3 Practical Ways to Navigate Temptation: Devotion

How do I not sin?

I’ve been guilty of giving my kids directions of things w/ minimal or no direction. Then after it didn’t get done the way I wanted it done, I get mad at them.

Thankfully, God doesn’t do that. We know in scripture that God tells us, he’s given us everything we need to live a Godly life. Tonight we’re talking about 3 things that will help us navigate temptation.

Avoid temptation.

Last week we talked about one of the first ways Satan scammed someone is w/ tricking Adam & Eve into thinking they could handle something that God never had for them.

There are some gray areas in life where some things being wrong is subjective. But we know that what God says is wrong, is wrong. You can also typically feel when something could get dicey. The problem is most of stick around to long thinking we can handle not pulling the trigger on sin. Say for instance you struggle w/ lust. You might stay on the internet longer than you should,. Let’s say you struggle w/ disrespecting authority, you may dwell on the thought long enough to affect your attitude to the point where you’ve lost control of your mouth.

The Best plan of action is to not drink the Kool-Aide! Don’t try to conquer your sin in your own strength. Asking the Holy Spirit to help you fight temptation is necessary and good. But avoid temptation. If you know you struggle w/ selfishness, put yourself in spaces where you can serve others. If you struggle w/ talking bad about people, distance yourself from those who talk bad about people. If you struggle looking at porn, put your phone in the living room, or your parents room after a certain time. Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:18 says to run from sinful living. David tells us if you distance yourself from people who live sinful lifestyles, you’re blessed. Solomon says in Proverbs 4:14-15 Don’t pass by it, Avoid it, keep on toward the right path.

Be open w/ your tempation and sin w/ a mature believer/christian.

There have been pastors, christian youtubers/ tiktokers, & everyday believers that have stopped following Jesus. One of the reasons they’ve stopped has been because they have not made themselves accountable to the Lordship of Jesus or a trustworthy & mature believer. When you aren’t able to be open (When I say open, I don’t just mean someone you can vent to and they don’t at some point challenge you to line your life up w/ how Jesus says you should, I mean someone who you will actually listen for and apply biblically wise advice.) w/ someone it’s a dangerous place because then you find yourself in isolation where you can only grow as deep as your willingness to understand.

It says in Proverbs 28:13 “He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” So the goal as an active Christian is to live Holy. We know that Holiness is moral perfection. But as we also know, we all at some point fall short of that perfection. So we confess to God our sin, ask forgiveness, & power to submit to God’s will to not sin again. But we also confess to one another according to the example in James 5:16 “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Something we want to avoid is isolation in times when we sin. If you have sinned or have began a lifestyle of sin that it’s hard to shake, that’s the time you need to be in fellowship w/ other believers. So don’t stop going to church, don’t stop answering your youth pastors text or calls, don’t cut yourself off from your family. Lean into your resource of community. If the Lord had for us to navigate through sin alone, James 5:16 & Proverbs 28:13 would not have been in scripture.

Live w/ eternity in mind.

What is the end goal? As a Christian what are we living for? Before we can answer the question what does it mean to live w/ eternity in mind mean, we have to answer, as a christian, what are we living for? Anyone who has a BIG goal for their life you’re going to find them at almost anytime during their day thinking about, participating or learning and planning how to accomplish those goals. Almost every move a person w/ ambition makes, is taking steps toward what they want to achieve.