As a pastor individuals will often come to me seeking how to
get right with the Lord. For
whatever reason, they have drifted away from their relationship with God. They feel distant from God; that their
life is not going the way they believe it should; and that they keep giving in
to the temptations which come their way.
Personally, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly I can walk away from
the Lord reverting into my self-centered ways. Even as a minister of the Gospel, I must be diligent to walk
with Him moment by moment..
Temptations
come to all of us who are following the Lord and seeking to do His will in our
lives. These can serve to
strengthen our walk with the Lord or they can serve to encourage our wandering
from the ways of God in our lives.
Temptations usually appeal to our desires and addictions which are
outside of the will of God for our lives.
The Apostle James says it this way: “When
tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt
anyone, but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged
away and enticed. Then, after
desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown,
gives birth to death” (James 1:13, NIV).
To
battle the temptations in our lives, first use Scripture to face the issue you
are dealing with. Find verses
which deal with your issue - read them, study them, memorize them, and then
speak them to the temptation. When
Jesus faced temptations in his life, we are told by both Matthew and Luke, that
he quoted Scriptures to the tempter and the temptations (See Matthew 4 or Luke
4). You will be amazed at the power this will unleash in your life.
Secondly,
when encountering temptation look for the ‘way of escape’ provided by the Lord.
“No temptation has seized you except that
which 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 Corinthians 10:13). God will
always provide a way out. The
question usually becomes: “Do you
want to take the way out?!!”
Thirdly,
have someone hold you accountable for staying on the path and saying ‘no’ to
the temptations you are facing.
Find a prayer partner or accountability partner who with your
permission, will ask you about the temptation and hold you lovingly
accountable.
In
life anything of worth comes with a struggle. The spiritual life is not immune to this principle. Temptations and struggle should not to
be feared. Rather, rejoice in them
for they lead to achievement in the spiritual life and give you strength from
wandering from the ways of God.
