Day26: Growing through Temptation

 Growing through Temptation

Happy is the man who doesn’t give in and 

do wrong when he is tempted, for afterwards 

he will get as his reward the crown of life that

God has promised those who love him.

James 1:12 (LB) 

My temptations have been 

my masters in divinity.

Martin Luther 

Every temptation is an opportunity to do good.

On the path to spiritual maturity, even temptation becomes a

stepping-stone rather than a stumbling block when you realize

that it is just as much an occasion to do the right thing as it is to

do the wrong thing. Temptation simply provides the choice.

While temptation is Satan’s primary weapon to destroy you, God

wants to use it to develop you. Every time you choose to do good

instead of sin, you are growing in the character of Christ.

To understand this, you must first identify the character

qualities of Jesus. One of the most concise descriptions of his

character is the fruit of the Spirit: “When the Holy Spirit controls

our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace,

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patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-

control.” 1

These nine qualities are an expansion of the Great

Commandment and portray a beautiful description of Jesus

Christ. Jesus is perfect love, joy, peace, patience, and all the other

fruit embodied in a single person. To have the fruit of the Spirit is

to be like Christ.

How, then, does the Holy Spirit produce these nine fruit in

your life? Does he create them instantly? Will you wake up one

day and be suddenly filled with these characteristics fully

developed? No. Fruit always matures and ripens slowly.

This next sentence is one of the most important spiritual truths

you will ever learn: God develops the fruit of the Spirit in your life

by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you’re

tempted to express the exact opposite

quality! Character development

always involves a choice, and

temptation provides that

opportunity.

For instance, God teaches us love

by putting some unlovely people

around us. It takes no character to

love people who are lovely and

loving to you. God teaches us real

joy in the midst of sorrow, when we

turn to him. Happiness depends on external circumstances, but

joy is based on your relationship to God. 

God develops real peace within us, not by making things go the

way we planned, but by allowing times of chaos and confusion.

Anyone can be peaceful watching a beautiful sunset or relaxing on

vacation. We learn real peace by choosing to trust God in

circumstances in which we are tempted to worry or be afraid.

Likewise, patience is developed in circumstances in which we’re

forced to wait and are tempted to be angry or have a short fuse.

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God develops the fruit of the

Spirit by allowing you to

experience circumstances in

which you’re tempted to express

the exact opposite quality!

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God uses the opposite situation of each fruit to allow us a

choice. You can’t claim to be good if you’ve never been tempted

to be bad. You can’t claim to be faithful if you’ve never had the

opportunity to be unfaithful. Integrity is built by defeating the

temptation to be dishonest; humility grows when we refuse to be

prideful; and endurance develops every time you reject the

temptation to give up. Every time you defeat a

temptation, you become more like Jesus!

How Temptation Works

It helps to know that Satan is entirely

predictable. He has used the same strategy and old

tricks since Creation. All temptations follow the

same the pattern. That’s why Paul said, “We are very

familiar with his evil schemes.” 2 From the Bible we learn that

temptation follows a four-step process, which Satan used both on

Adam and Eve and on Jesus. 

In step one, Satan identifies a desire inside of you. It may be a

sinful desire, like the desire to get revenge or to control others, or

it may be a legitimate, normal desire, like the desire to be loved

and valued or to feel pleasure. Temptation starts when Satan

suggests (with a thought) that you give in to an evil desire, or

that you fulfill a legitimate desire in a wrong way or at the wrong

time. Always beware of shortcuts. They are often temptations!

Satan whispers, “You deserve it! You should have it now! It will

be exciting . . . comforting . . . or make you feel better.”

We think temptation lies around us, but God says it begins

within us. If you didn’t have the internal desire, the temptation

could not attract you. Temptation always starts in your mind, not

in circumstances. Jesus said, “For from within, out of a person’s

heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,

greed, wickedness, deceit, eagerness for lustful pleasure, envy, slander,

pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within.” 3 James

tells us that there is “a whole army of evil desires within you.” 4

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Step two is doubt. Satan tries to get you to doubt what God has

said about the sin: Is it really wrong? Did God really say not to do

it? Didn’t God mean this prohibition for someone else or some

other time? Doesn’t God want me

to be happy? The Bible warns,

“Watch out! Don’t let evil thoughts or

doubts make any of you turn from the

living God.” 5

Step three is deception. Satan is

incapable of telling the truth and is

called “the Father of lies.” 6 Anything

he tells you will be untrue or just half-true. Satan offers his lie to

replace what God has already said in his Word. Satan says, “You

will not die. You’ll be wiser like God. You can get away with it.

No one will ever know. It will solve your problem. Besides,

everyone else is doing it. It is only a little sin.” But a little sin is

like being a little pregnant: It will eventually show itself.

Step four is disobedience. You finally act on the thought you’ve

been toying with in your mind. What began as an idea gets

birthed into behavior. You give in to whatever got your attention.

You believe Satan’s lies and fall into the trap that James warns

about: “We are tempted when we are drawn away and trapped by

our own evil desires. Then our evil desires conceive and give birth to

sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Do not be

deceived, my dear friends!” 7

Overcoming Temptation

Understanding how temptation works is in itself helpful, but

there are specific steps you need to take to overcome it.

Refuse to be intimidated. Many Christians are frightened and

demoralized by tempting thoughts, feeling guilty that they aren’t

“beyond” temptation. They feel ashamed just for being tempted.

This is a misunderstanding of maturity. You will never outgrow

temptation. 

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We think temptation lies 

around us, but God says 

it begins within us.

