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Taking Control:
a guide for youth |
Coping with temptation
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What temptations do you find most difficult?
Alcohol? Temper? Immoral thoughts? Laziness? Try
writing down the two or three sins which you find
most difficult to avoid. You can't begin to cope
with your temptations unless you have first
identified them.
Now that you know what temptations you are needing
to cope with, we can begin to think about how you
can do it. Here are two very useful Bible verses
on the subject of coping with temptation. (2 Timothy 2:22; Matthew
26:41)
"Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue
righteousness, faith, love and peace, along
with those who call on the Lord out of a pure
heart."
"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into
temptation. The spirit is willing, but the
body is weak."
Together, these verses provide us with the Bible's
advice on coping with temptation and suggest the
following action plan to help us.
- Step 1. Watch: identify your major weaknesses in temptation
- Step 2. Run: get right away from whatever it is which is causing
your temptation
- Step 3. Pray: ask God's help in overcoming your
temptation problem.
You have already done Step 1 -- you have identified
the two or three major sources of your own
temptations. Now think about Step 2. What do you
need to do to avoid the temptation in the future?
If it is alcohol, don't go anywhere where you will
be tempted and don't mix with people who will lead
you into temptation. If it is laziness, change
your daily schedule so that you are less likely to
fall for the same problem. It is a good idea to
tell one or two close friends what you are doing,
because they can help you keep to your aim.
Finally, Step 3. Take the two or three temptations
you have identified and talk to God about them.
Ask him to strengthen you in resisting the
temptation.
Have you ever noticed that these three steps are
exactly the approach Jesus used to deal with his
own temptations? One of his temptations was the
desire to have great political power. He had
identified it as a problem when he was in the
wilderness (Matthew 4:8-10)
(Step 1). Later, when the crowds
following him sought to make him king in defiance
of the Roman government, he withdrew to an isolated
mountain (Step 2) on his own to pray (Step 3). (John 6:15; Matthew
14:23)
We
can learn from his example: get right away from the
source of temptation and talk to your Heavenly
Father.
Another good example is Joseph. When tempted by
Potiphar's wife to commit adultery, he refused to
even be with her (Genesis 39:10). He was following
Step 2 and getting right away from the source of
temptation. We can be sure he was also praying
regularly about it.
When we begin to fight against our temptations, it
is easy to think it is all too hard. But remember
the promise God has given us: (1 Corinthians 10:13)
"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."
God allows us to be tempted because it tests our
faith and desire to serve him. But he prevents the
temptations becoming too much for us. So whatever
you are fighting against, you know you can overcome
it with God's help.
Resisting temptation is really important. God
sends you these temptations to test you and he
doesn't want you to fail. But if you are to cope
with temptation and not sin, you need to be serious
about working on your temptations. Follow the
action plan: Watch, Run, Pray. And remember the
help that Jesus can give: (Hebrew 2:18)
"Because he suffered when he was tempted, he
is able to help those who are being tempted."
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