How to Win Against Temptation

How to Win Against Temptation

In Genesis 3:1-13 we see the beginning of the lifelong struggle between good and evil, truth and lies, light and darkness. Eve is confronted by Satan who, using the form of a serpent, challenges what God has clearly commanded her and Adam. In the course of their dialog, Eve is totally deceived by Satan. She goes against God's word and eats the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam goes along with his wife into sin. Rather than trust in God and obey His word, they willfully choose to live on their own terms and thus sin against God. Realizing they are now unholy before God, they must hide from His presence.
Scripture Passage: Genesis 3:1-13
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Main Thought: Temptation is a constant problem which can defeat us when we try to reason with an issue or can be overcome by a clear application of God's word.

Temptation is tool Satan uses to draw us away from God.

Temptation one: Compromise the Truth.

Temptation two: Confuse the Truth.

Temptation three: Contradict the Truth.

God's faithfulness is revealed in His word to help us overcome temptation.

" Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves."(Genesis 3:1-7 NIV)

1. Temptation is tool Satan uses to draw us away from God.
Temptation is a reality we all face. Our dear friend Webster defines the word "tempt" as 'to entice to do something unwise or wrong'. (Random House Webster's Dictionary, Ballantine Books: New York, copyright 1996, p. 679) A temptation, then, is anyone or anything which entices one to do that which is unwise or wrong. Since temptation can come in many forms, shapes, and sizes, it is particularly difficult to prevent. In fact, if Adam & Eve experienced temptation in a perfect environment, then you and I will surely face it today.
The source of temptation may be disguised. Temptation may come in many forms:

The mailman arrives at work. You open the mail and find a cash payment -- no one will know if you pocket the money. Do you keep it?

You find out you incorrectly stated some deductions on your tax return resulting in a refund check -- which you have already spent. Do you amend your return and pay back the refund?

A very attractive person you know of the opposite sex asks you out to dinner -- the day your spouse just went out of town. Do you go?

As you lay in bed, you stew over an ugly comment someone said about you that day-- and everyone heard it. Do you plot revenge?

The purpose of temptation is to test one's faith. In our Scripture account, Eve is tempted by the serpent, which Satan used for this particular ploy since this creature was known for craftiness. What an odd way to be tempted! We must be alert for there is no end to the creativity of the one who wants us to stumble. Why does Satan tempt us? Simply to test our faith and reveal our sinfulness. Satan desires that people turn away from God. His temptations are specifically designed to move us away from God -- sometimes quickly or dramatically but usually slowly and slightly so that we may not notice it. Then why does God allow us to be tempted? Simply to test our faith in the sense of proving it, making us more mature. God has given us the resources to fight temptation but we must choose to utilize those resources. Let us examine the nature of the temptation which Eve encountered.

" ...He said to the woman, 'Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden"?'" (Genesis 3:1a, NIV)

2. Temptation one: Compromise the Truth.
Compromise is not the same as doubt but surely begins with doubt. In the first part of the exchange, Satan raises doubt in the mind of Eve. "...Did God REALLY command you not to eat from any tree in the garden?" (Gen. 3:1a NIV, paraphrase mine) Not only does Satan disparage the whole idea of God issuing such a negative sounding command, but he twists it into something that God obviously did not say. God commanded Adam not to eat from a single tree -- Satan asked if God said any tree. This is one of the many ways that people twist God's word today.
The whole issue should have been put to bed at this point. Eve knew what God had told them. Instead of rebuking the serpent for even raising such a silly question, Eve engages the serpent in a debate over what God did or did not say. This is what is known as a "truth encounter." Eve was tempted to doubt what God said. Satan's cleverness in the temptation is seen as he first engages Eve in a truth encounter over a ridiculous twist of God's word.
Doubt handled by human reason weakens our strong position in God's truth. Like the bait on a hook attracts the fish (if you happen to be a good fisherman...), Satan baits Eve with a ridiculous question that does not attack Eve directly but merely raises doubt. The more outrageous the statement, the more likely someone will feel compelled to counteract it. Eve attempts to counter the statement. Unfortunately, she adds to what God commanded and confuses the sin and its consequences. "...and you must not touch it or you will die" (Gen. 3:3 NIV). God did not command them to avoid touching it, though that would have been a perfectly legitimate practice to help avoid the temptation. In tying the consequence to what God did not command, Eve compromised the truth of God. Any time we compromise what God has clearly said in His word, we walk upon a sandy foundation (Matt. 7:26-27), opening the door to temptation. "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Prov. 11:3 NIV) God's truth stands on its own in its entirety. We must not compromise the clear truth of God which is revealed in His word.

