. But I am not free to choose the consequences of the choices.

In order to win over temptation, first I've got to be realistic, and admit I have a problem. Then I've got to be responsible and not blame anybody else and quit making excuses. Then I get prepared by understanding what happens during temptation so I can learn how to avoid it. (Look what happens next in text) All of a sudden in verse 17, James switches gears. He starts talking about the goodness of God.  "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows."  James is talking about temptation then all of a sudden he redirects our thoughts to the goodness of God. He's refocusing our attention. Why? Because that's the next step in overcoming temptation. Be realistic, be responsible, be ready, then fourth, be refocused.

4. Be refocused

 If temptation begins with our inner thoughts then changing what we think about is the key to overcoming it. The key is to change your attention. Refocus. Philippians 4:8 says "Think on these things, things that are good, positive, just, honest." Focus your mind on the goodness of God. Why? Don't focus on what you don't want. Focus on what you do want. Whatever gets your attention, gets you. Focus on what you want. Get God's word in your mind and refocus. Don't try to argue with the devil. He's a lot better at it than you are. When you refocus, it may mean physically removing yourself from the situation. Maybe you need to change the channel on the TV. Maybe you need to find new friends. Maybe you need to change your entertainment activities. Joseph was in a tempting situation and he left his coat and ran. If you have to leave your coat, leave your coat. Run out. I Corinthians 15:33 "Bad company corrupts good character." You know your weakness and God does too. Maybe you need to be redirected. Be realistic, be responsible, be ready, be refocused, and finally ...be reborn.

5. Be reborn

 The single most important principle in overcoming temptation and getting control of your life is to let God have control of it. You don't have enough power in your own willpower. That's why you fall. You need help from supernatural power. You need Jesus Christ in your life. That's what it means to be reborn. You will not be able to say no to temptation until you first learn to say yes to God. You need His power in your life. I Cor. 10:13, "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 you can stand up under it."  What a great promise! God says, "I will make a way out if you trust Me." The fact is there is hope and you can change if you want to and if you'll let Christ change you from the inside out. There is a way out if you trust in Him. You cannot live in a temptation free world. It's all around you. It's not a sin to be tempted. It is a sin when you begin to let it take form in your life and heart. "Blessed (happy) is the man who endures temptation... (it's that good feeling of knowing the Lord is fighting the battle with you) ... when he is tried he shall receive the crown which is life... (begin to enjoy the abundant life) ..which the Lord has promised to them that love Him."