Bible Reading: Job 23; James 1:9-16.
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” – James 1:12 (KJV)
The Lord was tempted of the devil and he overcame it. Matthew 4:1,10-11 (KJV): “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”
We, his disciples should therefore expect to go through temptation. This is why Jesus taught us to pray against temptation in Matthew 6:13 (KJV): “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” What then should we do to ensure we overcome all forms of temptation.
You must first of all recognise that it is not in the power of earth or hell to compel any one to sin. Your will must consent, your heart must yield. Therefore the strongest temptation is no excuse for sin. No matter the pressure brought to bear upon your soul, transgression is your own act.
Secondly, you must know that temptation is not a sin, it is yielding to it that is sin. And sin is deceptive, divisive and destructive; so all efforts must be geared towards avoiding it.
Enduring Temptations therefore entails: constant fellowship with God Almighty and having passion for Gods glory. This is what helped Job that he was able to respond to his wife’s temptation as recorded in Job 2:9-10 (KJV): “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”
You need to honour God at all times and put him first in all situations recognizing that if you are able to endure temptations till the end, you will win the crown of life! James 1:12 (KJV): “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him”.
Thus when temptation comes knocking, your response should be what action will honour God in this circumstance. This also means you should study the word of God regularly so that you will be accustomed to Gods way of doing things.
Action Point: Ensure you study the word regularly and memorise some verses that you can use to overcome temptations!
Bro. Biodun Oyapero