Fighting Temptation

Scripture: Matthew 26:36-46

Fighting Temptation

I feel its power every day. 

I’m ashamed to say it, but sometimes I enjoy it. 

What is it? 

Temptation. 

Temptation is anything that tries to influence us—not just our actions but our minds and hearts as well—away from obedience to God. 

It’s a powerful force that pulls us towards sin. Since temptation is a reality we will face for the rest of our lives, it’s important to understand how to overcome it. 

Every man faces three main categories of temptation:[1] 

·Appetites: Desires for possessions, money, experiences, food, alcohol, sex, etc. 

·Ambition: The drive to achieve success on our own terms. 

·Approval: The need to prove our worth and gain recognition from others. 

While these temptations are universal, men often struggle particularly with issues of power, pride, and lust. 

The key to overcoming these challenges lies in two crucial steps: 

First, learning to recognize temptation when it appears, and second, developing effective strategies to resist it. 

In the week ahead, we will conduct a thorough examination of temptation and its impact on our lives. 

We’ll begin by uncovering the deceptive tactics and methods that temptation uses to influence our choices. We’ll examine why we must treat temptation with greater seriousness than we typically do. We’ll then learn how to balance caution and courage in dealing with temptation, and conclude by exploring two specific prayers that serve as powerful tools in our battle. 

One day, we will be completely free from temptation, but only after our resurrection on the new earth. For now, temptation will affect us for the rest of our lives, so it’s crucial that we learn how to handle it. 

Take comfort. The fact that you’re tempted shows you don’t yet live in a post-resurrection environment. But with God’s help, you can overcome temptation. In Jesus Christ, you can find both the strength to resist temptation and the grace you need when you fall into it. 

Prayer: Lord, help me to be a man who knows how to understand and battle temptation. Amen. 

Reflection: What temptations do you face in the categories of Appetites, Ambition, and Approval? 

Scriptures: Genesis 2:16-17, Genesis 3:1-7

Temptation’s Lies

Genesis teaches us important lessons about temptation. 

In Genesis 2:16-17, God permitted Adam and Eve to eat from every tree in the garden except one. 

He warned them that if they ate from it, they would surely die. This rule wasn’t random. The tree symbolized God’s authority. It reminded Adam that he lived in God’s world and needed to obey Him. 

In Genesis 3, Eve was tempted to eat from that tree. Three qualities made it attractive to her: 

1.It looked like it would satisfy a craving. Eve saw that the tree was good for food. It appealed to her physical desires and cravings for satisfaction. Temptation always seems like a solution to our needs. 

2.It looked alluring. The tree was a delight to the eyes. Sin always looks appealing. It’s hard to resist because it looks so good. 

3.It looked wise. Eating from the tree was “desirable for obtaining wisdom.” Rather than submitting to God’s wisdom, temptation promises that we can achieve wisdom on our own terms. 

I notice these same three qualities in every temptation I face. 

Temptation always promises to satisfy a craving. It always looks alluring. It always looks like a smart choice that allows us to get our own way. 

But when men give in to temptation, it’s always disastrous. Temptation never delivers what it promises. Sin brought death and destruction into the world, and we’ve been living with the consequences ever since. 

“Satan gives Adam an apple, and takes away paradise,” says Richard Sibbes. “Therefore in all temptations consider not what he offers, but what we shall lose.”[1] 

One way to resist temptation is to learn how to spot temptation’s lies. Temptation never satisfies the craving as it promises. It’s like drinking salt water to satisfy our thirst. It looks alluring, but its ugliness shows up later. It looks wise, but it leads to destruction. 

Men, learn how to spot and resist temptation’s lies. 

Prayer: Lord, please help me to see temptation for the lie that it is and consider what I will lose if I give in to it. Give me the strength to resist. Amen. 

Reflection: How does understanding the nature of temptation help you battle it? 

Scripture: James 1:1-18

How Temptation Grows

Where does temptation come from? 

James 1:13 teaches that temptation doesn’t come from God. God is never the author of temptation. 

Surprisingly, James identifies the source of temptation as within us. 

While Satan, his demons, and worldly influences may tempt us, the real problem lies within. That’s where temptation begins. Our root problem is us. The root of temptation isn’t God or even the devil, but our own sinful hearts. 

James explains how temptation works in four steps: 

1. It begins with desire—an intense longing for something. These desires might not even be wrong in themselves. 

2. The problem comes at the second step when we’re “dragged away and enticed” by these desires. When we allow these desires to grow within ourselves, they begin to tug at us and move us toward sin. We begin to entertain sinful ways to satisfy these desires. 

3. Eventually, left unchecked, that desire, having conceived, gives birth to sin. We cross the line from having a desire to being dragged away and enticed by that desire and acting on it. 

4. The final link of the chain is that sin, having matured, gives birth to death. When we give into temptation, it ultimately leads to death (e.g., Romans 6:23). 

The place to start solving this problem is right at the beginning. 

We need to start at step 1 by examining our desires and ensuring we don’t move to the second stage. If we don’t start fighting sin early, it becomes much harder later. Fight sin at the early stages, not near the end. 

I sometimes think of sin as going down a toboggan slope. The place to stop isn’t when you’re halfway down the hill. If you don’t want to go down the hill, stop before you even get on the toboggan. 

Men, look at the desires of your heart and how they begin to lure and entice you away from God. Deal with the seeds of all sins, not just the big sins. Seeds are the beginnings of sin. It’s much easier to root out when it’s still small. 

Prayer: Lord, help me to be a man who battles temptation in the earliest stages. Amen. 

Reflection: What are some desires within you that could entice you and draw you away from God? How can you deal with them now, before they grow bigger?

Scripture: Matthew 5:27-30

Avoiding the Coyotes

I live in a community in downtown Toronto, and we have a coyote problem. 

In the past year, we’ve had over 90 attacks on dogs in our area. Four pets have died. I talked to someone recently who’s scared to visit our community because they’re worried about their child being hurt by a coyote. 

One thing has become clear: the coyotes aren’t scared of us, but we are learning to have a healthy fear of coyotes. 

Experts are split on how to handle this problem, but one thing’s for sure: 

We should do everything we can to stay as far away from these coyotes as possible. 

Temptation is like that. Often, we think we can coddle our temptations and get comfortable with them. We take it casually and think that they’re no big deal. After all, everyone’s tempted sometimes. 

The reality is that a man should treat sin and temptation like we treat coyotes: Stay as far away as possible. Don’t get comfortable with them. See them as a danger in your life and take whatever action is necessary to protect yourself from them. 

Understandably, the city isn’t crazy about us trying to kill the coyotes ourselves, so they’re trying to manage the problem. 

But we face no such restrictions when it comes to temptation and sin. We should never settle for trying to manage them; we should kill them on sight. 

In today’s verses, Jesus used hyperbole to make this point in His Sermon on the Mount. He instructed us to cut off our hands or pluck out our eyes to avoid sin. He didn’t mean this literally. After all, the problem is never our hands or our eyes. 

It’s our hearts. 

Jesus was making a point: we should take drastic action to deal with our temptations and sins. 

Whatever your temptation is, take drastic action to deal with it. Treat it like a coyote that you must avoid at all costs. 

Prayer: Lord, help me to see sin and temptation as a real danger, and to take proper action to deal with them quickly. Amen. 

Reflection: What temptations in your life do you need to take more seriously? What can you do to drastically deal with them?

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Caution & Courage

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 tells us a couple of important things about temptation. 

First, we’re never more in danger than when we’re feeling confident about our ability to handle it. 

The minute we think we’re okay, we’re in particular danger. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen someone say that they would never fall into a particular sin and then later sin in that exact area. 

We’re always in danger, but particularly when we think we’re not. 

The second truth of this passage is good news: 

God will always provide a way for believers to escape temptation so that they can endure it. He will never allow a temptation so powerful that it’s guaranteed to overwhelm us. He always offers us His help and a way to escape so that we don’t have to fall into that sin. 

Think about what this means. 

When Paul says that God is faithful, it means that we can rely on Him in temptation. Let Him be the first one you turn to when you’re facing a temptation you can’t handle on your own. 

That said, I know I’m often ashamed to ask for His help. 

