When Tempted, Resist the Devil

After we've humbled ourselves and submitted to God, the Bible teaches us to defy the Devil. We don't passively resign ourselves to his attacks. God tells us to fight back.

The New Testament often describes the Christian life as a spiritual battle against evil forces, using war terms such as fight, conquer, strive, and overcome. Christians are often compared to soldiers serving in enemy territory.

How can we resist the Devil? Paul tells us, "Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17 NLT)

The first step is to accept God's salvation. You won't be able to say no to the Devil unless you've said yes to Christ. Without Christ we're defenseless against the Devil, but with "the helmet of salvation" our minds are protected by God. Remember this: If you are a believer, Satan cannot force you to do anything. He can only suggest.

Second, you must use the Word of God as your weapon against Satan. Jesus modeled this when he was tempted in the wilderness. Every time Satan suggested a temptation, Jesus countered by quoting Scripture.

He didn't argue with Satan. He didn't say, "I'm not hungry," when tempted to use his power to meet a personal need. He simply quoted Scripture from memory. We must do the same. There is power in God's Word, and Satan fears it.

This is why memorizing Scripture is absolutely essential to defeating temptation. You have quick access to it whenever you're tempted. Like Jesus, you have the truth stored in your heart, ready to be remembered.

When Tempted, Humble Yourself Before God

You may sometimes feel that a temptation is too overpowering for you to bear, but that's a lie from Satan. God has promised never to allow more on you than he puts within you to handle it. He will not permit any temptation that you could not overcome. However, you must do your part too by practicing biblical methods for defeating temptation.
First and foremost, you want to refocus your attention on something besides the temptation. It may surprise you that nowhere in the Bible are we told to "resist temptation." We're told to "resist the devil," and that is very different. (James 4:7)
The Bible says we're to refocus our attention because trying to resist a thought simply doesn't work. It only intensifies our focus on the wrong thing and strengthens its allure.
In other words, whatever you resist, persists.
Since temptation always begins with a thought, the quickest way to neutralize its allure is to turn your attention to something else. Don't fight the thought, just change the channel of your mind and get interested in another idea.
The battle for sin is won or lost in your mind. Whatever gets your attention will get you. That's why Job said, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust upon a young woman." (Job 31:1 NLT)
And David prayed, "Keep me from paying attention to what is worthless." (Psalm 119:3a TEV)

Understand Your Vulnerability

Understand Your Vulnerability

When you're tempted, keep your vulnerability in mind and work out ways to protect yourself. God warns us to never to get cocky and overconfident about our ability to handle temptation; that's the recipe for disaster.

In fact, the prophet Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure." (Jeremiah 17:9 NIV)

That means we're good at fooling ourselves. Given the right circumstances, any of us are capable of any sin. We must never let down our guard and think we're beyond temptation: "Don't carelessly place yourself in tempting situations. Avoid them." (Proverbs 14:16 TEV)

Remember it's easier to stay out of temptation than to get out of it. The Bible says, "Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence." (1 Corinthians 10:12 MSG)

One final note from Scripture: "And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT)

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