I heard someone give the following biblical definition of temptation that I’d like to share with you. He also shared a foolproof way to avoid its lure. Unfortunately this was years ago and I cannot recall his name to give him credit. But I never forgot it. Here’s what he said.
A temptation is an opportunity to fulfill a
need by illegitimate means.
Then he proceeded to give ways in which we can avoid falling into temptation.
Prevention-
to prevent temptation own up to the fact that we’re needy.
Intervention-
A-assess yourself when tempted
A- admit you’re being tempted
A- abort the idea to sin
A- allow God to meet your need legitimately His way
Simple steps aren’t they? Yet few of us have taken them. The apostle Paul wrote the following warning to us, the church of Jesus Christ.
“I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that traveled with them, and that Rock was Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day. Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
1 Corinthians 10:1-13 NLT
The things I underlined are basic things that the enemy uses to tempt or lure us into sinning. Another is greed. We have all read or heard about people who have allowed the love of money to destroy their lives, just as the Bible said it would. Unfortunately this temptation has found comfort in a few churches. Another temptation that is plaguing the church is infidelity. More and more pastors are being exposed by the Holy Spirit for this sin. I’m a firm believer that God deals with us in private about our sins, but when we are too arrogant to repent, He lifts His grace and allows us to be exposed.
The apostle Paul dealt with sexual immorality in the Corinthian church, it wasn’t pretty. Pastors who cheat on their wives and get up and preach as though nothing is wrong, are doing exactly what the apostle Paul said we shouldn’t do: Putting Christ to the test. We won’t win. God will not be mocked. He is very protective of His Name. Before the temptation to do wrong is manifested into an action, the warning of the Holy Spirit is like a gong in our spirits. We are given more time to escape than the time it takes to actually commit the sin.
Eve did not need a week. Judas didn’t need three years, Sampson didn’t need a month, David didn’t need an entire day. It took minutes to not only destroy their lives, but the lives of others as well. All it takes is one bad decision to ignore our conscience and yield. Temptation, you’ve heard me say, is not a sin. Yielding to the temptation is sin. Entertaining a thought for too long, will eventually lead to action.
Temptation needs cooperation and access. To deny those two requirements is death to Satan’s plan. Another great foiling method to temptation is accountability. If you have someone you trust that you can be vulnerable with and share what’s going on in your heart, you can avoid temptation. My pastor David used to say, “you can’t stop the birds from flying over your head, but you can stop them from nesting on your head.” We’re all tempted to some extent, but we have, according to what we just read, been given a way of escape. Most choose not to take it.
Let’s go over the points that we started with: a temptation is an opportunity to meet a need in a illegitimate way. What does that mean? You know before you yield that it’s wrong, but you just got to have whatever or whoever it is. You can’t wait so you steal or get into debt. You go on a business trip and someone flirts with you, you flirt back. You tell yourself it’s just innocent fun. No one will get hurt. Instead of calling your spouse, you begin to fantasize...get where this is going? It’s a trap from the oldest playbook. The Holy Spirit is sounding the alarm like Jesus promised He would, but temptation’s little helpers -pride and his twin, ego, overrides your Helper. Before you know it, your marriage or ministry is over.
Admitting that you have a problem shuts the door on the enemy. If you’re too tired, lonely or hungry, don’t expose yourself to situations that will exasperate or make the situation worse. A clear mind, a trusted friend and a satisfied appetite are great barriers to temptation. Secret sins have brought down great empires. “Expose sin before sin exposes you,” The words of Pastor Jesse Duplantis, are worth adhering to.
Then there are the four A’s. Assess yourself. Why are you being tempted in that area? After you have found the cause, Admit to yourself and a trusted friend or spouse that you have a problem with whatever the temptation is. Abort or quickly put to death the thought or plan to sin. Better to enter heaven with a limp than hell looking cute and put together. Allow God to to bring deliverance and wholeness through confession and submission. And whatever is His will for you, He will bring about fulfillment of healthy desires by meeting and supplying all your legitimate needs.
We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength and power to overcome and escape every temptation. We just need to fill the empty places in our lives with His Word. Allow for healthy relationships and accountability. Learning to trust and be vulnerable with people who have our best interest at heart. We were not meant to fight alone. We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One. Tell it to Jesus. Casting all your cares upon Him, why? Because He cares for you. We can’t shock Him! He already knows. This is why He’s made a way of escape from every temptation. We just need to take it.
There’s a verse to a song we used to sing in Jamaica, it goes:
Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin
Each victory will help you or some others to win
Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue
Look ever to Jesus and He'll carry you through…🙏
“And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.”
James 1:13-14 NLT
Are you being tempted (tested) then run like Joseph, it’s far better to leave your coat than your integrity. You are still in control of the decision you need to make. Just listen for your Helper. Peter wrote that it’s better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong. 1 Peter 3:16🙏
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant