HOW TO FIGHT BACK TEMPTATION

The first step in fighting temptation is to be totally honest. John wrote, “And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). In other words, because of sinful behavior people will not listen to the truth—they deceive themselves with all sorts of rationale that amounts to no more than excuses—and so will be destroyed in the end. If you not listen to the truth about yourself, You cannot change. So You must be totally honest with yourself about your sinful habits. you have to recognize my problem. Otherwise, you will never be able to overcome temptation to do those things, and You will remain enslaved.

Secondly, You need to, and must be open to, godly guidance. Paul wrote regarding the people of the Church, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word…” (Ephesians 5:26). Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, And a light for my path.” And in Proverbs, “Listen to counsel and receive instruction, That you may be wise in your latter end” (Proverbs 19:20 ). If you truly want to combat the yearnings of temptation, and even escape sinful habits that have developed in you, You have to wash your mind with Scripture, seek godly counsel, and willingly heed correction. And what will go a long way in receiving helpful correction is honesty and humility. you got to be honest about yourself, and you have to accept correction without excuses or defensiveness.

Finally, you have to depend on the Holy Spirit for conviction and strength to resist the temptation. Jesus said, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13). Paul wrote, “I say, then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (Galatians 6:1). Proverbs states, “With all your heart you must trust the LORD and not your own judgment. Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow. Don't ever think that you are wise enough, but respect the LORD and stay away from evil. This will make you healthy, and you will feel strong” (Proverbs 3:5-8).

Paul wrote, “In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don't know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can't be uttered. He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit's mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God.” (Romans 8:26-27). The point of these Scriptures is as follows: You must trust in God’s Spirit to help you, guide you, and give you strength. He will deal with you in areas of your life that need correction or change. He will always guide you toward what is true, and it will ultimately benefit you. And you must make intercession—pray. He will help you in your prayers.

Throughout our lifetimes, we are bombarded with temptations to sin. And the pulling—the enticement—can be very strong. It tugs at the heart and seduces the will into sinning. It captures the heart and mind, and results in sinful habits that enslave the soul. But giving in to temptation is destructive, both to the tempted, and to others. It not only wrecks lives, but has an eternal cost as well. The only remedy is to fight back and struggle to overcome temptation, you and I must be completely honest with our selves about weaknesses. We must turn to God’s Word, and depend upon the Holy Spirit for help.

There is strength to overcome the temptation by drawing close to God in this manner.t is important to remember that when temptation comes, anyone can fight back no matter how difficult it seems—and have God’s help to do it. As Scripture says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7). Successfully fighting temptation can be done. You and I can beat it with the help of God.