Scriptures: 1 Samuel 13:14, Luke 4:13, John 8:44, 1 Peter 5:8, James 1:15, 2 Samuel 12

Can I Really Overcome Sin and Temptation?

In 1 Samuel 13:14, the prophet Samuel tells Saul, the king of Israel, that he’s being replaced because “the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people.”

However, decades later, that “man after his own heart” has an affair with a married woman, resulting in a pregnancy, and successfully plots to kill her husband so that he can take the woman as his wife.

In this one event, King David broke nine of the Ten Commandments:

10: He coveted his neighbor’s wife.

9: He lied about his sin.

8: He stole her for himself.

7: He committed adultery.

6: He murdered her husband.

5: He dishonored his parents.

2: He made an idol of Bathsheba.

1 and 3: He shamed God and his name.

At least David didn’t break the Sabbath—so far as we know.

Why did a man after God’s own heart do this?

Why do we sin? How do we defeat temptation? What do we do when we don’t?

This is what we’ll discuss over the next four days.

Expect to Be Tempted

When Jesus defeated Satan’s attacks, the enemy “left him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). If our Lord faced temptation, so will we.

The devil is very real, and he hates you. You are his enemy. Jesus warned us that the devil is a “murderer from the beginning,” and “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). He is a “roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He tempts and deceives every one of us.

Here’s why: “After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:15).

Mark it down: sin always takes you further than you wanted to go, keeps you longer than you wanted to stay, and costs you more than you wanted to pay.

Always.

Just ask King David. Read 2 Samuel 12 for the devastating consequences.

Scriptures: John 8:42-47, 2 Corinthians 4:4, John 12:31, 1 John 5:19, John 8:44, 1 Corinthians 2:14, Matthew 13:1-9, Matthew 4:1-11, 1 Peter 5:8

Is There Really a Creature Named Satan?

To discuss sin, we must discuss Satan. It’s impossible to ignore his work: broken hearts and homes, abuse, disease, and immorality. The list is long and tragic. 

Satan is both real and defeated. He wants you to believe neither is true, but the choice is yours. I pray that this devotional reveals God’s truth to you.

Satan Is Real

Satan goes by a number of names in the Bible. The two we know best are “Satan” and “devil.” The former means “accuser” and is found thirty-four times in Scripture—the one who accuses and abuses us. Devil is found 36 times in the New Testament and literally means “slanderer.”

Satan is also known as the “ancient serpent,” the “dragon,” and the “evil one.” Jesus’ description of Satan’s work in John 8:42–47 is a frightening resume indeed.

First, Satan claims ownership over every unsaved soul.

In John 8, our Lord refers to his enemies as children of their Satanic “father” (v. 44). He is the “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), the “prince of this world” (John 12:31) who controls this fallen age (1 John 5:19). Christians live in a world dominated by Satan. We are soldiers stationed on enemy soil, living in an occupied country.

Second, the devil blinds our minds to the truth.

He is “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). This is why the person who has not received the Holy Spirit cannot understand the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). Satan wants to snatch the seed of the word from the hearts that need it most (cf. Matthew 13:1–9).

Third, Satan lies about God’s word.

From Genesis 3 to the present, he manipulates the truth of Scripture to lead us astray. The one who quoted the Bible in tempting Jesus (Matthew 4:1–11) will misuse God’s word to deceive us as well. Not everything we hear taught as the truth of God is. Our enemy can quote the Bible better than we can, but always for a diabolical end.

Fourth, the devil is a “murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44).

Satan is a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Those who serve his cause engage in physical, emotional, and sexual attacks against each other and the rest of us. Their master wants nothing less than the wholesale destruction of the human race and especially the people of God.

Fifth, Satan rules demons.

They serve as his minions and foot soldiers in his ongoing war against the Lord and his children.

In essence, Satan opposes God.

In John 8, he inspired the religious leaders to seek Jesus’ death. He later led them to crucify our Lord.

Satan is the opposite of God in every way:

• Our Lord is light; Satan is darkness.
• God is a holy, consuming fire; the devil is sinful, sickening, diseased.
• God is Spirit; Satan is unholy carnality.
• God loves you; Satan hates you.
• God gave his Son for you; Satan would take your soul.
• God is your Father; the devil is your foe.

Satan is real, but never forget: he’s also defeated.

