---

Topical Studies | Angels | Anger | Anxiety | Baptism | Communication | Confession | Contentment | Covenant | Discipleship | Envy | Evangelism | Faith | Faithfulness | Fasting | False Teachers | Fellowship | Generosity  | Grace | Gratitude | Holiness | Hope |  Hospitality | Hypocrisy | Marriage | Money | Making Vows | Peer Pressure | Persecution | Rest | Resurrection | Self-control | Service | Spiritual Gifts | Sin | Stewardship | Suffering | Temptation | The Tongue |

---

How Should We Respond to Temptation Biblically?

---

Jesus’s Own Temptation: Our Model for Victory

Matthew 4:4 — “But he answered, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”‘”

The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. While God did not tempt Him, it was part of His sovereign plan to allow Satan to tempt Jesus. This encounter would serve as an example for us of how to face temptation. God Himself will never tempt us and He has also promised to never allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. At the same time He may allow Satan to tempt us, but then use those temptations as a trial to teach us to rely on Him more.

Satan wanted Jesus to focus on His physical hunger and physical desires instead of spiritual nourishment. Satan tempts Jesus in the lust of the flesh. Jesus responds with God’s Word.

Reflect — Why does Satan use Scripture in his second temptation? What does this teach us about Satan?

Satan uses Scripture to tempt Jesus. This shows us that Satan is very familiar with the Scriptures. But he twists them to use them for his own purposes. He intentionally omitted part of the verses he was quoting from Psalms 91:11-12. We have to be very careful to correctly interpret the Scriptures. That means not taking them out of context.

We see Satan’s true heart of pride. He wants to be worshiped. He wants to be God. Jesus showed His true power and authority. He commands Satan, and Satan must obey. When you are tempted, turn to Jesus because He is stronger and Satan cannot stand up to Him.

Application — Jesus responds with Scripture again, giving us an example that we should always respond to lies and temptation with truth. Meditate on the truth of God’s Word and use it to defend yourself against attacks.

— From our Bible study on Matthew 4:1-11

Where Temptation Actually Comes From

James 1:14-15 — “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

James makes an important distinction between trials and temptations, as well as their source. He makes it clear that God is never responsible for tempting people. Temptation comes from evil, but God is pure and holy, not evil. It is essential we know that God is not the source of temptation. Otherwise, we may excuse our sin by blaming God and saying, “God is tempting me.” But of course, this way of thinking is wrong. God never condones sin. He is not the author of evil. And He never tempts anyone.

Temptation is only effective because it interacts with our lustful flesh. God cannot be tempted. Why? Because He has no evil or evil desires. We are tempted every day because we are evil and have evil desires. Some things might be a temptation for one person but not another because their desires are different. One person may not be tempted by alcohol and drugs but may be tempted by lustful thoughts and sex. We must be aware of our own weaknesses.

Satan is like a lion and wants to devour you. Lions have little chance of catching wary prey. Their only opportunity is to sneak up on unsuspecting victims and pounce before they are noticed. To avoid this fate, we must humbly realize our own fleshly weaknesses so that we can protect against them.

Reflect — What steps can we take to protect ourselves against ourselves?

• Fellowship. Surround yourselves with other believers who can keep you accountable.
• Get an accountability partner. If you know you are tempted in one area, ask a brother to check up on you from time to time and ask the tough questions.
• Avoid places or things we know will tempt us. One famous definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over and hoping for a different result. Break the cycle. Try something different.
• Set standards for ourselves of things we will or won’t do to make clear lines.
• Pray immediately when we face a temptation. Make a habit to just say a simple “help me” to God in the moment of temptation.
• Fill our minds with the Bible. If you memorize Scripture, it will come to mind to protect and convict you.

What God says through James about temptation is very different from what Satan says. Satan might call temptation an opportunity for pleasure. The father of lies always promises more than he can deliver. But God says that temptation realized brings about sin and that sin brings about death (Romans 6:23). You can see the two opposing views in Genesis where God said they would die if they ate the fruit, and Satan said, “You surely will not die.” Who was right? God was. They died. And He still is right today.