"'You will not surely die,' the serpent said to the woman. 'For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'" (Genesis 3:4-5, NIV)

3. Temptation two: Confuse the truth.
Eve's confusion stems from her own failure to stick with what God has said. I've always been suspicious of what really goes into sausage -- Have you? Sausage used to be made in factories with a less than sterile environment. The transportation and destinations were even less sterile. So sausage began to be made with the fresh ground meat (let's not discuss what kinds of meat might have been used...) wrapped up in animal skins. The thin layer of skin protected the sausage and was easily removed. It also provided an opportunity to advertise the company that made the sausage. While the advertisement may have proclaimed "100% pure beef sausage", the only way to know for sure was to peal off the skin and see it.
Eve mixed up God's truth with her own erroneous thoughts, albeit accidentally. But Satan returned this with a piece of "100% pure doctrinal sausage" -- His statement was truth, followed by a lie, followed by truth; he stuffed the skin of the truth ("You will not surely die..." referring to instant physical death and "your eyes will be opened...knowing good and evil." referring to the experiential knowledge of good AND evil) with a whopper of a lie ("...and you will be like God..."). This confused Eve because it sounded so logical and so true. It implied that God was withholding something good that Eve needed. The Apostle Paul noted that Eve was completely deceived by Satan in this exchange (1 Tim. 2:14). First she compromised God's truth and then confused the message and the motives of the Creator who loved her.
Eve's deception results from her desire to be independent of God and His provision for her. God always commands us to do or not do something because it is good for us. "You shall not murder" (Exo. 20:13 NIV) is good for us because of the sanctity with which God holds life. It is also good that God has given this command to other people so that we will not be murdered. God's commands always have an element of provision for us and protection of us. Eve first began to doubt what God said and then she questioned His motive. Why would God withhold something so good? We must be alert to depend upon God' provision and consistent character rather than doubting His word and confusing His motives. Once twisted, Scripture error begats more error. Like the so-called "New Age Movement today -- which is not really new at all -- Eve was deceived into thinking she could become "god" by her own efforts. The painful consequences reveal the hidden agenda in Satan's temptation -- not to "help us out" but rather to lead us away from God. Eve could have chosen to depend upon God's provision and truth but chose instead to turn away. Notice, Eve did not refute what Satan said.

" When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. (Gen. 3:6-7 NIV) " (Genesis 22:6-8, NKJV)

4. Temptation three: Contradict the truth.
It is conviction to act on your belief of God's truth. Conviction is the confidence we have that something is true demonstrated by acting on our belief in that truth. If you really believe you should do something, you will act on that belief. Behavior generally follows belief. Conviction then is what drives our behavior based on that belief.
It is a contradiction to believe one thing and do another. In Scripture, the Bible clearly teaches that a liar will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Do you believe this? Are you an habitual liar? If not, then your behavior is consistent with your belief. If you believe that lying is wrong but you constantly deceive others, then you are contradicting yourself. In the final analysis, do you really believe that lying is wrong? When our behavior is in opposition to our beliefs, we contradict ourselves. When our behavior contradicts God's truth, we oppose God. We bring into question and disrepute the goodness and faithfulness of God.
Temptation encourages the contradiction of God's truth. Just as Eve was tempted to contradict God's clear command, we are tempted to contradict God's truth:

Will God really provide for my needs or do I need to cross over the line just to make sure?

Will God protect me if I question someone else about their faith or do I need to just be quiet?

Do I really need to work at putting God's word into practice or can I just listen and smile?

5. God's faithfulness is revealed in His word to help us overcome temptation.
God has proven Himself faithful to His word. In all of history, He has fulfilled every promise -- except those applicable only to the future. He has acted consistently in goodness, love, righteousness, justice, and mercy. In the time He determined before the creation of the world and announced to us in history, He sent a Savior fulfilling His promise and our deepest need for forgiveness and reconciliation with Him. Forgiveness of sin is offered freely through God's promised Savior, Jesus Christ. Eternal life is offered freely in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Year after year, day after day, moment by moment God is always working for your best. He is faithful to His word.
Reflect on YOUR life: What are the areas of your life where you are weak, always falling to temptation? Spend time alone with God prayerfully considering them. Ask Him to reveal the most daunting temptations you face. Then spend time studying about the particular temptations He brings to mind. Ask God to reveal those Scriptures which will help you fight the temptation. Then prayerfully and purposefully memorize these passages. Ask God to bring these passages to mind when you face temptation. Believing God will help, trusting in His word over your feelings or rationalizing, and acting on your belief will bring you the victory and God the glory in the battle against temptation.

Our Creator God loves you and wants you to know Him! If you would like to contact this ministry for further information or questions, please send your e-mail to:
Email: ministryrequest1@WordTruth.Com
Web Site: WordTruth.Com
Copyright 1999, Randy Lariscy.