Scriptures: 1 John 3:8, Revelation 20:10, James 4:7, Ephesians 4:27, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Ephesians 6:10-12, Ephesians 6:14-18

How Can I Win A Spiritual War Against Satan?

Satan is real, but he is also defeated. 

Jesus came to earth to destroy the devil’s work (1 John 3:8). When our Lord died on the cross, sin died. When he rose from the grave, the grave lost. One day, Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night for all time (Revelation 20:10). Satan will not reign in hell—he will be punished there, forever.

Satan is at war with our Father, and we are the battlefield where the conflict rages. He cannot hurt God so he attacks God’s children. The best way to wound me is to attack my sons.

In our spiritual war with this enemy, how do we win?

First, resist him in God’s strength.

“Submit yourselves to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). The moment you are tempted, submit the issue to God and choose to resist: “Do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:27). It will never be easier to refuse sin than when it first appears in your mind or heart.

Second, claim your victory in God’s power.

Your Father promises that he will allow no temptation without giving you the strength to defeat it (1 Corinthians 10:13). The moment the enemy appears in your life, stand on that promise. Assume the victory God promises.

Third, wear the armor of the Holy Spirit. 

Ephesians 6 exhorts us: “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (vv. 10–12).

This spiritual “armor” includes God’s truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, salvation, Scripture, and prayer (vv. 14–18). Stand in these. Practice them. Trust them as God’s power in your life. And they will be your victory.

So, expect to be tempted by your mortal enemy.

Lions only roar when they attack. Stand in God’s strength today. When you fail, go to God for forgiveness, grace, and victory.

And the next time the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future.

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 10:13, Ecclesiastes 12:14, Luke 12:2-3, Matthew 12:36-37, 1 Peter 4:5, 1 Corinthians 3:13, 1 Corinthians 3:15

What Can I Do When I’m Tempted?

Take it to God—now

When you are tempted, remember this promise: “No temptation has seized you except what 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 allow no temptation he will not give us the strength to defeat. Conversely, Satan will not waste his time with temptations he knows we can defeat in our own strength. 

So, every time you are tempted, know that you cannot win this battle without God’s help. 

Develop the reflex of giving every temptation immediately to the Father. 

Ask him for his power. 

Leave it in his hands. 

Take it to God—now.

Consider the consequences

What if you don’t?

Our secret sins will be judged by God: “God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

Jesus warned us: “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs” (Luke 12:2–3).

Our words will be judged: “I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken” (Matthew 12:36–37).

After listing all sorts of unconfessed sin, Peter declared that those who do such things “will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead” (1 Peter 4:5).

What will happen to them?

“His work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. . . . If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Corinthians 3:13, 15).

Ungodly, unconfessed sins, thoughts, or words will be revealed at the judgment and burned away. Because heaven is perfect, these things cannot enter in—they must be burned off and destroyed.

Sin is purged and reward is lost.

When you are tempted and feel the pull to speak to God, don’t run from his presence. 

In that very second of need, run to him.

Scriptures: 1 John 1:8, 1 John 1:9, Romans 5:8

What If I’ve Already Given in to Temptation?

What if it’s too late? 

You fought temptation in your strength—and lost. 

Now you stand guilty before the holy Lord of the universe. 

We’ve all been there: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). 

Here’s what we do: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (v. 9). 

Take your sin to your Father—now. 

Admit your wrong, repent of your failure, and ask his forgiveness. 

Claim his promise to forgive your mistakes and sins, to wipe the slate clean and remember your failures no more. 

Does God’s forgiveness mean that we can simply sin and confess, then sin and confess more? 

Not without consequence. 

I can drive a nail into wood, and you can pull it out—but the hole remains. Obedience refused can never be regained. Reward for faithfulness is lost forever. 

God forgives, but the pain of our sin still hurts—ourselves as well as others. 

Nonetheless, we can be forgiven by the One whose Son died in our place to pay our debt: “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). 

Guilt is not of God. 

Our Father loves every member of his family. And we are still his children, even when we don’t act like it. 

Grace is getting what we don’t deserve; mercy is not getting what we do deserve. 

Our Father in heaven offers both. 

Do you need to open his gift of forgiveness today? 

If so, don’t wait. Speak to your Father in heaven. He longs to hear from you, his beloved child.