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Temptation – Part 4

Building A Defense Against Temptation – Steps 6-10:

6. Put on the Whole Armor of God:

Another very valuable defense you can build into your life is one that I personally have used for many years. Countless people to whom I have taught this defense tactic have told me how valuable it is in their lives. I strongly recommend it to you: Every morning, before you get out of bed, put on the whole armor of God. Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints — and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” ~ Ephesians 6:10-20

What does it mean to put on this armor every day? It means praying, “Lord, I put on the helmet of salvation to protect what I think. I put on the breastplate of righteousness to protect my emotions. I gird my loins with truth so I might produce and create in truth, not error. I put on the sandals of the preparation of the gospel of peace so I might be a messenger of God’s love and mercy. I pick up the sword of the Spirit so the Word of God might work in me and through me today. I carry the total-body shield of faith to protect me against all the temptations, accusations, and assaults of the devil against my life, my mind, and my heart.” Putting on the armor of God is putting on the strength of Jesus Christ. It is declaring that He is our Lord and we are His servants.

This discipline of putting on the whole armor of God every morning is a powerful reminder to our own spirits that we do not live for ourselves, but we live and move and have our being in Christ Jesus. It is a powerful reminder that we must rely upon the Holy Spirit to guard what we think, how we feel, where we go, what we produce, what we believe, and how we respond to life.

7. Maintain a Big-Picture Focus:

The devil’s lie to us at all times is to focus on what we want. Part of his temptation to us involves a shutting out of what God’s Word says, what other people think, what the law says, what common sense dictates, and so forth. He brackets out anything that might act as a restraint.

If I am out in the snowcapped mountains on a photography trip, I have a number of options. I can use a wide-angle lens to try to take in the full panorama of a mountain range. Or, I can put a longer lens on my camera and focus on one aspect of a mountain – a particular ravine or glacier or outcropping of rock. If I put on an extremely long lens, I may be able to focus on the behavior of a single goat or bear. Once I am looking through a strong telephoto lens, I no longer have a sense of the big picture of the mountain scene. I have zeroed in on only one element, and that element dominates my concentration.

The same happens in a temptation to sin. When we focus only on what we need in a given moment, we lose all sense of the big picture of our lives. We shut out all thoughts of penalty for sin, and focus only on the pleasure we believe we will experience. In order to build a defense against this tactic of the devil, we need to keep the big picture of our lives always before us. We need to stay in the Word of God on a daily basis. We need to read the Bible every morning and then intentionally recall what we read periodically throughout the day. We need to have our radios tuned to Christian stations that give us godly messages and Christ-honoring music. We need to spend time with family members and friends to keep our perspective on life more fully rounded – we need to maintain a sense of obligation, responsibility, and duty to those we love.

8. Guard the Gates of Perception:

We also need to guard what we take into our lives. The best place to put a stop to food temptations is at the grocery store, not when you are staring into your well-stocked pantry or refrigerator. Simply don’t bring home foods that are tempting to you. If you don’t have peach ice cream in the freezer – I can’t be tempted to eat a bowl of it before bedtime. In like manner, the best move to take in counteracting a temptation to overspend or to purchase frivolous items on impulse is to stay out of the mall and turn off the television set. Refuse to watch the shopping channel. Refuse to spend time idly floating through a shopping center just to see what’s available. If you find yourself tempted to watch certain programs or movies that you know do not depict godly behavior, refuse to sign up with your cable or satellite dish provider for the stations that carry those programs.

Don’t go to the places where you routinely find yourself tempted. Don’t hang around the people who routinely try to talk you into behavior that you know is sinful. Don’t purchase an item to “try”, knowing in advance that the substance has potential for harm.

Anticipate trouble points – go over your day’s agenda with the Lord early each morning and specifically ask for the Holy Spirit’s help and guidance as you enter situations or encounters that you believe may produce temptation.

Guard yourself against putting yourself in a personal circumstance in which your perception may be clouded. A word I recommend frequently is HALT:

H = Hunger. Never allow yourself to become too hungry.
A = Anger. Never allow yourself to become too angry.
L = Lonely. Never allow yourself to become too lonely.
T = Tired. Never allow yourself to become too tired.