— From our Bible study on James 1:12-27

A Test Is Not the Same as a Temptation

Judges 2:2-3 – You shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”

God was perfectly willing to drive out the nations before Israel and had promised to do so if they followed Him faithfully. It was a conditional promise and they failed to keep up their end of the bargain. The direct consequence was God was not obligated to drive them out and didn’t. Sin brings bad results. Even in this, God was still sovereign and used the continued presence of the nations around Israel to test His people. Through the judges He continually warned them not to follow the people around them, but to follow Him wholeheartedly.

Reflect — What is the difference between test and temptation?

God doesn’t tempt anyone, but He tests them. A test is intended to help someone learn or improve or make the right choice. Example: A teacher gives a test to her students. She wants the students to do well. A temptation is something intended to bring out the bad in someone and encourage them to make the wrong choice. Example: a friend who knows a person struggles with getting drunk brings out some alcohol and keeps encouraging him to drink it. He wants him to get drunk and return to his old ways of life. Satan tempts. God tests.

— From our Bible study on Judges 2

David and Bathsheba: How an Idle Moment Becomes a Ruined Life

Matthew 5:28 — “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

In the spring when kings go out to war, though his army was at war, David was not. We don’t know why David decided not to go with the army. Perhaps it was nothing more than laziness and a desire to enjoy the comfortable life of the palace rather than the harsh realities of war. It is said that an idle mind is the devil’s playground. David apparently had altogether too much free time at the palace. And we will see that the results were not good.

Application — One method to pre-emptively ward off temptation is to keep ourselves busy doing good things. If we are using our time well serving the Lord there is less time and opportunity for thinking of and participating in sin.

From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The first sight of Bathsheba was not sinful. If David was just having a walk on the roof and happened to catch sight of Bathsheba, he cannot be blamed for that first moment. The sin is in the second look or the lingering look. After David first saw Bathsheba, he had a choice. What could he have done? He could have immediately turned away and gone back inside. But this is not what David did. He kept looking long enough to notice that Bathsheba was beautiful.

After that he could not get her out of his mind. A thought, a temptation, a lust had been born in his mind. Instead of confessing that initial lust and dealing with it, he pursued it. He allowed it to grow. Then he did the worst thing he could have possibly done. He acted on it. Step by step David committed the worst sin in his whole life and it was disastrous on many levels.

— From our Bible study on 2 Samuel 11

Flee and Pursue

2 Timothy 2:22 — “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

The Bible is not always complicated. Often it is very simple. Here the lesson is clear. You don’t need a P.H.D. or a seminary education to understand it. We are to flee temptations. When we are tempted we are to run. This also implies that we are to avoid things or places which we know will stir up temptations in us.

The Bible often contains negative and positive instructions. We are to flee something and pursue something else. Righteousness and faith, love and peace are all intangible. How specifically can you pursue these intangible qualities?

Reflect — Here are a few ideas:

• Memorize verses.
• Read Christian books and biographies.
• Keep a prayer journal to remind yourself of God’s faithfulness.
• Set clear, practical, goals (short and long-term) for your spiritual growth.

We are not alone. God has given us brothers and sisters who can help us in these goals. In long distance biking races like the Tour De France teams help each other reach higher speeds than they could do on their own. When you watch these races, you will notice that the team members take turns being the lead racer while others draft behind them, taking turns “resting.” Geese do this as well flying in V formation and taking turns rotating to the end of the line.

Application — Are you doing anything specific to help your brothers and sisters in their pursuit of righteousness? Are you receiving help from others?

— From our Bible study on 2 Timothy 2:20-26

Resisting the Devil Like a Wary Prey

1 Peter 5:8 — “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Do you believe the devil is doing this? Do you believe that he also sends his demons to run around the earth like his little emissaries? Do you believe that they have strategies and well-thought-out schemes for ensnaring Christians? If you don’t, read the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, as it paints a picture of how demons may scheme to ensnare Christians.

