Submit yourselves then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
—James 4:7
Submitting to God and resisting the devil sounds easy. As Christians, we align ourselves with God and want to be close to Him, right? Perhaps in theory, but in everyday life, temptation is harder to resist than we bargain for. Most of us avoid what we consider “big” sins like drug addiction, pornography, murder and stealing. Yet what about worry, complaining, laziness and other small temptations that creep into our lives unannounced?
Satan knows exactly which buttons to push to make each Christian sin. He will take advantage of their emotions and coping mechanisms, as well. For example, if you binge eat when upset, Satan might whisper, “One brownie is not a binge. You deserve this. You need to feel better.”
When faced with such lies, many of which are twisted truths, you may wonder how to resist. Prayer is always your first line of defense. Cry out to God, naming the temptation in front of you and telling Him why this one in particular is hard. Physically get away if you can; if you can’t, try to refocus your thoughts. A temptation to binge eat could be refocused into, “I will feel better and healthier
if I resist.”
If you struggle often with the same types of temptations, write them down. Try to determine what lie is at the root of each temptation. For instance, do you judge others out of fear that they’re also judging you? Once you find the lie, replace it with biblical truth. For example, you might memorize verses about your identity in Christ and His love for you.
Comments