“Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness” (Romans 6:12-13a)
For temptation to be effectively repulsed, our response to it must be immediate and decisive. If we respond tentatively or with uncertainty, if we leave the door open in any way to temptation, temptation will keep seeking us out and trying to defeat us. When temptation presses hard at the door, a hesitant or unsure response is as good as an invitation in the front door; a wishy-washy response is like fuel to the fires of temptation. As flood waters press against a house, penetrating every crack and opening not sealed tight, so also temptation will find and exploit any mind that is not completely “sealed” against the possibility of sin. Some might be firm against temptation for a short while, yet they allow for the possibility of sinning, or they keep thinking about the temptation in their minds, or they stay near the source of the temptation. They do not take decisive action to refuse the temptation and make it impossible for them to sin.
For example, if you are tempted by pornography on the internet or television, simply changing the website or channel is not enough because you can always simply go back again. You must close and lock every door and window by turning off the computer or television and getting out of the room, then asking someone else to install filters to keep you permanently away from it. Temptation is extremely persistent, and any response that is not immediate, decisive, and persistent is simply telling temptation to “come back later.” We will only overcome temptation when we really mean business and take actions accordingly. [A word of caution: taking measures to remove the source of temptation will not permanently keep us from sin, for we can always find ways to undo the things we put in place to help us. Putting in place safeguards against temptation is like putting up a railing at the edge of a cliff; a person can always find a way to jump over the fence if they really want to, but the fence is there to make it more difficult to jump and to prevent the inadvertent slip. Fences are good, but ultimately we must Rebuild our relationship with the Lord to replace the desire for sin with a desire for His righteousness.]
But even when we refuse temptation immediately and decisively, it is common for the temptation to come right back again, as if our refusal did not good at all. This can be discouraging if we are not aware of the fact that temptation is often very persistent because the desires within our own bodies for sin can burn intensely at times. To make matters worse, in times like these it may seem like God is very distant and does not care about our crisis. In these situations we must not lose heart and must not give in. Keep resisting firmly, a second, third, forth, and fifth time. God will not resist the temptation for us; He requires us to do that, and He wants to test us and train us and prove what we are made of. Your determination and endurance will be tested and stretched, seemingly beyond your abilities. Expect to be tested to the breaking point, and be resolute in resisting. We have God’s promises that He will come to our aid and bring relief; He has promised that if we resist the devil he will flee from us (James 4:7), but the devil is not repulsed lightly or easily. Tie the knot in the end of the rope and hang on. Keep resisting until temptation fades away and that joyous relief comes. The Lord’s fellowship and pleasure are well worth the struggle. Therefore, an absolutely essential step in resisting temptation when it comes is to refuse temptation immediately, decisively, and persistently.
· Develop an immediate reaction against temptation, an automatic reflex away from sin and toward righteousness. Stand firm against the enemy, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8-9
· Immediately hold up the shield of faith to extinguish Satan’s flaming missiles, believing in God and His Word. Concentrate on other things, bite your tongue, review Scripture, look away, and do whatever is necessary to prevent Satan’s fiery darts from hitting you. Wage war against the fleshly lusts which wage war against your soul.
Ephesians 6:14-17, 1 Peter 2:11
· Do not do argue with your conscience, and do not do the thing if you cannot do it in faith with a clear conscience before God.
Romans 14:22-23, Hebrews 11:6, Titus 1:15
· Refuse to dwell on or consider temptation; refuse to allow it to get a foothold in your thinking.
Genesis 39:10, Job 31:1, Psalm 101:1-8
· Refuse to let sin reign in your body and refuse to be a slave to sin again.
John 8:34, Romans 6:12-20
· Refuse to go back to failure, guilt, shame, and despair.
Psalm 119:80, Ezekiel 16:52-54, 62-63, 36:31-32, Romans 6:21, Hebrews 10:26-27
· Refuse to throw away your confidence before God, which has a great reward.
Hebrews 3:6, 10:23, 35-39, 1 John 2:28-29, 3:21-24
· Refuse to grieve or quench the Holy Spirit or make Him a partaker of sin.
1 Corinthians 6:15-20, Ephesians 4:30, 1 Thessalonians 5:19
· Refuse to “trample underfoot the Son of God” and “insult the Spirit of grace.”
Hebrews 10:26-29
· Do not give in to the logic and persuasions of sinners.
Psalm 1, Proverbs 25:26, 1 Corinthians 15:33, Ephesians 4:17-19, 5:5-12, 1 Peter 4:3-5
· Take heed lest you fall. Don’t become too self-assured or arrogant, thinking you cannot be tempted. Don’t think you can dabble or play with temptation and remain unaffected.
1 Corinthians 10:12, Galatians 6:1
· Use your imagination to help you resist; picture yourself going to great extremes to avoid sin; imagine yourself choosing great bodily harm rather than this sin; view the old self being crucified; picture this sin as something repulsive, like eating gravel or vomit.
Proverbs 20:17, 26:11, Matthew 5:29-30, Galatians 2:20
· Resist, and keep on resisting, even when it seems like too much to bear. Simply refuse to sin. Just say no to sin. Make no allowances for failure. Resist even if it means personal loss and suffering.
Job 1:22, 2:3, Psalm 18:23, 119:112, Ephesians 6:10-18, 2 Timothy 3:12, Hebrews 11:25-26, 12:4, James 4:7, 1 Peter 4:1-2, 5:9-10