How to overcome your temptations??

Luke 22:46, ⁴⁶ “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”

There is no one born who has not faced temptation in some form or the other. That means temptations are not unnatural or unheard of. Even when the Son of God was born as man on earth, He too faced temptations in the hands of Devil(Matthew 4:1). Today in this technology driven and advanced world there is no dearth of opportunities for temptations, neither are the forms.

The intelligent and sly tempter(Devil) tempts and tests us without our knowledge. Many believers too at have fallen prey to the temptation to give up daily prayer and Bible reading for a day. They disregard it as a small matter and pay no attention to the thought behind this. 1 Thessalonians 3:5, ⁵ For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain. Apostle Paul said these to the members of Thessalonica as a warning against the tempter.

Temptations are not sins in themselves, as they are natural and happen to everyone. It transforms into sin when we fall into temptation and keep repeating it having drowned in them. When the children of God seem to be complete and blemish free, Devil comes to tempt them and bring them to his side. Job 2, says that Satan is ready to argue with Father almighty against the children of God. Such is his audacity. He says to Father almighty that Job loves you and fears you because you have created a fence/defense around his property and him against evil which keeps him protected. He then proceeds to ask permission to test Job’s faith. He destroyed everything that Job owned/had. Yet he was unable to break down the faith/trust in the Lord. Let this be an example to the children of God. Ephesians 5:1, ¹ Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children…

Then how can we overcome this great tempter?? Let us see..

1.Submit your body and mind daily before the Lord and pray: Romans 12:1, Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. There are several types of prayers. Some pray in the heart, some pray in loud voices and so on. It is not hidden that even a sigh in the name of the Lord from His children reaches Him. James 4:7, ⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

2 Peter 2:19, ¹⁹ They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” We can overcome the temptations of the body with the help of prayers. A person who is unable to control his/her desires and temptations is called a worldly person. Let us all take a peek inside ourselves. Are we also like them????

Do not let your mind to be full of weeds/evil thoughts & desires. It is the thoughts/ desires of the heart that leads a person into action. If the mind is pure then the body is pure. Matthew 5:28, But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. We can all think that it was just a mere look, what is wrong in that? But the Bible very clearly states it is adultery. How? Through the eyes the mind begins to work.

1 Corinthians 3:16, ¹⁶ Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? The end result of such desires is very severe.

2 Corinthians 10:5, ⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2. Regular prayers: Matthew 6:13, ¹³ And lead us not into temptation,   but deliver us from the evil one,

Matthew 26:41, ⁴¹ “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

The human body is weak, but the mind/spirit is very powerful. The best weapon to strengthen the spirit is prayer. King David having sinned prayed to the Lord in this way, Psalm 51:10-11, ¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Satan brings forth our weaknesses before us from time to time to weaken our spirit and resolve. Peter compares Satan with a lion. 1 Thessalonians 5:17, ¹⁷ pray continually,.. Remember that a lion catches prey on the sly.

3. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reside with you: Let us all pray for the Holy Spirit to reside in us and purify us. The Holy Spirit is fire. When a burning log touches even a dying ember of coal it reignites it. When the Holy Spirit fires us there is no place for Satan to step in. We should not pray for the web of sin to be removed rather we should pray that the spider that spins the web of sins in our lives to be removed.

4. Read the Word of God and ponder over it: The Bible teaches us in John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. When an object that is dirty is dipped several times in clean water it becomes clean both inside and outside. When we read the Bible daily and reflect on the words, it cleans our insides and outside.

1 Peter 4:17, ¹⁷ For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Hebrews 4:12, ¹² For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

James 1: 21-24, ²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 

So dear children of God think and reflect on these to overcome our biggest enemy.