Temptations keep us dependant on God. God’s tool for our growth is the same tool Satan uses to destroy us. That tool is temptation. Just as the roots grow stronger when wind blows against a tree, so every time you stand up to a temptation you become more like Jesus.
What was “intended to harm me, God intended it all for good.” (Genesis 50:20) Do not be intimidated by temptation, temptation is not a sin, rather it only becomes sin if you act upon it. Furthermore, temptations are actually a good metric for your spirtual growth: the closer you are to Christ, the harder your temptations will be. Why would the devil tempt a man who is already his to begin with? Satan only wishes to tempt God’s children, to disrupt and sabotage them away from the true light.
The power of an SOS prayer
If you’re being tempted, don’t hesitate to throw out an SOS Prayer. Wait, what is an SOS prayer?
David, Daniel, Peter, Paul, and so many others have prayed this quick ‘distress call’; and good for us: Heaven has a 24/7 open emergency line. The question we should ask is: If God is always there for us, why don’t we pray to him more often when we are being tempted?
“Call on me in times of trouble. I will rescue you, and you will honor me” – Psalm 50:15
Why we don’t pray?
Most of us don’t pray when we are being tempted; either we are too embarrassed to ask God for the same help again and again; or we actually don’t want to!
Embarassment is a big stumbling block for most people; it’s hard to confess your deepest darkest secrets to even yourself, let alone someone else. But in all honesty, revealing your feelings is the beginning to healing. The first person who you should be revealing it too is God. He knows every little bit of you and exactly how to help you, but He will not trespass our own free will. So it’s your choice: whether you want to knock on the gates of heaven and ask for help, or to neglect God’s outstretched arms just because of your guilt and shame.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened.” – Matthew 7:7-8
Stubbornness is the second largest reason why we don’t pray when we are tempted. We believe that we know it all in that moment, but instead, our pride opens up an oppurtunity for Satan to trick us into believing that God’s way is inferior to ours. In the moment, Satan will try to preverse the truth by suggesting ideas to you based on half lies. He’ll say:
- “Did God really say this was a sin?”
- “Was this prohibition for something else?”
- “It’s alright, God won’t notice, it’s just for a little while.”
- “Doesn’t God want me to be happy?”
Satan is incapable of telling you the truth and is why he is called “the Father of lies.” So he’ll bombard you with his lies until you start to doubt the truth of God’s word
“My friends, watch out! Don’t let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God.” – Hebrews 3:12
Remember the Truth
When Christ was tempted in the wilderness during his 40 day 40 night fast, He responded to Satan’s lies with God’s truth, Scripture. The word of God has power over all beings of this world, including Satan. Therefore, it is absolutely essential to memorize scripture and store it in your RAM (random access memory) to have quick access to it. If you don’t have any Bible verses memorized, it’s like having no bullets in your gun.
Actionable Step: Memorize a useful piece of scripture specifically on the sin you are most often tempted by (eg. Lust, Pride, Anger) once every week. If you do this for a year straight, you’ll have 52 bible verses memorized, 7 for each major deadly sin!
Conclusion
While you’re still learning about God’s truth through scripture, once again, don’t hesistate to throw out a quick SOS prayer to God. God is your biggest ally, so don’t struggle alone. He “understands our weakness, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.”
Verse to Remember
“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” – Hebrews 4:16 (TEV)
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