Overcoming Temptation, Part 2
* This is Part 2 of a 3-part series on "Overcoming Temptation." Read Part 1 here.
David’s fall into temptation was a process. He didn’t just see Bathsheba and rush into adultery. He saw, meditated, initiated, and then planned out the sin.
If you look at 2 Samuel 11:4, David and Bathsheba rationalized that since she had just ended her menstruation, she would not be able to conceive. So they went through with the plan. As we know, this step led to further plotting and deception, and ultimately, murder.
Benjamin Franklin said it best when he said, “It is easier to suppress the first desire than to satisfy all that follow it.” It is better not to experience the first fruit of temptation, then to fall and try and fight the craving for it later. In order to overcome temptation, we must not indulge in that very first thought or desire that leads to sin.
James 1:14-16 says, “But 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. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren” (NKJV). The reality is that the greatest foe in our lives is ourselves. There is a battle to be fought in the mind. .
So to avoid going down that slippery slope, we must avoid situations that tempt us. “When you flee temptation, be sure you don't leave a forwarding address” (Source Unknown). Romans 13:14 says, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to [fulfill its] lusts” (NKJV).
We cannot repeat the patterns and yet expect different results. The cycle must be broken. On the TV show "Hee Haw," Doc Campbell is confronted by a patient who says he broke his arm in two places. The doctor replies, "Well then, stay out of them places!"
We can overcome sin – by planning ahead and deciding now that we want to have victory through Jesus!
_____
Roy Kim is a Religion Major at Andrews University.