How can we be alert? We should know ourselves well. That means we should know our weaknesses and areas where we are more easily tempted. Then, we need to make sure we stay far away from the temptations that might ensnare us. We should also make no opportunity for the flesh. Two is better than one. If we are going to be in a situation that could be a temptation, take along another believer.

Part of being alert is having an escape plan ready to go. That means we know what we are going to do if temptation comes.

Reflect — When you face temptation, what will you do? Some things could include:

• Run.
• Pray.
• Call another Christian for help and encouragement.
• Read Scripture.

A lion is a very dangerous creature. Wild animal trainers try every trick in the book to tame them. Still, we sometimes read stories in the news about lion tamers who were killed by lions. Most of the time, it is because for a moment, trainers became distracted and the lions saw the opportunity to attack. Let us not give Satan the same opportunity.

Resist him, firm in your faith. Don’t give in. Don’t give up. We have the greatest lion tamer who ever lived, Christ, who wants to help us have the victory. So do not depend on your own strength. Depend on Him.

— From our Bible study on 1 Peter 5:6-13

The Full Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-11 — “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

We have to realize that we are weak. We are sinners. We stand no hope of being victorious against Satan by ourselves. Satan is the most powerful being in the universe apart from God. He is clever and has masterfully perfected a number of schemes that have worked countless times to take down believers. The only way we can win, is to rely on God and His strength.

To understand the battle we are facing and how to win, it is helpful to remember the famous hymn by Martin Luther, “A Mighty Fortress”:

“A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate. On earth is not his equal.”

The devil is strong, but God is stronger still! Satan and his demons are active in the world. Their constant goal is to fight against God and His kingdom. Our struggle is not against our unbelieving parents, our political opponents, or the people around us. Why not? These people are just the pawns in a larger battle. It is a battle between Satan, his demons, and God and His angels.

Satan is subtle and sneaky. He generally avoids frontal assaults and attacks from the rear. He uses the world’s system and pop culture. A famous tactician named Sun Tzu once said, “There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.” When we underestimate Satan we attempt to face temptation on our own thinking we can “handle it.” By knowing how strong he is, we know that our only hope is depending on God.

Application — Our goal is to stand firm, to resist. Never surrender. Never give in. God has given us the rules of combat:

• • Flee temptation (1 Corinthians 6:18)
  • Resist the devil (James 4:7)
  • Seek fellowship and accountability (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Proverbs 27:17)
  • Meeting together with other believers (Hebrews 10:24-25)
  • Pray at all times (Ephesians 6:18)
  • Seek wisdom from above (James 3:17-18)
  • Avoid places of temptation (Psalm 1)

— From our Bible study on Ephesians 6:10-23

Daniel’s Resolve: Drawing the Line Before the Pressure Comes

Daniel 1:8 — “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.”

The gracious and benevolent Babylonians offered Daniel and his friends a carrot: “We will give you a good life, nice food, plenty of money, a steady job, an opportunity for promotion, and a position of power.” This plan was ingenious: take the young, who are more impressionable; remove them from their mentors; isolate them in a foreign environment; give them free education and make them feel indebted; give them good food and tempt them with the riches and power that could be theirs; wipe out all vestiges of their past belief and practice by giving them new names.

This is the key verse in the whole chapter. It highlights one aspect of Daniel’s character that will show itself throughout the book. That is his resolve. He made up his mind that he would not defile himself. What a powerful statement this is. We see the might and strategies of the Babylonian ruler on one side. On the other side, we see a teenage boy. He is far from home, lonely, and surrounded by pagan culture. Temptations and sin are on every side. And when he is faced with a temptation, he draws a line in his mind and resolves that he will not cross it.

Notice where Daniel drew his line in the sand. It was not based on his own opinion, tradition, customs, or culture. It is based on the Word of God. Even in the face of overwhelming pressure, he stood on the truth and wouldn’t budge. The results were less important to him than the principle. He made up his mind to do what was right without compromise and without offering excuses.

