Let Temptation Turn You to Jesus 

Recently I was talking with a couple of high school girls about what struggles they face in their Christian life. 

One of the biggest struggles they mentioned was temptation.

I could relate. It doesn’t matter if we’re at school, the mall, church, or in our own bedroom, temptation to sin is everywhere.

As a teenager, I remember reading the account of Jesus facing Satan’s temptation in the wilderness. Jesus resisted heroically while I, on the other hand, seemed to give in to every little temptation dangled in front of me. 

I asked the girls I was with if anyone had ever talked to them about how to resist temptation. 

They both looked confused and replied “no.” 

Temptation and how to resist it aren’t talked about much in the church. Many Christians no longer believe that resisting temptation is necessary or even possible. Instead, we would rather engage in sin while claiming God’s love and grace.  

But this isn’t the way God intended us to live. 

Jesus overcame temptation as an example for us. And He has given us His Spirit so that we too can overcome our sin and stand firm against the tempter. 

Temptation is the critical point in our battle against sin

Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines temptation as “enticement to evil by arguments, by flattery, or by the offer of some real or apparent good.” 

How we respond to temptation leads us either to a deeper dependence on Jesus Christ or deeper entanglement with sin and death. 

The very first sin that plunged humanity into the curse of death was a direct result of Adam and Eve responding wrongly to temptation. They even told God that they ate the fruit and sinned because they had been tempted.

All sin is a result of people wrongly responding to temptation. 

James explains that “each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” (1:14-15)

According to these verses, the power that makes temptation so effective is actually our own desires. 

The tempter offers us a way to get what we desire apart from God. When we respond by believing our desires can be met apart from Jesus Christ, we sin. 

Eve gave into temptation and sinned when she believed that knowledge of good and evil could be obtained apart from God and desired that knowledge more than she desired God. 

We give in to temptation and sin when we believe that love can be obtained apart from God and look for it in boys, sex, or friends. 

We give in to temptation and sin when we desire the pleasure of food more than we desire the joy of a relationship with Jesus and indulge in unhealthy eating habits. 

But, as Jesus demonstrated, there is a way to resist temptation and be victorious over sin. 

If we truly knew and believed the glorious riches that are available to us in Christ Jesus, we would desire Him above all other things, knowing that only He can meet our deepest needs. 

The only way to fight temptation is to run to Jesus Christ and ask Him to completely satisfy us in Himself. 

This is where temptation loses its power. 

If the power of the tempter is our desires, and if all our desires are met in Jesus, we will not be drawn away from the Lord into sin.  

Instead, we can look temptation in the face and say, “yes I desire love, but the love I crave has been richly lavished on me by the King of Kings.” “Yes I desire pleasure. But I have found that at the right hand of God alone are pleasure forevermore.”

Yes, people can be a demonstration of God’s love for us. Other things can be God’s means of creating joy in our lives, they can help us understand and feel our worth. But only Jesus can truly meet these deep longing of our hearts. 

Temptation is a choice – sin or Jesus

When we come face to face with the enticement of our enemy, rather than lying down in defeat because we love our chocolate cake, our porn, or our anger, let’s use this as an opportunity. 

An opportunity to weep before the Lord that we do not love Him more.

An opportunity to beg for greater love.

An opportunity to run to Jesus for the fulfilment, hope, joy, and true satisfaction that we crave. 

Jesus is the only one who was tempted in all things yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Because “He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18)

Next time you face temptation, view it as an opportunity to choose Jesus. Turn to your Saviour to meet your need and delight yourself in Him. 

 

• What’s one of the biggest struggles in your Christian life?
• Has anyone talked to you about how to fight temptation?

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You can read an entire post on how to practically fight for satisfaction in Jesus when you are tempted here: Memorize Scripture to Fight Sin

For more on how to cultivate a deeper desire for Jesus Christ read the sections “3 Reasons We Don’t Desire God” and “Desiring God” in my free booklet here: She Follows – A Girl’s Guide to Living for Christ & Impacting Others