WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED

Genesis 3: 1-4

Have you ever wondered why God put the forbidden tree in the middle of the garden? That was no accident. He could have put it anywhere, but God chose that spot because he wanted Adam and Eve to know exactly where it was so they could avoid it. It is always easier to avoid temptation than to overcome it. If they could avoid that place, they wouldn’t be tempted. They knew where the forbidden tree was so they could stay away from it. If they could avoid that place, they wouldn’t be tempted, so they could stay away from it and enjoy the rest of the garden.

    A man broke his arm and went to see the doctor. He walked in clutching his arm in great pain. “Doc you gottta help me,” he moaned. “ I broke my arm in two places. What should I do? The doctor said, “There’s only one thing to do. Stay out of those places!” (Ouch, you knew it was coming, didn’t you?)

We get into trouble many times because we hang around the wrong places or the wrong crowd. Staying from these situations can keep us from getting into trouble.

    Temptations usually begin with a thought to go to a certain place. The temptation began for Adam and Eve when they decided to take a trip to the middle of the garden. The tree of life was also in the middle of the garden, but that’s not why they went there. They went to look at the wrong tree. When they chose to inspect forbidden fruit rather than legitimate fruit, they had entered temptation. Every boxing ring has rope around it where the boxers fight. If we stay outside the ring, we will be safe. But once we enter the ring, temptation begins to fight with us.

I once counseled a man who had a drinking problem. He stopped in the bar on the way home from work. I asked where the bar was and he said right on the way home where all his buddies stopped and that’s when he entered into temptation. I suggested that he take a different way home so he could not be enticed. He said that was an important factor in helping him overcome his temptation to drink.

In Luke 11:4 Jesus taught us to pray, “ lead us not into temptation.”  This dose not mean god is leading us into temptation, but that He can lead us in such a way that we will avoid temptation.

HERE ARE EIGHT WAYS TO KEEP FROM STRAYING INTO TEMPTATION.

1. We reduce temptations by avoiding the places of temptation.
2. We open ourselves to temptation when we provide for our flesh.
3. If we move in the place of temptation, Satan will be waiting there ready to tempt us.
4. Once we enter temptation, we are blinded to the consequences.
5. The pull of the temptation increases the closer we get to the forbidden fruit
6. We must run from the temptation rather than try to resist it.
7. Forbidden fruit is never as sweet as you have been told it will be.
8. When we are full of God’s fruit, we won’t be hungry for forbidden fruit.

The key to victory over temptation is found in Galatians 5:16 that tells us, :If we walk in the spirit, we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.” God isn’t interested in putting our flesh in a straight jacket, trying to restrain our evil impulses. We must have something to displace the desires of the flesh.  The only thing that will displace the desires of the flesh is a genuine relationship and a genuine work of the Holy Spirit inside our hearts.  When we yield to the Spirits control, He puts His desires within to want what he wants (Gal. 5:17). We begin to desire the things of the Spirit rather than the things of the flesh, and then He fulfills our desires in His way.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE DEFEATED- God has promised that sin shall not be master over you (Rom 6:14 “ For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, you can walk in victory!

Keep the Faith LSC!