Resisting Temptation By Grace

Have you ever heard a teaching about using a Scripture to combat the temptation to sin? The idea is that speaking the Word of God during the moment of a temptation will somehow drive that temptation away, leaving you free and clear to go back to your day.

While this is a good concept...it doesn't seem to work for a lot of people. In fact, I found that I was usually in the same situation after I quoted a Bible verse as I was before. I would usually still be staring down the barrel of an overwhelming temptation....dreading the inevitable loss of the fight.

Have you ever tried this strategy? Did it work for you?

Like many teachings in church today, the concept of quoting Scripture to fight temptation is Biblically sound, but the correct application is often ignored. There's more to this than just reciting words...let's take a look.

Jesus' Example

In Matthew 4 and Luke 4, Jesus spent forty days in the desert fasting. Luke 4:2 tells us that He was being tempted by the devil during that whole time. At the end of it, the Tempter put everything on the line with three final temptations. In these temptations, the devil hit all three major sins found in 1 John 2:16 - the cravings of the flesh, the lust for something you see, and the pride of life.

These are the same sins that the Devil used to tempt humanity at the very beginning:

 Genesis 3:6 "So when the woman say that the tree was good for food (craving of the flesh), that it was pleasant to the eyes (lust for what's seen), and a tree desirable to make one wise (pride of life), she took of its fruit and ate."

And these are still the categories of temptation that the devil uses today. Every sin mankind will ever commit is included in one of these three subjects. And since Satan has nothing new...these are the areas that he tempted Jesus in.

Craving of the flesh:

Satan tried (more than once) to get Jesus to break His fast and submit to the craving of His flesh for food.

Lust for what's seen:

Satan showed Jesus the wealth of the world, and tried to get Him to commit sin to acquire it.

Pride of life:

Satan tried to get Jesus to "prove Himself" by some great show of power.

How did Jesus respond to these? It's important to know that Jesus didn't just keep Himself from committing sin, He actively opposed the temptations themselves. Jesus took the Word of God - the Scriptures that had been written - and used it like a sword. No matter which temptation it was, Jesus' response was always "It is written.."

To the flesh - "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.'"

To the eyes  - "It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"

To pride - "It is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

These responses cut off any power the temptations had, and kept Jesus spotless - clear of any sin.

But why was this so effective? Was it only because He spoke the Word, or was there something more to this?

Not About Reminding Yourself Of The Rules (the "Why")

Do you remember what GRACE does for us? It changes every rule to obey into a promise of power.

In other words, when grace is received by faith - it will obey God through you! This is excellent news for us, especially when we read Romans 8:3 and find out that our flesh is too weak to obey God's commands. 

So then, why do we quote the Scriptures - usually a command - when we're facing a temptation? I'll give you a hint: it's not about reminding yourself of the rules. You already know the rules; you don't need to be reminded of them again. 

There is a right way to speak the Word and fight temptation...and there is a wrong way. Let me give you the wrong way first. See if this sounds familiar to you:

"The Bible says, 'You shall not lie.' That's why I'm going to try my hardest not to lie!"

Do you see the problem with that mentality? When you focus on "why" you shouldn't sin, you're left without a "how". This means you have to fall back on your own effort - something that's already failed you over and over again.

This is the exact situation Paul described in Romans 7. We know what is good. We want to do what is good. But we don't have the "how" in ourselves. Look at what he says in Romans 7:18 - "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find."

This is the predicament that every believer finds themselves in when they try to obey God's commands on their own. Even if they remind themselves of God's command in the heat of temptation, they simply don't have the ability to obey that command in their flesh.

But this is not how Jesus combated the enemy - and it's not how we should use the scripture to fight our battles either! Why? Because you can't fight a temptation with a law!

Receiving The Command By Faith (the "How")

Faith starts in your heart - right? Then where does it move to?

Faith always comes out of your mouth!

When God's word comes out of your mouth in faith, it brings God's power onto the scene.

When you truly believe what the Word of God says; and when you have faith that He'll never give a commandment without also backing it up with power to obey - then quoting His commands turns into something different. Instead of reminding your flesh of the rules, you'll begin to confidently prophesy to the enemy about what's going to happen!

Let me illustrate with Jesus' example:

When the devil tempted Jesus to give in to His craving flesh and turn stones into bread, Jesus' response WAS NOT "I've been commanded to live on God's Word - not by bread alone." (Responding this way would lead into an attempted obedience.)

No, He declared a statement - "I WILL live on the Word of God's mouth, not just bread!"

Can you see the difference? The first way was about "why" He should obey. The second actually released the "how" to obey!

Let's try another one:

When Jesus was tempted to sin against God in order to get the wealth and power of the world, He didn't respond by saying what He wasn't allowed to do.

No...His words were backed by faith. He may as well have been prophesying to the devil when He said: "I WILL worship the LORD, and Him only WILL I SERVE!"

Faith in the Word - that is, faith in God's power behind the command - released the grace to obey! This was how Jesus, a man like you and I, walked in 100% obedience to the Father. Remember, Jesus wasn't sinless because He was God...He laid aside His divine power when He became a man. But His faith in God's Word accessed the same grace that is available to you and I!

So the next time you find yourself in a heated temptation - remember to quote the word! But don't use God's commands for the "why". No, put your faith in His power and prophesy to that temptation!

"I WILL NOT lie!"

"I WILL love my enemy!"

"I WILL NOT be greedy for money!"

"I WILL love my wife and train my kids!"

"I WILL NOT look with lust!"

"I WILL trust God for my every need!"

"I WILL NOT be afraid of what I see!"

Speak the command by faith, knowing that God's very own power will provide you with the "how"! 

This is how we fight temptation - by grace through faith!