How to deal with temptation...

Chapter Fifteen:

If you're a believer and follower of Christ, you'll eventually discover that your life has probably become more difficult than you thought it would be when you first asked Christ into your heart.  Anyone who follows Christ is not going to have a trouble-free life.  In fact, the challenges of following Christ is the main reason many walk away and go back to their old way of living.  Dealing with temptation is one of those challenges.

So what exactly is temptation?  Webster's dictionary describes temptation as "the act of tempting or the state of being tempted, especially to evil; enticement".  Enticement is further described as "to attract artfully or by arousing hope or desire."  Temptation usually comes from one of  two places:  your own carnal, fleshly nature or Satan trying to stop you from following Christ.  We will focus on the first type of temptation that comes from us having a carnal, fleshly nature, because if we learn  this lesson and walk by the Spirit, then Satan will have a much harder time getting us to give in to his traps of temptation.

When we read the Bible, we see that even the greatest characters struggled with personal weaknesses.  David knew the Lord and was greatly loved by the Lord, yet he gave in to the temptation of adultery and eventually murder in order to get what he desired. The Scriptures warn us in Hosea 4:6 that, "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge...".  Not understanding temptation and how to deal with it can make your life very difficult, and greatly affect your walk with the Lord and your ability/effectiveness in doing His work.  Many wonder why they can't overcome sin in their life,  and why they are a slave to their appetites. They struggle with guilt, anxiety, doubt and oftentimes disillusionment that they will ever be able to overcome their struggles.  They feel like they'll never be free.

The Bible tells us that before we were redeemed by Christ  we were ruled by our fleshly nature, which insists on pleasing itself.  The word "flesh" is a comprehensive word that involves our intellect, emotions and body.  It is all that a person is through their natural birth into this sinful world, which was polluted at its very source when Adam and Eve first sinned.  The Lord Jesus explained we have two natures when He told Nicodemus, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6).  God, knowing that the sin nature that we were born with could not be reformed or removed,  provided the only solution: salvation by faith in Jesus Christ through His substitutionary death on the cross.  Therefore, our only hope is accepting Christ's atonement for our sins, which you have done if you are now a follower of Christ.

However, now that our spirit has been awakened through accepting Christ's sacrifice, we sadly discover that there is a constant battle between our spiritual nature, which desires to be unselfish and do the will of God, and this old fleshly nature, that still exists and unfortunately will always be a part of us.  In Romans 7:18 - 20, Paul describes this battle that goes on within a believer when he says, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now, if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it."  Each nature wars against the other, seeking to dominate our intellect, emotions and body.

The old nature, that is godless, unbelieving, selfish and linked to the world, wants control of us for its own fleshly gratifications.  Our new spirit nature, which desires to be conformed to the likeness of Christ, to be unselfish and live a holy life so we can have a close relationship with God, also wants control of us. It is a battle where neither side is willing to surrender.  Galatians 5:17 says, "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh and they are contrary to one another, so that you cannot do the things that you would."

Have you discovered that one moment you can be a nice, compassionate, patient person and the next moment you become someone you yourself are disgusted with?  Simple problems in life, someone treating us the wrong way, or even dwelling on ungodly things can allow our fleshly nature to rise up within us.  The result is we do or say things that go against how we want to live.  We lose our temper, think bad thoughts about another person, use foul language that we haven't used in years, or fall temptation to a sin that we promised ourselves we would never do again.  The root of all our ungodly thoughts, words and actions is our fleshly nature.  The conflict between our two natures can be brutal and relentless. If we don't get control of our flesh, it will most definitely affect our walk with God, affect how we treat others and make a big difference in how successful we are at dealing with temptation.

So, what is the answer to this inner struggle?  How do we put down our flesh and cause our spirit to become stronger?  We need to take deliberate action by gaining inner strength from studying and applying the Scriptures to our life, and through a strong prayer life where we seek God's will and not our own personal desires.  There's a poem I came across once (author unknown) that says:

         "Two natures beat within my breast,

           One is foul, the other blessed.

           One I love, the other I hate,

           The one I feed will dominate."

     

Unfortunately we will have this battle rage within us until we die and go to be with the Lord.  The good news is that when we became believers we were given the power to overcome our fleshly nature.  If we make our spirit strong, it will give us the power to keep our flesh subdued, but only if we take the initiative to do what we need to in order to keep it weak within us.  So, the next time you feel yourself being tempted or realize that you are walking in your fleshly, carnal nature, make the choice of strengthening your spirit by going to God in prayer and reading the Word.  It may take several times of doing this before you begin to see results as the flesh doesn't give up easily, especially if it's a temptation that you've given in to many times in the past.  But if you keep pressing in and don't give in to the temptation, your spirit will eventually overcome your flesh.  A word of caution:  the flesh will always try to regain its foothold, so you must stay on your guard and keep your spirit strong.  Remember...the one you feed will dominate! 


P.S.  Computer not cooperating today, so last paragraph may look different from rest of the teaching...sorry!