Day 18 - When Surprised by Temptation

What if we don't see temptation coming? What if it is able to sneak up on us and attack us unawares? Today we consider four actions to respond with when we are surprised by temptation.

This is the first response. Do not skip this step. Like Paul, ask God again and again that the temptation would leave you. (2 Cor 12:8) This is how our Lord taught us to pray with persistence and desperation in our time of need. (Luke 11:5-13)

Make a special appeal to Christ Himself "for because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." (Heb 2:18, ESV) Show your desperation to Him and be even willing to beg for help, to plead in desperation for deliverance from the temptation. Christ sympathizes with us. He knows and understands temptation because He faced temptation but never entered into it and never sinned. So we can draw close to Him in full confidence that we [will] receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:15-16, ESV)

Confidently look to Christ knowing that "God has countless ways that you know nothing of to bring about your deliverance." (Owen) Remember as Paul said, "[Christ] said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Cor 12:9) Know that Christ not only can do the seeming impossible in overcoming your temptation, He has already done the impossible in resisting temptation Himself and overcoming sin. How He will deliver you may vary. It could be removing the temptation altogether or removing your tasted for the temptation so that it is no longer desirable. It could be that He removes the source of the temptation or that He forces back Satan to no longer bring the temptation. We do not know exactly how Christ will deliver us from temptation, but we do know that He will if we will come to Him and depend on Him for our deliverance.

Finally, the time will come in which you must give consideration how the temptation was able to surprise. Give careful and thorough consideration how you did not see it coming. Ask God to give you clarity on how you allowed such a temptation to entangle you, how you entered into it. Repent to God of your carelessness or your lack of keeping watch over your soul. And ask God to empower and strengthen you so that you will not be surprised nor drawn into the temptation again.

Are you facing a temptation right now? Have you already entered into it, entertaining its seeming pleasures? Stop now and act. Immediately pray and plead with God that the temptation will depart. Immediately go to Christ and desperately plead that He will deliver you. Do not lose hope! Know that Christ promised to deliver you. Think on this and not on the temptation. And, then, after you have done those things, then consider how you entered into the temptation in the first place and pray that God will empower you to keep watch over your soul so that you will not enter into the temptation again.