Maybe that’s a guy thing. Don’t be like that! Run to Him, because He’s ready to help you. Jesus knows how much you can endure. Rely on Him and not your own strength. 

He’s got you. 

Then, look for a way to escape. He always provides one. It’s not like an escape room, either. You won’t have to solve a puzzle to exit. He’ll give you a clear way out. Pray to Him and then act when He shows you what that way out is. 

I love this passage because it gives us both caution and courage. We need to be cautious around temptation. We can never feel overconfident, but with God’s help, we can find courage and a way of escape as we turn to Him in our moment of need. 

Prayer: Lord, help me be a man of both caution and courage when battling temptation. Give me the strength to come to You when I need help. Amen. 

Reflection: How can you foster both caution and courage in your battle with temptation?

Scriptures: Psalms 37:4, Psalms 37

Changing Desires

A new movie came out, and I really wanted to see it. 

The only problem was that I knew it contained inappropriate sexual material. I realized that if I went to see the movie, I would be giving in to temptation and sinning. 

Usually, when I face a problem like this, I ask God to help me resist temptation. 

But this time, I prayed for something different. I prayed that He would change my desires so that I didn’t even want to see the movie. I asked Him to remove my desire for sin. 

A few days later, I realized He had done just that. I wasn’t struggling with the temptation to see the movie anymore; in fact, the thought of it repulsed me. 

God doesn’t always remove our temptations, but I think it’s a good prayer for men to pray. Don’t just ask God to help you resist temptation; ask Him to change your desires. 

I think that’s what the Bible means when it says that God will give us the desires of our hearts. 

It’s not that God will give us anything we want; it’s even better than that. 

It’s that God will change what we want. He’ll fix our “wanters.” He’ll change what we desire so that it is in line with God’s desires for us. 

God doesn’t just change our behaviors; He fixes and transforms our hearts and our wants. 

Best of all, He will change us so we want more of Him. 

This is what the process of becoming godlier looks like. When we become Christians and begin to delight in God, we not only learn to resist temptation but also begin to desire differently. 

We’ll never be completely free from temptation until after the resurrection, but we can ask God to change our desires now. 

Over time, He will do just that so that we desire sin less and obedience more. 

Pray that God doesn’t just allow you to be a man who resists temptation. Pray for Him to change your desires from within. 

Prayer: Lord, change my desires! Make me a man who is after Your own heart. Amen. 

Reflection: How have you seen God change your desires over time? What desires need to be changed?

Scriptures: Matthew 6:13, Matthew 6:9-15

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Have you ever thought about this part of the Lord’s Prayer? 

On top of all the other things Jesus teaches us to pray about—the Father’s glory, the coming of the Kingdom, our daily needs—Jesus teaches us to pray about our own temptation. 

The first is a request that God doesn’t “lead us into temptation.” 

Of course, this doesn’t mean that God ever leads us into temptation Himself. It’s asking God to keep us far away from the temptation that comes from Satan and from our own hearts. We’re asking Him not to let us get near to temptation so we would never be in a situation where our temptation to sin will be greater than what we can handle. 

The second part of the request is similar: that He would deliver us from the evil one, Satan. In this request, we’re telling God that we need His strength. We can’t fight Satan on our own. Jesus doesn’t command us to pray for more willpower or strength, although both are important. 

He’s telling us to pray that our Heavenly Father will help us against the enemy. 

I love this prayer because of its honesty. We can’t fight temptation on our own. We need God’s help. We need Him to change our hearts through the power of the Gospel. And when we’re facing temptation, we need to cry out for His assistance so that we can stand against it. 

We need to pray this prayer regularly. I find that I rarely feel like praying for God’s help when I’m in the middle of temptation, but it’s the prayer we need when we’re tempted to sin. 

Guys sometimes have a hard time asking for help. But when it comes to temptation, never try to handle things on your own. 

Make it your daily prayer that God will keep you as far away as possible from temptation, and that when you do face it, He will deliver you from the evil one. 

God loves to answer this prayer, and it’s a prayer that we desperately need. 

Prayer: Lord, we pray as Jesus taught us to pray: do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Amen. 

Reflection: How does prayer factor into your life when you are tempted? How can it factor in more?