Temptation

"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes" Ephesians 6:11 (see also 2 Corinthians 2:11).

Satan attacks the Christian in order to distract him away from his focus on Jesus (2 Cor.11:2-3; Heb.12:2). Although he can attack through persecution, discouragement and other ways, one of his most powerful weapons is temptation. Satan uses two ways to bring temptation to a believer:

The desires of the world

Satan seeks to tempt a believer to become absorbed into the world's system:

To make the material things of the world a central desire.
To make the honor and recognition of this world an important goal.
To make the comfort of being a part of this world our basis for security.

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" 1 John 2:15.

The desires of the flesh

Although a Christian - through Christ's work on the Cross - is delivered from the results of sin, and from the enslaving power of sin itself (see Romans 6:6-14), he still lives in a physical body that is subject to natural appetites and desires. Satan will focus on the flesh to distract a Christian form the promptings of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:5-9: James 1:14: Ephesians 2:3) .

The First Temptation

Satan won his original victory in the areas of the world and the flesh (read Genesis 3:1-6) and these are still his tactics today.

"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (craving for sensual gratification), and the lust of the eyes (greedy longings of the mind) and the pride of life (assurance in one's own resources or in the stability of earthly things)." 1 John 2:16, Amplified.

Genesis 3:16	1 John 2:16
Good for food	"Lust of the flesh"
Pleasing to the eye	"Lust of the eyes"
Desirable for gaining wisdom	"Pride of life"

Since the fall of Adam, all mankind has been governed by their flesh, which is now corrupted by a sinful nature (Gal.5:19-21).

The Victory Won By Christ

Jesus came to the earth to reverse the effects of Adam's fall (Romans 5:12-19). He did this in two ways:

Through His life

Jesus was tempted in everything, exactly as we are, "yet was without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).

Luke 4:1-13	1 John 2:16
Stones to bread	"Lust of the flesh"
Kingdoms of the earth	"Lust of the eyes"
Pinnacle of the temple	"Pride of life"

Jesus defeated every temptation from Satan. He opened the way for us to experience the same victory.

Through His death and resurrection

The Cross released us from sin's death grip (Rom.8:1-4,9). We are now free to walk in obedience to God (Rom.6:11-14).

The Daily Victory

Because of this great victory won for us by Christ, the Christian can now confidently face any attack from Satan. Here are six keys to continual victory:

Know the victory is already won

Satan was totally defeated at the Cross (Col.2:14-15). His schemes now only work through our ignorance (Hosea 4:6; 2 Cor.2:11). We must understand that our victory is not because of our own ability, but because we are in Christ (Romans 8:37). We are not trying to get victory. We live, through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the victory that Christ has already won.

Walk in step with the Spirit

A new power is placed within the Christian - the Holy Spirit Himself. We are to walk in obedience to His inner promptings day by day (see Galatians 5:16,22-25).

Recognize the temptation for what it is

Temptation is not sin; yielding to temptation is! (see James 1:15; Genesis 4:6-7). Even Jesus - the sinless Son of God - was tempted, but He never gave in.

Know the way of escape

"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.

In the midst of every temptation, God is right there with you. He wants you to rely on His power, not your own. We do this not by trying to resist in our own strength, but by escaping into the presence of God. The Lord Himself is our way of escape.

Live a life of daily submission to God

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" James 4:7.

This is the simple secret to resisting temptation. Firstly, we are called as Christians to live in the submission of daily fellowship with God. Then when temptation comes, we have the authority of that submission to resist. And Satan will flee!

Avoid obvious areas of temptation

"I will set before my eyes no vile thing." Psalm 101:3.

We must never think we are invincible to Satan's temptation. He is "a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8-9). We must always be alert and responsive to the promptings of God's Spirit (1 Timothy 6:9-12). Above all, the secret to victory over temptation is in keeping our focus on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). If we maintain this daily focus, overcoming temptation will be an automatic result of our walk with God (Col.3:1-4; Phil.4:8; Gal.5:16).

".for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" 1 John 5:4.

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