Chapter 32 Day 27 Overcoming Temptation

Day 27 Overcoming Temptation You avoid things that make you think evil thoughts. ． ． ． ． ． But cling to those things that make you think and act rightly. (2 Timothy 2:22, LB) Remember: Your temptations are no different from those of others, God is faithful, he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear, When you are tempted, He will give you a way out so that you will not give in to temptation. (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT) There is always a way out. Sometimes you feel that temptation is too much to resist. This is a lie of Satan.God has promised not to allow you to be tempted beyond the strength He has put in you. He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear.However, you also have to do your part to overcome temptation by practicing four biblical decisions.

divert attention to other things This may surprise you: the whole Bible doesn't tell us to "resist temptation," it tells us to "resist the devil," which is quite different, as I'll explain in more detail later.The Bible urges us to refocus our attention, because resisting the mind doesn't work, it only intensifies its attraction and makes us focus on the wrong things even more.let me explain: Every time you try to stop an idea from popping up in your mind, it only sticks to it better.To resist it is to strengthen it, and this is especially true of temptation.Fighting feelings will not overcome temptation.The more you hit the feeling, the more it drains and controls you.Every time you think about it it reinforces it.

Since temptation starts from the mind, diverting your attention is the fastest way to counteract temptation.Don't struggle with the mind, just change your thinking, divert your interest, this is the first step in defeating temptation. The battle against sin is won or lost by the mind.You are often captured by what you pay attention to.Therefore, Job said: "I have made a covenant with my eyes: I will never look at women." David also prayed: "Keep me, and do not let me pay attention to worthless things." Psalm 119:37a Have you ever watched a TV commercial for food and suddenly felt hungry?Have you ever heard someone cough and immediately felt like clearing your throat too?Do you sometimes feel like yawning when you see others yawning? (You're probably going to yawn as you read this!) That's the power of eliciting.Naturally, our thoughts and actions are oriented towards the things that attract our attention. The more you think about something, the more you will be controlled by it.

Therefore, repeating "I'm going on a diet... or abstaining from... or abstinence" is a counterproductive strategy that keeps focusing your mind on things you don't want to do.It's like declaring, "I will never follow in my mother's footsteps," you are declaring to yourself to repeat the same mistakes. Many people fail to diet because they constantly think about food and make themselves hungrier.Likewise, a speaker who constantly reminds himself not to be nervous causes himself to be nervous; he should be focusing on other things—on God, on the importance of his speech, or on the needs of his audience.

A temptation begins by grabbing your attention.Getting your attention can arouse your emotions, and your emotions can drive your behavior, so you can act according to your feelings.The more you focus on "I won't do this," the more you will fall into the snare of temptation. It is more effective to ignore the temptation than to fight it. When you think about other things, the temptation loses its power.So, when a temptation calls you, don't argue with it, just hang up!Sometimes this means leaving the situation of temptation, in which case running is the right thing to do.Get up and turn off the TV, leave the gossip, leave the theater halfway.To avoid getting stung, keep away from bees.Do your best to turn your attention to other things.

In a spiritual sense, your mind is the weakest organ.In order to reduce temptation, you must let God’s words occupy your mind, and use good thoughts to defeat bad thoughts.This is the principle of substitution, overcoming evil with good.When you are engrossed in something, Satan cannot hold your attention.Therefore, the Bible reminds us repeatedly: "...you should think about Jesus", "always remember Jesus Christ", "always think about what is good and praiseworthy: what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and honorable things". If you are serious about dealing with temptation, you must manage your mind and monitor the media you watch.The wisest man in the world warned: "Be careful what you think, because life is shaped by thoughts." Proverbs 4:23 (now), don't allow garbage to enter your mind at will, choose carefully what you think thing.Follow Paul's pattern: "Take all your mind captive to obedience to Christ." It takes a lifetime of practice, but the Holy Spirit can help you reset the way you think.

Share your struggles with a godly friend or support group You don't have to share your personal struggles with the world, but you do have to share them honestly with at least one person.The Bible says, "It's better to have friends than to be alone... If you fall, your friends can pick you up; but if you fall and no friends are around, you're in trouble." Let me say this clearly: If you are losing the battle against bad habits, addictions, temptations, and falling into a vicious cycle of well-intentioned failures that lead to guilt, then alone Struggling is useless!You need help from others.Some temptations can only be overcome with the help of a companion who can pray for you, encourage you, and push you.

God's plan for your growth and freedom includes other Christians.Genuine, honest fellowship is the antidote to your lonely struggles with stubborn temptations.God says this is the only way to regain true freedom: "Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed." Do you really want to be healed from the temptations that continue to stumble you?God's solution is simple: don't hold back, share it!Don't hide it, reveal it.Showing how you feel is the first step to healing. Hiding your pain will only make it worse.A problem grows bigger in the dark, but shrinks in the light of truth.The tighter you keep your secrets the more annoying you are, so remove your mask, stop pretending to be perfect, and stride toward freedom.

At Saddleback Church, we witness the amazing power of this principle.Break the power of seemingly hopeless addictions and inescapable temptations through a ministry we've established called Celebrate Recovery.This ministry is a biblical eight-step recovery program built in small groups based on the Beatitudes of Jesus.In the past ten years, more than five thousand lives have been released from various vices, injuries and addictions.Today, thousands of churches use this ministry.I highly recommend that your church use a ministry like this. Satan wants you to think that sin and temptation are unique to you, so you must hide it.In fact, we are all suffering from the same disease, we are all resisting the same temptation, and "everyone in the world has sinned", countless people have your current feelings and are also facing your current struggles.

Pride's sake makes us conceal faults.We want others to think that we are in control and that there is no problem.In fact, anything you can't talk about is already out of control in your life: your finances, your marriage, your kids, your thoughts, your sex life, your secret habits, etc.If you could handle these problems yourself, you would have solved them, but you can't!Willpower and determination alone are not enough. Some problems are too deep-rooted, too old habits, and too big to be resolved on your own.You need a group or accountability partner to encourage you, support you, pray for you, love you unconditionally, and hold you accountable for your actions.At the same time, you return them the same.

Whenever someone confides in me, "I've never told anyone about this," I always get excited for that person, knowing that he's about to experience release and freedom.The pressure valve is about to loosen, and they will see their first glimpse of hope for the future.This is what happens when we confess our struggles to godly friends, as God commands. Let me ask you a hard question: Is there anything in your life that you pretend isn't a problem?What are you afraid to talk about?You can't solve these problems alone.Yes, admitting weakness to others makes us feel humble and condescending, but a lack of humility is what keeps us from being healed.The Bible says, "God is against the proud, but shows grace to the humble, so be humble before God." to resist the devil When we humble ourselves and obey God, we must resist the devil.James 4:7 says in half: "Resist the devil, and the devil will flee from you" (New Version of the Bible). We do not passively allow the devil to attack, we have to fight back. The New Testament often describes the life of a Christian as Spiritual warfare against the forces of evil, and using war terms such as: fight, conquer, struggle, and conquer, Christians are often likened to soldiers fighting on enemy ground. How can we resist the devil?Paul said, "And put on the helmet of salvation, and take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." We must first accept God's salvation, and you cannot say yes to the devil unless you have said "yes" to Christ. "No".Without Christ, we are powerless against the attacks of the devil; but with the helmet of salvation, our minds are protected by God.Remember: If you are a believer, Satan cannot force you to do anything, he can only give you advice. Second, you must use the Word of God as a weapon against Satan.When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, he gave us an example.Every time satan offered a temptation, jesus refuted it by quoting the bible, when he was tempted to use his power to meet a personal need, he didn't argue with satan, he didn't say, "I'm not hungry", he just went from memory Quote the Bible.We need to do the same, God's Word is powerful, and Satan is afraid of it.Never argue with the devil because he is better than you and he has been practicing for thousands of years.You can't frighten Satan with logic or opinion, but you can make him tremble with God's truth.Therefore, memorization of Bible verses is absolutely essential to defeat temptation.When you are tempted, you can respond immediately with the Bible.Like Jesus, you store truth in your heart, ready to apply at any time. A person who has not memorized any scriptures is like a gun without bullets!Let me challenge you to memorize one verse every week in the days to come.Think how strong you will be! recognize your weaknesses God warns us never to exalt ourselves above self-confidence, that is a recipe for disaster.Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and wicked beyond all means." This is to say that we are prone to deceive ourselves, that we are all capable of sin, given the right circumstances, so never let our guard down and think we are immune to temptation. Don't let yourself fall into the situation of temptation casually, but avoid such situations.Remember, it is easier to avoid temptation than to escape from it.The Bible says, "Don't be so naive and confident, you are not immune, just like everyone else, you will fall on your feet! Forget self-confidence, it is useless, instead build confidence in God." 1 Corinthians 10 : 12 Msg