Encouragement to Help You Win the Battle with Temptation
Struggling with lust? Feeling constantly bombarded by the temptation to sin in person or virtually? If so, you are not alone. Some of the most notable figures in the Bible were either challenged by or entirely undone by their sexual desires. From David and Bathsheeba to Samson and Delilah, lust caused enormous damages to God’s people. Lust is just as active and destructive in today’s church as it was in biblical times. Too many Christians shatter their lives as a result of p*rnography, adultery, and similar sins.
How many Christians have completely surrendered to their lusts and no longer accept the biblical definitions of them?
It doesn’t have to be this way. The Bible provides profound guidance on overcoming this powerful temptation. Here are eleven verses that offer insight and encouragement to even the most discouraged of God’s saints.
1 – 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
As a believer, you are called to live a life of holiness and honor. This includes controlling our bodies and resisting lustful desires. The desire of God for you is presented in clear and unambiguous terms. You are to be holy and self controlled. The contrast presented is also striking. Those who don’t know God identified as controlled by the passion of their lusts. That is not God’s call on you, Christian.
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2 – Matthew 5:28
But I say to you that whoeverlooks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
This verse emphasizes the importance of first guarding your thoughts and intentions before you even get to the issue of actions. Jesus said there is nothing that comes from outside you that defiles you. The avalanche of sexually explicit media and unrighteous behavior of others has no power over you in themselves, in other words. It is only when you give your heart to them that they are able to take you prisoner. The battle you are fighting to defeat temptation and embrace holiness is not against society, in other words, but is in your own spirit, heart, and mind.
3 – Galatians 5:16
I say then:Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Too many Christians waste their time and energy in a hopeless battle against lust. This happens when you try to solve a spiritual problem that Jesus says comes from your heart with your own will. It seems like a good idea at the time and is well intentioned, but it sets you up for ultimate failure. This is because your choice of weapon to defeat the lust of your flesh, your own will power, is in fact your flesh being asserted. No matter how determined you are, in a battle of flesh versus flesh, the spirit is not going to win.
It is only by cultivating a close relationship with God and relying on the Holy Spirit, you can overcome the temptations of the flesh, including lustful desires. It is only the Spirit that sets you free. He is willing, while the flesh is weak.
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4 – 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spiritwho isin you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your bodyand in your spirit, which are God’s.
Please don’t miss the deeply disturbing implication of Paul’s spiritual point in these verses. You don’t defile yourself in isolation. The Holy Spirit resides in you. You are eternally the Temple of God, individually and corporately part of the Body of Christ. There is no place for defilement in God’s Temple.
The simple antidote to this temptation is to run from it like Joseph from Potiphar’s wife.
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5 – Colossians 3:5-7
Therefore put to deathyour members which are on the earth:fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness,which is idolatry.Because of these things the wrath of God is coming uponthe sons of disobedience,in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
Have you accepted the death of who you were before Christ? It is so easy to be tempted by memories from the time before Jesus. It can seem like things were better back then when you are struggling and you can yearn for the fleshly thrills you used to wallow in. Yet, while sin can be pleasurable for a season for people who don’t know Jesus, as a Christian you are no longer imprisoned by it. That person died with Jesus on the Cross in order to set you free.
6 – Job 31:1
I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should Ilook upon ayoung woman?
Job’s commitment to purity serves as an example for you. You were set free from the Law of sin and death. You are righteous before God. Yet, the reality of living this out day by day requires that you guard your eyes and hearts against lustful desires.
7 – 2 Timothy 2:22
Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Have I mentioned that the Bible encourages you to flee from lust? It is a strong word that reflects the danger present in the temptation. There are many opportunities to stand and fight for Jesus in life, but it is time to run when lust rears its ugly head in you. The point and direction of your escape route is also provided – away from youthful lusts and toward righteousness and purity.
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8 – James 1:13-15
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.Then,when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown,brings forth death.
This passage highlights the important distinction between temptation and sin while underscoring the importance of resisting lustful desires before they lead to sinful actions. The Bible tells you that there is no temptation that is not common to man. This means everyone experiences the pull of temptation. The question that makes an enormous difference in your life as a Christian is what do you do in response to temptation.
9 – 1 Peter 2:11-12
Beloved, I begyouas sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lustswhich war against the soul,having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers,they may, byyourgood works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
The great Apostle Peter’s heart is clearly on display in these verses as he begs you to open your eyes to the spiritual battle you are part of as a Christian. Your fleshly lusts whisper temptations to you that make it seem like they are on your side. They only seek to make you happy. Yet, the truth is they seek to destroy not only you, but also your testimony to the world about Jesus.
10 – Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
This verse points to the secret to defeating lust in your life…and it is not will power, guilt, or shame. Honest repentance is certainly a good thing, but you can’t defeat a lust of the flesh by engaging your will power (another work of the flesh). It is only when you detach from the things below and focus your thoughts on things above, those that are of Jesus pure, lovely, noble and honorable, that you will overcome your temptations.
11 – 2 Corinthians 10:4-6
For the weaponsof our warfarearenotcarnal butmighty in Godfor pulling down strongholds,casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,and being ready to punish all disobedience whenyour obedience is fulfilled.
Jesus defeated sin and death by taking a path that made no sense to everyone around Him. It seemed logical to His followers to pick up the weapons of man, swords or spears, and fight it out with the legions of Rome. Jesus knew that this sort of warfare could do nothing to destroy the stronghold’s of the real enemies of God. Real victory was only through complete submission to God, following His plans, and trusting in Him. By taking captive every thought and making it obedient to Christ, you can resist the allure of lustful desires and live lives that honor God.
In moments of temptation, let these verses serve as reminders of the importance of pursuing purity and righteousness in your thoughts and actions. Don’t try to win the battle fighting like a child, like the person you were before Christ, or with carnal weapons. Through focus on Jesus, prayer, accountability, and reliance on the Holy Spirit, you can overcome the grip of lust and experience the freedom and joy found in a life lived in obedience to God’s Word.
