Day 22 - Help in Watching Against Temptation
9 But he 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.
10 For the sake of Christ, then,
I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and calamities.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Cor 12:9-10 (ESV)
Preparing to Face Down Temptation
We must be prepared to face temptation head on and stare it down. There are three cautions we must be aware of and two key responses to carry out so that we might not enter into temptation and embrace it.
Three cautions when facing down temptation
There are three major things we need to beware of to help us avoid and facae down temptation so that we do not enter into it, so that we don't embrace the temptation and then ultimately commit sin:
1) Relying on our own advice, understanding, and reasoning
2) Relying on the strength of our efforts
3) Using (abusing) biblical truths that offer us eternal security
1) Relying on our own advice, understanding, and reasoning
The danger here is that we can easily rationalize away the temptation is not serious or not actually a real temptation to sin. So we must cautious about only listen to our own opinion, our own voice if something is a temptation.
2) Relying on the strength of our efforts
The danger here is thinking that when we neglect our other duties to walk in obedience to Christ (such as fleeing temptation), we think we can stare temptation down and use our own "strenuous efforts" in things like prayer and fasting to resist the temptation. We must obey Christ fully and not rely on some extraordinary last-minute effort to overcome temptation.
3) Using (abusing) biblical truths that offer us eternal security
The danger here is that we do not take temptation seriously and become dismissive towards it. We rationalize that the doctrine of perseverance of the saints, that we will persevere in our salvation to the end and that we will not abandon the faith (total apostasy), means we need not worry about entering into temptation because even if a temptation prevails here or there, we are ok. As Owen so rightly puts it: "Many have tried this approach, only to find themselves in deep perplexity."
Two key responses when facing down temptation
As we are rightly suspicious of ourselves as we face temptation, there are two key things we should practice as we stare temptation in the face:
1) Diligently consider common ways that we ignore what we are called to do by the Word of God
2) Earnestly call upon Christ Jesus our Lord to deliver on His promises to us
1) Diligently consider common ways that we ignore what we are called to do by the Word of God
There are many common ways that we may be unknowingly setting ourselves up to give into temptation. Examples include 1) overvaluing the things of this world including the opinion of other people 2) not valuing the people of God and their role in helping us to obey Christ, or 3) relying on own strength and intelligence.
2) Earnestly call upon Christ Jesus our Lord to deliver on His promises to us
We must call upon Christ earnestly to help us in our time of need. We must call upon Christ to exercise his strength in our weakness. We must not see calling upon Christ as a secondary option, as a backup plan in case our own efforts fail. We must earnestly call upon Christ from the first sign of temptation to deliver us from it.
Our Challenge
Do you place to much confidence in your own strength and security? Are you appropriately warry of your own pride and ability to resist temptation? You must be suspicious of yourself and exercise caution in how you think about temptation. Facing temptation down starts with watching for it, preparing for it, being aware of our own utter inability and weakness to overcome it. Instead, we must earnestly call upon Christ to give us His strength to be able to help us watch against temptation.