THE RIGHT MOTIVES IN RESISTING TEMPTATIONS

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

James 1:12

Temptation is Satan's bullet to every man’s weakness. Satan knows the weakest areas of your lives (the weakest because these are the areas that we do not fully submit to God and the areas overpowered by our flesh) and this is the temptations’ hook in us. Some people practically beg Satan to tempt them. This happens when we start to desire the temptation or even start to think about it. Our desires give birth to sin and sin to death. The bible said that we need to endure temptations to receive the crown of life instead of death. 

How do we endure and resist temptations?

Fear of man? 

Some of us have the wrong motive to resist temptation. We resist temptation because we fear being judged by others most especially, we are labeled as Christians. Fear of man still ended us up tempted secretly without their presence. If we truly consider God, we will endure temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13) ‘’But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it’’ because we cannot hide from His presence and He sees us. 

Fear of God? 

This is the right motive of resisting temptations. Proverbs 8:13 ‘’The fear of the LORD is to hate evil…’’ Do we really fear God? If we do, even the smallest thought of evil and temptation must be casted out. Do we have enough fear of God? Or are we just abusing His goodness and mercy? We know that He sees us when committing sin but we still continue because our thinking is that He is a forgiving God. Fear of the Lord is not taking effect on those unbelieving people who do not fear His judgment and on those abusive people who overuse His goodness and mercy. He is God, we don’t decide His goodness and mercy for us. He does it for us. He is the God who gives and takes away (Job 1:21). Fear Him. 

Love for God?

The best and right motive for resisting temptation is to love Him; to love Him with greater power and greater passion than your love for the sin. The passions of sinful temptation can only really be overcome by a greater passion, and that is a passion for the honor and glory and relationship with God. If the passion of our fleshly desire is intense and great then our passion for the Lord must be greater and more intense. This is the greatest way to resist temptation. 

Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 

Matthew 22:37

“So that those who endure temptation rightly, endure it because they love God. They say to themselves, ‘How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’ They cannot fall into sin because it would grieve him who loves them so well, and whom they love with all their hearts.” (Spurgeon)

Reflections: 

We are used to enjoying God’s unconditional and sacrificial love for us. 

• Has God enjoyed your love for Him? 

• How do you show your greater passion for your relationship with Him? 

• Can you sacrifice through enduring temptations to show that you love Him more than your passion for flesh?

• Do you resist temptation because you fear man? You fear God? or you love God?

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

James 1:12

Romans 8:28

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.