“And don’t let us yield to temptation.” (Luke 11:1-4b;NLT)
Jesus tells us to pray so that we will not yield to temptation. James gives us practical steps to resist temptation.
James 4:7-8 states, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty, is divided between God and the world.”(NLT)
Temptation can be a strong factor in our lives, which may be why Jesus included it in His prayer. He knew how the devil operated. Remember, Satan tempted Jesus.
John describes the types of temptations we face in our lives.
“For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.” (1 John 2:16; NLT)
These actions and attitudes, when carried to the extreme can get us in trouble. There are boundaries for all of these cravings, but Satan presents them in a different light that leads to darkness.
Let’s break them down more into relatable examples:
Physical pleasures – alcohol, sex, food, drugs
Everything we see: a bigger house, newer car, better job, shopping
Pride: showing off on social media, titles, position, telling others what you have, overconfidence
Theses temptation can show up in our life every day. How can we practically not yield to temptation?
If you remember James 4, we should:
1. Humble yourselves before God- prayerfully admit to the Lord that you need help to overcome the temptation.
2. Resist the devil- by studying the Bible, memorizing, and meditating on it. Find a godly accountability partner or mentor.
3. Come close to God- purpose to daily spend time in God’s Word.
4. Purify your heart- when we sin, don’t wait too long to ask God or others to forgive you. While Satan can use our sins to judge us and make us ashamed, unconfessed sin allows Satan to torment us even more because our relationship with the Lord is not right.
We need the Lord’s strength to resist the temptations of the devil. We striving to live more like Christ is difficult, especially when we have all kinds of temptations thrown at us by Satan. By God’s grace, we can withstand them.
