Deception Covered with Perfection

It's that desire that keeps flitting across your mind. It's the slight tug inside you feel. It's the thing that keeps repeating itself in your head. Temptation. Even after we repent of past sin and move on it seems to chase us down. Temptation comes in different forms and at different times. It's different and unique to each person.

John 10:10, "A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance."

Satan only wants to steal, kill, and destroy. He looks for your weaknesses and attacks them. He tempts you to do what is wrong. He's cunning, clever, and evil. He will twist the truth into lies to try to get you to do something. It's like in the Garden, he tempted Eve with the fruit and twisted the truth to convince her to disobey God and eat the fruit. Deception covered with perfection. He's a master at lying and tempts you. How can we stand against him? How do we not fall into temptation?

Matthew 26:41, "Stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

While deep down we don't want to fall into temptation, our sinful side is weak. Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons against the Enemy. We need to pray that we don't fall into temptation. Jesus told His disciples to stay awake and pray but they didn't, and as a result Peter denied Jesus three times. When Jesus tells us to do something we need to do it... we need to pray that we don't fall into temptation. You can be as firmly set in your mind that you won't give into temptation but without Jesus you will fall because your flesh is weak. We need to pray.

Never fight temptation, flee from it. If you try to fight it you'll most likely fall to it. Flee from it. Depending on what the temptation is it can be hard to do. If it's to yell at someone exit the room. If it's to go to a certain place on the internet busy yourself doing something else. Don't give temptation an opportunity to take root.

In Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert. And how did He reply all three times? With Scripture. It's important to know Scripture so that you can tell the difference between truth and the Enemy's lies. And if you're being tempted with something look up Bible verses for it and try memorizing them - so that when you're being tempted you can just repeat those verses.

Sometimes we're able to defeat the temptation, yet sometimes we fall for it. One time, well, many times, I fell for temptation and I didn't realize it at first ... then slowly God gently showed me but I lived in denial of it... trying to use rationalize with myself that it isn't really sin. Thankfully God is gracious and forgiving.

Being tempted is not a sin. Everyone goes through temptation at one point or another. If you are being seriously tempted then don't be afraid to go to a fellow believer in Christ who you trust. And pray and memorize Scripture. Flee from temptation.


What are some ways that you've overcome temptation? What are some scriptures that have encouraged you in that area of temptation? Is there some way that you're being tempted right now but haven't wanted to admit?