Resisting Temptation

In the days of the Civil War, it was illegal to trade cotton; but many unscrupulous speculators tried to buy cotton in the South, run it through the Union lines, and sell it at great profit in the North. One of these speculators approached a Mississippi steamboat captain and offered him $100 if he would run his cotton up the river for him. The captain declined, reminding him that it was illegal. "I will give you $500,” said the man. "No," answered the captain. "I will give you $1000." "No," the captain said again. "I will give you $3000." At that, the captain drew his pistol, and pointing it at the man, he said, "Get off this boat! You are coming too near my price."

What is your price? We all have one. The enemy will attack us at our weakest point. He will tempt us and we have to know our price so that we can resist him and tell him to get off our boat (out of our life) before we give in.

Tempting Situations

"Son," ordered a father, "don't swim in that canal." "O.K., Dad," he answered. But he came home carrying a wet bathing suit that evening. "Where have you been?" demanded the father. "Swimming in the canal," answered the boy. "Why did you?" the father asked. "Well, Dad," the boy explained, "I had my bathing suit with me and I couldn't resist the temptation." "Why did, you take your bathing suit with you?" his father asked. "So I'd be prepared to swim, in case I was tempted," he replied.

The Bible teaches us that if we resist the devil he will run away. It doesn’t say he might or could. It just promises us that he will go away. The problem is that so often we make his job very easy because, rather than resist, we plan to fall. We blame our failures and mistakes on the enemy but so often it isn’t his fault as much as it is ours. Christ came to earth and was tempted in every area of life so that he could become a savior that would understand our desires and weaknesses. Therefore, he has made a way of escape. It was his divine duty to provide that escape route, so now it is our responsibility to take advantage of it and resist the devil. Most of our failures could be avoided. It is very important for you to learn to avoid tempting situations. The strongest Christians are not necessarily those with extra power; they are those who have learned not to put themselves in situations where the pressure would be so great that they would give in. Why put yourself in a situation where you will be tempted? Learn to avoid places where you will be asked and pressured to compromise on your beliefs. Be careful what you allow yourself to see and hear so that your mind won’t be consumed with thoughts that will lead to sin. Be extremely cautious with whom you spend your time because your friends can place you in situations that are too tough to handle. Find friends who will protect you from temptation. Make the devil’s job hard. Avoid temptation. Don’t plan to fall. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can always ask for forgiveness later. Win in the beginning. Don’t go near the temptation so you will be a stronger and more successful Christian. Leave the swimsuit home and avoid the canal!

Tempting Illustrations 

The Sympathetic Son of Man (Hebrews 4:15-16)
Joseph Mallord Turner, English painter, invited Charles Kingsley to his studio to see a picture of a storm at sea. In rapt admiration, Kingsley exclaimed, "It's wonderful! It's so realistic! How did you do it?" The artist replied, "I went to the coast of Holland and engaged a fisherman to take me out to sea in the next storm. Entering his boat as a storm was brewing, I asked him to bind me to the mast. Then he steered his boat into the teeth of the storm. "The storm raged with such fury that at times I longed to be in the bottom of the boat where the waves would blow over me. I could not, however. I was bound to the mast. Not only did I see the storm in its raging fury, I felt it! It blew into me, as it were, until I became a part of it. After this terrible ordeal, I returned to my studio and painted the picture."

It is tough. Life is tough. It is a daily storm. We are tempted daily to quit and to give up on this Christian walk. We are constantly attacked at our weakest point. No one knows how hard it is. Actually someone does know. Jesus was tempted in every area in which we are tempted. He is sympathetic towards us. He knows. He understands. He has been there. He has dealt with it before. He felt the storm you are now experiencing. He became a part of this madness we often call life. He took the enemy’s best shots and strongest temptations and was victorious. And he did all of that so that you would know that you can endure too.

The Sinless Son of Man (Luke 4:1-13)

Jesus went through what you have or are going through without failure. Most of us can’t imagine never caving in to temptation, but that is what Jesus accomplished. He took the devil on and never lost. Because he was the Son of God, we have no problem understanding this. He was God, how could he lose? But what makes this victory so important to us is that Jesus was also the Son of Man. He was just like us. He felt just what we feel. He had desires just like we have desires. He had needs just like we have needs. He was one of us. He hurt just like we hurt. He got angry just like we get angry. But through it all he remained pure. He is living proof that we can win over temptation. He was a sinless man. He was the only sinless man. And the great news is that you have the same power working in you that was dwelling in Christ. You won’t pass every test but you don’t have fail as much as you do either. We have a savior who can assist us. We have a promise that all we have to do is ask him to help us and he will. In the time of our greatest need we can call on the Son of Man and he will come through. He knows and understands.

Tempting Implications

Since we know we are going to be tempted what should we do? Do we just clench our fist and grit our teeth and try to deal with it? No, we can do more that that. Jesus is again the perfect example. One of the most under used weapons against temptation is God’s Word. Notice that in Jesus’ life when the enemy tried to tempt him, Jesus always responded with God’s Word. Rather than trying to deal with him on his own, Jesus relied on the power of God’s Word. This is our secret weapon. We must learn to use God’s Word in its intended manner. God’s Word is a sword that we can use to fight the enemy. For every situation that we face in life there is a Word from God that can help us overcome and win victory. God didn’t give us the Word just so that we would have a nice book to place on the coffee table. He gave us the Word so that we could be armed and dangerous. The Word instructs us that when the enemy comes in like a flood that the Lord will raise up a standard against him. That standard is the Word of God. How often do you go into battle without your sword? Do you ever feel defenseless against the attacks of the enemy? If you do it is probably because you have failed to read, learn, and utilize the Word. A simple memory verse can be the difference between victory and defeat. Learn the Word. Make a habit of learning a new portion of Scripture each week. You will find that you will lose fewer battles. Draw your sword!

William Jennings Bryan used to tell about a man in his hometown who was an alcoholic. He went through a recovery program and apparently was delivered from his bondage to the drink. But, when he rode into town, he continued to hitch his horse to the rail in front of the tavern and soon was again a drunkard.