10 Practical Ways to Battle Your Temptations
Last night I gave in to one of my biggest temptations.
As I type this post I’m on Day 18 of the Whole30. It’s beyond the scope of this post for me to tell you in detail all about the Whole30, but know that the focus is eating real, healthy food and avoiding grains, sugar, dairy, and baked goods (among many other foods).
I’d done so well for 17.9 days, but last night, while typing this post, I gave in to my temptation and ate some foods I committed not to eat. Oh, the irony of giving into your temptations whilst writing about temptation. Anywho, I was stressed, worried about a few things, and it was late at night. Apparently I need to practice more of what I preach.
In Part 1 of this 2-part series on temptation (What Do You Need to Know About Temptation?), I shared three things you and I need to be aware of regarding our temptations. Based on James 1:13-15, we need to know:
Temptation doesn’t come from God but from our own desires (v.13)
Temptation deceives us and lures us in (v.14)
When we give in to our temptations, we experience sin and death (v.15)
In Part 2, I share one fact about temptation for the follower of Christ and 10 ways we can fight against the temptations that bombard us every single day.
One Fact About Temptation:
If you are a follower of Christ, you do not have to give in to your temptations. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” This means you’re no longer held hostage by your sinful desires and you’re not obligated to choose to sin. Rather, you can walk by the Spirit and not satisfy the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
Before the follower of Christ trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, they had to fight their temptations on their own. Before Jesus, I would “white knuckle” it, and eventually lose the battle because I was limited by my own strength and will power. But as followers of Christ, we’re no longer slaves to sin. Rather we can fight our temptations with the power of the Holy Spirit, with God’s Word informing us, and God’s people cheering us on.
This doesn’t mean we’ll move through life sinless. By no means! But it does mean we have hope to battle our temptations and we don’t have to do the things we want to do (Galatians 5:18).
Ten Practical Ways to Battle Temptation
1. Be aware of how you’re tempted.
How are you tempted? What is it for you? In Part 1 I shared a list of common temptations (i.e., food, porn, alcohol). Do you know what your biggest temptations are and do you know when you most often struggle?
We each need to be aware of how and when we most often struggle. For instance, I know I struggle more with my temptations when I’m tired, stressed, have unresolved conflict with someone else, and haven’t exercised.
2. Stand firm when you’re tempted.
In a prior post I shared 5 ways you can guard your life from temptation. I discussed how you can stand firm by guarding your eyes (Job 31:1), your mind (Philippians 4:8), your heart (Proverbs 4:23), your hands (Ecclesiastes 9:10a), and your body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
3. Fight your pride.
Don’t ever say, “It won’t happen to me. I’m too strong to give in to my temptations."
While I hope you and I don’t give in, I’d rather follow Paul’s advice in 1 Corinthians 10:12: "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” You might have heard it said this way - “Pride goes before a fall.” This infamous phrase comes from Proverbs 16:18—"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."
I know I’m only a few bad decisions from giving into any and every temptation in my life. Stay humble (James 4:6) and stay dependent on the Lord (John 15:5)
4. Engage others.
Sometimes when we’re tempted or after we’ve given in we choose to avoid others out of shame or fear. We don’t want to let others in or don’t want to admit we’ve fallen short.
What we really need, however, is to invite others in before we sin or even at the point of temptation. For example, when I’m tempted to binge on a full bag of jelly beans I’ll text some friends and let them know I need some accountability or encouragement. I tell them I’m struggling and need their prayers.
Proverbs 13:20 says, “Whoever walks with the wise grows wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Choose to surround yourself with wise friends and include them in your struggles instead of running from them. Enlist the help of others instead of trying to fight on your own.
5. Pursue Jesus.
Make sure you don’t confuse time reading the Bible with intimacy with Jesus. Sometimes I’ll read my Bible just so I can "check the box” when I know I’m not really seeking to grow in my relationship with Christ. Rather, I can trick myself into thinking that reading the Bible is a substitute for an intimate, personal relationship with Christ.
Don’t get into the habit of reading God’s Word simply to check the box. Rather read His Word so that you can deepen your relationship with Christ and for life change.
6. Establish wise boundaries with others of the opposite sex.
So much can be said and has been said on this topic, but the bottom line is to be really wise and cautious about how you relate to someone of the opposite sex (who’s not your spouse). For example, in our marriage, Kristen and I never drive alone with someone of the opposite sex. We don’t meet behind closed doors alone with someone else, and we’re very cautious about text messages and emails. We know each other’s passwords and we seek to live above reproach in all ways with others of the opposite sex.
I wrote about some boundaries you can put in place in a prior post - check it out at 6 Ways You Can Strengthen Your Marriage.
In addition, we try as often as possible to speak highly about each other in front of others. We want others to know we’re happily married and don’t want to give off any kind of allusion that one of us is unhappy or available.
7. Be on mission together as a couple.
When we serve together, it helps solidify our marital bond. We’re on mission loving and caring for others. In part it takes the focus off our selfish desires and helps us focus on others. In addition, there’s something really attractive about watching your spouse serve and use their gifts.
8. Be thankful.
Almost every day for the past three years I’ve written down three things I’m thankful for. It could be my wife, our friends, or something hard the Lord is bringing me through to teach me something about Himself. Regardless of the object of my thankfulness, this discipline reminds me of the great things in my life. The more I’m reminded of the gifts in my life, the less likely I will be to lose them all in exchange for some foolish, momentary pleasure.
There’s no food that tastes good enough, no high that’s as enjoyable, or sexual experience that’s fulfilling enough to replace intimacy with Jesus. Being thankful every day reminds me not to trade all that’s amazing for something that might be great for a few fleeting moments.
9. Anticipate when you might need some help.
I’m going through a book called The Whole30 Day by Day: Your Daily Guide to Whole30 Success while I do the Whole30. The author writes, “The easiest way to keep cravings at bay is to avoid temptation in the first place…. The habit research time is called “pre-commitment”: limiting your choices while you’re in a safe place away from temptation. It’s telling the waiter not to bring the dessert menu or avoiding the break room leftovers after a birthday party."
Remove yourself from the situation. Take a different route home. Get help from a co-worker in advance. Like #1 above, know how and when you’re tempted and anticipate when you might need some help.
10. Fight temptation with God’s Word.
Last, but certainly not least, fight your temptations with the Word. For a great example, read Luke 4:1-11 and observe how Jesus fought against the temptations from the devil with God’s Word. A warning—don’t just memorize scripture, but also do what it says.
If you battle temptations with lust, memorize some scripture about lust and sexual sin (i.e., Ephesians 5:3, 1 Corinthians 6:18). If you struggle with the temptation to people-please, memorize Galatians 1:10. Or if you’re like me and struggle with food, memorize a verse like 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and 10:31 to help remind you to honor God with your body and with what you eat.
Fight your biggest temptations with the Truth of God’s Word.
Your Turn:
There’s so much more that can be included, but hopefully this gives you a really good start to fight your temptations so they don’t take you down (see Part 1). As I review this list, I know last night when I gave in to my food temptations, I could and should have done everything on this list. Instead I chose to give in and not battle my temptations. Do as I say, not as I do. And when you do fall short, confess to others. Let’s fight our temptations before they take us out.
1. Who do you reach out to when you’re tempted?
2. Which of these 10 ways can you apply to your life today?
3. Read one of my prior posts on temptation: