Resisting temptation is something everyone deals with, and we need the Lord’s help to overcome it. Satan tempted our Savior, Jesus, in the wilderness, so He has experienced temptation
James 4:7Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.[1]The Greek word “submit” is hupotasso and means “a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden.”[2] Why is submission to God the key to resisting the devil? When I obey and submit to the Lord, it allows me to resist the devil because I look to the Lord for my strength, not myself.
Jesus Models Resisting Temptation
When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He knew the cross was ahead of Him and prayed to His Father in heaven in His time of need. Luke 22:42Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine. [3] Jesus models looking to His Father in submission. Jesus was crucified on a cross on Good Friday, and all our sins were poured upon Him. Jesus was an overcomer, as He submitted and looked to His Father for strength.
Joseph Resists Temptation
The wife of Potiphar was tempting Joseph. Who did he depend on for help resisting the sin of adultery? Who was he submitting himself to? The answer to both those questions is the Lord.
Genesis 39: 6bJoseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, 7, and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded.8 But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. 9 No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.” 10 She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible.[4]
You Can Resist Temptation
What is tempting you? How could submitting yourself to God help you to overcome temptation? If we fall into temptation, it is not too late. Submit to God in repentance and confess your sin and ask for forgiveness. Remember, you don’t have to be controlled by or give in to temptation by the enemy. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:5 about taking every thought captive. Taking our thoughts captive means gaining control over what we think in our minds. Confront your sinful thoughts and turn them over to the Lord. It takes work to take captive each thought that comes into your mind, but it is possible with the help of the Holy Spirit.
To learn more about resisting temptation, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/potiphars-house
[1] The New King James Version (Jas 4:7). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[3-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.