Reflect — Daniel had a choice. We all have a choice. We never have to do wrong. We must ask ourselves, what would we do if we were in Daniel’s situation? Would we have given in?

Application — Let Daniel be an inspiration to all of us to stand uncompromisingly on the truth even in the face of powerful pressure to give in to the world’s way.

— From our Bible study on Daniel 1

Satan’s Favorite Tactic: Distraction, and Those Who Refused It

Colossians 3:1-2 — “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

Satan uses many things in this world to try to pull people’s attention away from what really matters. Satan took Jesus to the top of a mountain and showed Him the beauty of the world and its kingdoms. He hoped to take Jesus’ mind off of the things above and cause Him to fall in love with this world and as a result fail in His mission. He has tried the same thing for many saints. He used Delilah and other ladies to seduce and distract Samson. He used Bathsheba to try to bring down David’s reign. He used money to entice Judas. He used the fruit to entice Eve. He used the golden bar to entrap Achan, hoping by extension to bring down the nation.

But along with his success stories he also has some failures when saints through great faith, obedience, and determination refused to take their mind off of the things above and focus on the circumstances or temptations of this world. Daniel and his friends resisted multiple attacks. Noah set his mind on the things above and not on the earth when he continued building the ark for a hundred years with no sign of rain.

Right smack dab in the middle of the story of David’s greatest failure is told the story of a forgotten man, Uriah the Hittite. He is a great example of a man who set his mind on the all-important mission and refused to be distracted by anything. David tried his hardest to get Uriah to focus on the things that are on the earth. For Uriah it would not even have been a sin to go back to his home and sleep with his wife. Why wouldn’t he do it? The nation was at war. He had a mission. He would not be distracted from this mission by anything whether good or bad.

You see Satan tries the same ways to distract us from our heavenly mission. He doesn’t always come along and say, “Go sleep with your neighbor’s wife.” Sometimes he comes along and says, “Go spend time with your own wife. She should be your priority.” Wait a minute. That’s not a temptation, is it? It can be. If you are supposed to be serving the Lord, but instead place your wife as the top priority and give all your focus and attention to her then you are not setting your mind on the things of heaven.

Reflect — Is there anything, even something good, that is pulling your time and attention away from what God wants you to be doing?

— From our Bible study on Colossians 3:1-4

The Deeds of the Flesh — and Building a Battle Plan

Galatians 5:16 — “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Our flesh enjoys indulging itself in sin. It gratifies our flesh to vent off steam by complaining about difficult situations. It pleases our flesh to get revenge by shouting at someone we are angry with. Sexual sins are pleasant during the moment. These things give a temporary fun factor but later bring guilt and bad consequences, which stream from a distant/broken relationship with God.

Sexual temptation has always existed, but in the modern world, it is much more accessible than ever before. The world teaches a free love. It teaches we are free to do whatever we like as long as both sides agree, and we don’t hurt anyone. This is a lie from Satan. It is the same lie he told to Eve in the Garden of Eden when he insinuated that God wanted to withhold something good from her.

If you belong to God, He has freed you from the power of the sins listed here. The chains are off. This is not to say that you will never struggle with these or never sin, but your attitude toward them will change. You will begin to hate sin. If you belong to Christ, you will experience victory more and more.

Application — Consider which work of the flesh you still struggle with. Start by confessing it to God. Then write a plan for how you will avoid that sin the next time you are tempted. A wise person once said that the definition of insanity is to repeat the same thing again and again and expect a different result. If you have failed over and over, your past methods don’t work. You need a new battle plan. Take, for example, porn addiction. Telling yourself, “I won’t do it,” repeatedly doesn’t help. Inevitably you will be on the computer alone, and temptation will rear its ugly head. If you don’t have a battle plan, if you haven’t prepared ahead, you will lose, and you will fall again.