It is when we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired that we are most prone to yield to temptation. It’s easiest to overeat or eat the wrong foods when we are famished. It’s easiest to reach out to someone who is wrong for us when we are extremely lonely. It’s easiest to use substances to calm us down when we are seething with anger. It’s easiest to be talked into sinful behavior when we are tired physically.

Also recognize that some occasions during a year may be a prime time for temptation to strike. The occasion may be an anniversary, a holiday, a birthday, or some other time of general celebration. Those are occasions when we feel more like indulging ourselves, either as a personal reward, or as compensation for hurtful memories associated with that event in the past.

9. Build Accountability into Your Life:

Accountability is especially important if you find yourself facing temptations frequently, or if you find yourself dealing with the same temptation repeatedly. Find a loyal, devoted, Christ-serving, Bible-believing mentor, counselor, or close friend who will call you to account for your behavior. Admit the areas of temptation that seem especially strong in your life. If a temptation strikes and you are struggling to resist it, call this person. Admit the feelings you are having and ask for the person’s encouragement, advice, or prayer. Ask this person to check up on you periodically and to question how you are handling your propensity to sin in a particular area of your life.

Many groups designed to help people with addictions have sponsors to whom an addict can turn for support, encouragement, and counsel. This is actually a biblical principle. Jesus sent out His disciples to do their work “two by two”. Part of the reason was for mutual support and encouragement; part of the reason was for mutual accountability, wise counsel, and prayer. The truth of God is established out of the mouths of two witnesses – when you are routinely speaking God’s truth to yourself, and a close friend is also routinely speaking God’s truth to you, God’s truth is going to dominate your thinking and behaving.

You must want to be able to resist temptation and to be made strong in areas where you are vulnerable. You must choose obedience.

10. Cry Out to God for Help:

Remember always that God is in control at all times – He does not abandon you in temptation situations, or say to you, “You’re on your own in this matter.” No! He is with you at all times and in all situations, and He desires for you to ask Him for help any and every time you are tempted.

Furthermore, God has put limits on the degree to which we are tempted. He is the One who will help you escape the snare of temptation. Your ultimate defense in times of temptation is to cry out to God for His help.

If you have yielded to temptation, or if a particular temptation has become a habit, you especially must call out to God. Only God can deliver you from bondage you have put yourself in.

I recently heard the story of a man whose beloved wife had died from a suffering, painful disease when she was only in her forties. This man had served God all his life, but in the aftermath of his wife’s death, he became very angry with God for not healing his wife. He began to avoid going to church, associating with strong Christians, reading his Bible, and praying. Instead, he began spending his time with an ungodly woman who was flashy, daring, and energetic – all of which signaled life to him in the face of his grief and sorrow. In spite of the counsel of his children, his brothers and sisters, his parents, and many of his strong Christian friends, he moved in with this woman. He lived in a hellish state for nearly six years. Their relationship was marked by nearly constant argument, thrown vases, abusive language, alcohol use, and a total avoidance of godly events, friendships, or disciplines.

Then the day came when this man called out to God. He said, “I knew I was at the end of myself. I had no ability in myself to say “no” to this woman, or to say or do the things I knew were right. I cried out to God, ‘Please forgive me. Help me!’ Almost immediately, I had the courage to move out of this relationship and to refuse all contact with this woman. I also had the courage to crawl humbly back to my family and friends and ask for their forgiveness and help.”

If you are stuck in the consequences of temptation today, cry out to God for His forgiveness and assistance. He will hear you and answer you in His mercy.

Stand Steadfast

As you stand against the onslaughts of temptation, verbalize frequently your faith in God’s ability to help you withstand temptation. Voice your faith in His presence with you, your dependency on His strength, and your belief in His promise to help you.

I have absolutely no doubt that if you will put these ten safeguards against temptation into your life, God will honor your efforts and help you withstand temptation.
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Excerpt from: “Walking Wisely – Real Guidance for Life’s Journey” ~ Charles F. Stanley