Series: How Do I Get Out Of This Mess
Handling Temptation In Our Lives
Presentation by Satan
Genesis 3:1 (KJV) Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
1 Chronicles 21:1 (KJV) And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
Mark 4:14-15 (KJV) 14 The sower soweth the word.
15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
2 Corinthians 2:11 (KJV) Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
2 Corinthians 11:3 (KJV) But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
1 Thessalonians 3:5 (KJV) For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.
Persons (some) in the Bible that struggled with temptation
Eve
Genesis 3:6 (KJV) And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Ate the forbidden fruit – you say apple and I say fig (NOT)
Lot
Genesis 13:10-13 (KJV)10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Longed for the land of “plenty”
Esau
Gensis 25:30-33 (KJV) 30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
Couldn’t pass up a little bowl of soup
Achan –
Joshua 7:21(KJV) When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
Siver & gold were his demise not his salvation
Solomon
1 kings 11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites:
1 kings 11:4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
Women! What was he thinking?
James & John
Mark 10:35-37 35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.
36 And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?
37 They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.
Ambition and power are a strong temptation
Proper handling by persons in the Bible
Joseph – remained pure
Genesis 39:7-137 And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
8 But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;
9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
10 And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
11 And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.
12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.
13 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,
Flesh, no doubt said yes
Satan provided the opportunity
Refusal appeared costly
Job – listened not
Job 2:9-10
9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
Those close may be part of Satan’s plan
It is not easy to go against our loved ones
David – did not kill Saul when he was allowed the opportunity
Jesus - said, “No thanks!” to Satan
Luke 4:5-8 (KJV) 5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Satan’s offers are real (enough) to look real
Satan’s offers are false (enough) to be false
Peter – did not let the love of money creep into his life
Acts 8:20 (KJV) But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
One of the strongest agents Satan employs
Grabbed Jim Bakker
Builds or feeds our egos (importance develops)
Leads to other excesses (Jim Bakker)
(we deserve them attitude)
Paradoxical Pleasant surprise of those undergoing temptation
Not all bad – victory can be ours
1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV) There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
We can endure –
Hebrews 2:8 (KJV) Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
Not a reason for sadness
James 1:2(KJV) My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
Just follow the (right) leader
2 Peter 2:9 (KJV) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
Victory to be had
Revelation 3:10 (KJV) Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Revelation 3:21 (KJV) To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
How do we beat temptation?
Can we go blind in life and never see them?
Can we be deaf in life that we never hear them?
Can we live in a cave and never venture forth to experience them?
Jesus said that this is a serious issue -
Matthew 5:28-30 (KJV) 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
So, how?…
Don’t give in to the devil & his crowd
Proverbs 1:10 (KJV) My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
Don’t go there
Proverbs 4:14 (KJV) Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Don’t be friends
Proverbs 22:24-25 (KJV) 24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:
25 Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.
Don’t take advantage of the situation (Satan will make sure we have plenty situations to take advantage of)
Proverbs 22:22 (KJV) Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:
Don’t tip the bottle – it leads to even worse things
Proverbs 23:31-35 (KJV) 31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
To sum that up…
Look not, touch not, taste not, try not, seek not, and want not!
Okay, I’ll try that, what else helps?
Look to God
Proverbs 23:26 (KJV) My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
Seek righteousness
Romans 6:13 (KJV) Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Let God help
Ephesians 6:13 (KJV) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Be vigilent
2 Peter 3:17(KJV) Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
Gary Marcum – New Beginnings Church – 051709am