Tag Archives: overcoming temptation

March 23, 2022 · 5:41 AM

Distracted Lives

We live in the age of the distracted driver. Because I’m a nosy person, and I’ve spent a lot of time in traffic, I’ve seen a lot of distracted people. I’ve seen someone reading a book while driving on a highway. I’ve also seen a lady applying mascara while traveling at least 70 mph. It seems theres a new video or story each week of Tesla drivers who are asleep while the car drives. Most of us are guilty of eating while driving, and there’s probably just as many who are on their phones while cruising at a high rate of speed. These distractions take our eyes off the road, and often causes us to veer out of our lane, which is very dangerous.

The Bible is full of people just like that, except they weren’t driving. They were living their life with the right intentions, but got distracted from the truth. Adam and Eve kicked off the human race by turning their eyes from God to the forbidden fruit. David was supposed to be on the war path, but ended up getting distracted on his balcony. Judas followed Jesus wherever He went, but got distracted by greed. Temptation happened to all of them, just like it does for us. It’s goal is to get us to take our eyes off of where we’re headed so that we will veer. Once we start veering, the road can get pretty rough and bumpy.

Solomon, who also got distracted, gave us this advice in Proverbs 4:26. He said, “Watch where you’re going! Stick to the path of truth, and the road will be safe and smooth before you” (TPT). It’s important for us to keep our eyes on Jesus each day. Temptation is lurking at every corner trying to get us to leave the path God set out for us. Like Jesus, we need to know the Word of God so we can use the truth of it to combat the lies. We can’t afford to live distracted lives. Commit each day to following the paths of truth. When you find yourself getting distracted, and notice the road is getting bumpy, refocus your attention on the One who laid out a path before you. There’s no better way to get back on that path than seeking forgiveness and repenting. Look to Jesus and live distraction free.

Photo by Cristofer Maximilian on Unsplash

Being Resolute

Several years ago, we were in the hospital as my mom was dying. The doctor brought the whole family into a room and explained the seriousness of her problem. He told us there was nothing more they could do, and then he talked about hospice care. After he left, my dad kept us in the room. He said, “I still believe in miracles, but we need to be prepared if God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want Him to. You need to each determine in your hearts now that you will not be bitter against God if she passes away.” I thought it was an odd thing for him to tell us until she passed away and bitterness tried to creep in.

Determining what you’re going to do ahead of time is critical. When temptation comes, it’s too late to decide what you’re going to do. Unless you’ve determined in your heart how you’re going to handle it, we usually end up succumbing to it. You can’t just think, “Oh, I’ll never fall for that.” You need to determine in your heart what you will do and say in times of temptation. Jesus had determined to use the Word of God. We on,y have three of Hos temptations recorded in Scripture, but we have His responses too. Each time He was able to fight temptation with knowing what God’s Word says. The Psalmist said that if we will hide His Word in our hearts, it will Nelly us not to sin.

Psalm 119:112 says, “I have determined in my heart to obey whatever you say, fully and forever!” (TPT) That’s a great thing to determine, but it only works if you’ve spent time in God’s Word to know what He says and if you’ve determined ahead of time. Each of us will face various temptations for the rest of our lives to hurt our relationship with God. When you made a commitment to Christ, you committed to following Him for the rest of your life. Shouldn’t you also commit to obeying everything He says? God’s love language is obedience. If you haven’t done so, determine today that you will obey Him for the rest of your life and that you won’t give into to temptation.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

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October 22, 2013 · 5:59 AM

Strong Enough To Overcome

I’ve been reading in the book of Joshua about the land allotment given to each tribe of Israel. You know the part where, like the genealogy sections, we typically skip over. I saw something interesting in Joshua 17:12-13. It says, “The people of Manasseh never were able to take over these towns – the Canaanites wouldn’t budge. But later, when the Israelites got stronger, they put the Canaanites to forced labor. But they never did get rid of them.” They couldn’t get rid of a few people in a few towns even after all the great conquests in the Promised Land.

As I read this, I began to think of the sins that I have in my life. You know the type. They’re the ones that no matter what I do, I can’t seem to beat. No matter how hard I try, I still succumb to their temptation every time. I’ve done fasting and prayer to get strong enough to beat them out of my life, but they still keep showing up. I’ll see something in the day that starts the process. My thoughts begin to dwell on the things that will eventually lead to the sin and sooner or later I fall. Sound familiar?

Near the last part of that verse, it says that they forced the Canaanites into forced labor when they became strong enough. When I read that, I thought of II Corinthians 10:5 that says, “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” It’s our thoughts that keep the temptation alive in our heads that walk us down the road to sin. I’m not strong enough to drive out those thoughts and so I end up sinning. But here, Paul says we have divine power to demolish the strongholds in our lives.

There is a power beyond ourselves, in Christ, that can give us the power to take those thoughts captive and as the book of Joshua says, “put them into forced labor.” When we try to combat these thoughts in our own strength, there isn’t enough power. Those thoughts seem to be fortified against whatever we throw at it. They’re like the Canaanites in Joshua 17:16. The people of Joseph complained that they didn’t have enough land because the Canaanites had iron chariots and couldn’t be moved.

Joshua didn’t care about the iron chariots. He wasn’t looking at this as a physical struggle, but a spiritual one. He spoke into the tribe what they were that they couldn’t see. He saw what God sees when He looks at us. In verses 17-18 he told them, “you are very powerful” and even tough the Canaanites had iron chariots and were strong too, “you can drive them out.” He spoke into their lives and called out in them what God had put in them. He reminded them of their past victories and current realities.

You may see yourself like these two tribes. You’ve forgotten all that God has forgiven and delivered you from. You have strongholds in your life that you’ve allowed to remain because you haven’t seen yourself as strong enough to beat them. You’ve allowed them to shame you and to accept them in your mind. I’m telling you today that you are strong enough to overcome. You are powerful through the Holy Spirit that God has placed in you. If He has forgiven you and given you deliverance from other sins, He can give you the strength to beat the ones you’re struggling with today. Though they seem fortified with iron, God’s Word is more powerful and it is alive in you today. Bring those thoughts into captivity and drive them out of your mind’s landscape. You are very strong.