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In one sense you can consider temptation a compliment. Satan

does not have to tempt those who are already doing his evil will;

they are already his. Temptation is a sign that Satan hates you, not

a sign of weakness or worldliness. It is also a normal part of being

human and living in a fallen world. Don’t be surprised or shocked

or discouraged by it. Be realistic about the inevitability of

temptation; you will never be able to avoid it completely. The

Bible says, “When you’re tempted, . . .” not if. Paul advises,

“Remember that the temptations that come into your life are no

different from what others experience.” 8

It is not a sin to be tempted. Jesus was tempted, yet he never

sinned.9 Temptation only becomes a sin when you give in to it.

Martin Luther said, “You cannot keep birds from flying over your

head but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.”

You can’t keep the Devil from suggesting thoughts, but you can

choose not to dwell or act on them. 

For example, many people don’t know the difference between

physical attraction or sexual arousal, and lust. They are not the

same. God made every one of us a

sexual being, and that is good.

Attraction and arousal are the

natural, spontaneous, God-given

responses to physical beauty, while

lust is a deliberate act of the will.

Lust is a choice to commit in your

mind what you’d like to do with

your body. You can be attracted or even aroused without

choosing to sin by lusting. Many people, especially Christian men,

feel guilty that their God-given hormones are working. When

they automatically notice an attractive woman, they assume it is

lust and feel ashamed and condemned. But attraction is not lust

until you begin to dwell on it.

Actually, the closer you grow to God, the more Satan will try

to tempt you. The moment you became God’s child, Satan, like a

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Temptation is a sign that 

Satan hates you, not a sign 

of weakness or worldliness.

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mobster hit man, put out a “contract” on you. You are his enemy,

and he’s plotting your downfall. 

Sometimes while you are praying, Satan will suggest a bizarre or

evil thought just to distract you and shame you. Don’t be alarmed

or ashamed by this, but realize that Satan fears your prayers and

will try anything to stop them. Instead of condemning yourself

with “How could I think such a thought?” treat it as a distraction

from Satan and immediately refocus on God. 

Recognize your pattern of temptation and be prepared for

it. There are certain situations that make you more vulnerable to

temptation than others. Some circumstances will cause you to

stumble almost immediately, while others don’t bother you much.

These situations are unique to your weaknesses, and you need to

identify them because Satan surely knows them! He knows

exactly what trips you up, and he is constantly

working to get you into those circumstances. Peter

warns, “Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and

would like nothing better than to catch you 

napping.” 10

Ask yourself, “When am I most tempted? What

day of the week? What time of day?” Ask, “Where am I

most tempted? At work? At home? At a neighbor’s house? At a

sports bar? In an airport or motel out of town?”

Ask, “Who is with me when I’m most tempted? Friends?

Coworkers? A crowd of strangers? When I’m alone?” Also ask,

“How do I usually feel when I am most tempted?” It may be when

you are tired or lonely or bored or depressed or under stress. It

may be when you’ve been hurt or angry or worried, or after a big

success or spiritual high. 

You should identify your typical pattern of temptation and then

prepare to avoid those situations as much as possible. The Bible

tells us repeatedly to anticipate and be ready to face temptation.11

Paul said, “Don’t give the Devil a chance.” 12 Wise planning reduces

temptation. Follow the advice of Proverbs: “Plan carefully what

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you do. . . . Avoid evil and walk straight ahead. Don’t go one step off

the right way.” 13 “God’s people avoid evil ways, and they protect

themselves by watching where they go.” 14

Request God’s help. Heaven has a twenty-four-hour

emergency hot line. God wants you to ask him for assistance in

overcoming temptation. He says, “Call on me in

times of trouble. I will rescue you, and you will

honor me.” 15

I call this a “microwave” prayer because it is

quick and to the point: Help! SOS! Mayday!

When temptation strikes, you don’t have time

for a long conversation with God; you simply cry out. David,

Daniel, Peter, Paul, and millions of others have prayed this kind

of instant prayer for help in trouble.

The Bible guarantees that our cry for help will be heard

because Jesus is sympathetic to our struggle. He faced the same

temptations we do. He “understands our weaknesses, for he faced

all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.” 16

If God is waiting to help us defeat temptation, why don’t we

turn to him more often? Honestly, sometimes we don’t want to

be helped! We want to give in to temptation even though we

know it’s wrong. At that moment we think we know what’s best

for us more than God does.

At other times we’re embarrassed to ask God for help because

we keep giving in to the same temptation over and over. But God

never gets irritated, bored, or impatient when we keep coming

back to him. The Bible says, “Let us have confidence, then, and

approach God’s throne, where there is grace. There we will receive

mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.” 17

God’s love is everlasting, and his patience endures forever. If

you have to cry out for God’s help two hundred times a day to

defeat a particular temptation, he will still be eager to give mercy

and grace, so come boldly. Ask him for the power to do the right

thing and then expect him to provide it. 

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DAY TWENTY-SIX:

GROWING

THROUGH

TEMPTATION

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Temptations keep us dependent upon God. Just as the roots

grow stronger when wind blows against a tree, so every time you

stand up to a temptation you become more like Jesus. When you

stumble—which you will—it is not fatal. Instead of giving in or

giving up, look up to God, expect him to help you, and

remember the reward that is waiting for you: “When people are

tempted and still continue strong, they should be happy. After they

have proved their faith, God will reward them with life forever.” 18

Day Twenty-six

Thinking about My Purpose

Point to Ponder: Every temptation is an opportunity to

do good.

Verse to Remember: “God blesses the people who

patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the

crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” 

James 1:12 (NLT)

Question to Consider: What Christlike character

quality can I develop by defeating the most common

temptation I face?

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