— From our Bible study on Galatians 5:16-26

Fleeing Sin Isn’t Enough — Pursue Godliness Instead

Titus 2:11-12 — “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,”

We are to renounce ungodliness and worldly desires but pursue sensibility (self-control), righteousness, and godliness. When a person first comes to Christ, he should renounce sin. But a one-time renunciation of these things is not enough. The allure of temptation may fade after salvation, but it does not disappear. There is also a continuous aspect of daily denying the flesh and choosing to put Christ first.

It is not enough to merely avoid sin. In fact, if our sole goal is simply to avoid sin, that isn’t easy.

Imagine a girl who sits at a table with a marshmallow on the table in front of her. She has been told not to eat it. So, she covers her eyes, refuses to look at it, and reminds herself again and again, “Don’t eat it. Don’t eat it!” It is unlikely that she will hold out very long. And even if she did, there are much better things she could be doing with her time. It would be far easier to resist the temptation if the girl used her time more productively and went outside to play with friends.

When we go toward something (Jesus), it is considerably easier for us to go away from sin. God calls us to godly living. The Christian life is not always about doing something huge and remarkable for God. It is about living the simple lives He has set before us for His glory. Each day there are thousands of ways to respond to situations with self-control in a godly manner.

Reflect — A few examples:

• Start and end your day with prayer rather than going straight to your phone.
• Calmly help your toddler clean the floor when a glass of milk is spilled.
• Graciously make way for a rude driver.
• Give a kind and gentle answer when your spouse is harsh and unfair.
• Humbly listen when someone offers advice or criticism.

On this topic, Charles Spurgeon said: “To a man who lives unto God nothing is secular, everything is sacred! He puts on his workday garment and it is a vestment to him…He goes forth to his labor and exercises the office of the priesthood…You housemaids, you cooks, you nurses, you plowmen, you housewives, you traders, you sailors—your labor is holy if you serve the Lord Christ in it.”

Application — In which area of your life do you need to grow in godliness? What is one specific way you can grow in godliness in the coming week?

One hundred percent of people at that time sinned. One hundred percent of people now sin. One hundred percent faced temptations, and one hundred percent face temptations today too. It is not doable if we rely on our own strength. It is only possible to be godly with God’s power.

Application — One of the best prayers you can ever pray is extremely simple: “God help me.” That is a prayer that we should pray over and over again when we face temptation. You cannot resist temptation by your own power. Victory is only through Christ.

One of my young children wanted to eat corn at the dinner table. But he didn’t want a whole ear of corn and attempted to break the corn on the cob in half. However, he wasn’t strong enough to do it. I watched as he tried every way to break the corn. He tried hitting it. He pulled and squeezed, using every ounce of his strength. As this went on, he got increasingly frustrated. Finally, he gave up, exasperated and angry, declaring that he had tried everything and it was impossible.

Then I reminded him that he didn’t try everything yet and suggested that he ask me for help. He did, and I quickly broke the corn for him and handed it to him. I taught him that sometimes we can’t do something on our own and it is okay to ask for help. The same is true for us. I sometimes wonder if God is sadly watching us struggle and fail, depending on our strength, as He waits to unleash His vast resources to help us if we will but just ask. Let us get into the habit of saying, “God help me.”

— From our Bible study on Titus 2:11-15

We hope you enjoyed this Bible study on temptation. May God use His Word to speak into your life and give you strength to follow it. Please take some time to reflect on the questions below and consider leaving a comment with your key takeaway or insight.

Reflection Questions

• What steps can we take to protect ourselves against our own weaknesses?
• What is the difference between a test and a temptation?
• How can you avoid falling into temptation before it even starts?
• Are you doing anything specific to help your brothers and sisters in their pursuit of righteousness? Are you receiving help from others?
• When you face temptation, what will you do?
• Is there anything, even something good, that is pulling your time and attention away from what God wants you to be doing?
• Which work of the flesh do you still struggle with? What is your plan to avoid it next time?
• How can you decide where to draw the line ahead of time, before you’re under pressure?
• In which area of your life do you need to grow in godliness? What is one specific way you can grow in that area in the coming week?