HOW TO RESIST TEMPTATION
Most people fall into temptations because they cannot control themselves in what they want to do. They do not stop and think if that is really what they want to do. They rush themselves into doing something without thinking about the consequences. They believe that they have to do it now. And curiosity often overpowers their defenses. That's how we make the wrong decision. I believe that falling into temptation is a learning problem. Some of us don't learn from our past mistakes. We repeat the same mistakes again and again. And if we don't look at our failures very seriously, they can become a habit that will be hard to change as we grow older.
Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. "For God knows that on the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make [one] wise, she took off its fruit and ate. She also gave it to her husband, and he ate." Genesis 3:4-6. Their curiosity defeats their logic. They want to eat them right now. They want to be like God. People who frequently fall into temptations lack the moral strength that governs their behavior. They frequently put themselves on the path of temptations. And once they are on the wrong path, they cannot get out of it. If they do not voluntarily put themselves into the path of temptations, there is nothing for them to resist. And so, my time-tested recipe for how to resist temptations is not to put ourselves into any temptations. Satan cannot force us to do what we don't want to do. Jesus cannot force us to do what we don't want to do. We get into many temptations because we voluntarily put ourselves into temptations. And our bad habits make us do what we should not do. You may disagree with me, but that is the fact! For example, if you are a lover-boy or Casanova, stay away from beautiful-looking women. If you are a gambler, don’t go into casinos. If you have the urge to drink beer or alcohol, don’t go into bars. If you are a smoker and you want to quit smoking, don’t be around people who smoke. In short, do not put yourself into situations where you have to resist temptations. That is my time-tested recipe on how you can resist temptation with little effort. However, how successful we can be in resisting temptations also depends on our old bad habits. Another good method to resist temptation that is guaranteed to work is the Lord’s Prayer - “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:13) If you can recite the Lord’s Prayer with confidence and faith, you will see that He will do the work for you. Yes, God will help us if we ask.
Here's another thing that I believe you should not do. Why do you think Satan can tempt Jesus by taking Him to a mountain? “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’" (Matthew 4:8-9). Do you want to know why Satan can tempt Jesus? It is because Jesus has allowed Satan to take Him to the top of a high mountain to be tempted. If Jesus had refused when Satan took Jesus to the top of a high mountain, Satan could do nothing. He would disappear from Jesus’ face without Jesus having to say a word to Satan! Tonight or tomorrow night a Jinn may visit you and touch your foot while you are sleeping in your bed. Don’t just say to him, “Please don’t bother me.” Instead say to him, “Get the hell out of here!” You need not be courteous to Satan. He is around you to deceive you, just like all the hackers. He wants you to pay him a large sum of ransom - your soul. And so, do not allow Satan to tempt you! Don't go to places where he wants you to go that you should not go. If a good friend of yours wants to take you to a red-light district area, don't follow him. You are not Jesus, and you are bound to fail!
Many years ago, my uncle and my aunt came to visit us in California from Jakarta, Indonesia. I haven’t seen them for a long time. I want to show them around while they are in California. One night we took them to Morongo, a large casino, to see a show and eat dinner. You know what? They would not get out of my car and go into the casino. They refused our invitation. They just sat in the car. They would not place themselves in a situation where they may have to resist evil or temptation. They are smart! And so should we. If we see the dress custom in many Muslim countries, women are covered from top to bottom. If you are lucky you can see their toes. But if you see women in Western countries, they wear only what the law requires them to wear, and nothing more. They do not dress conservatively. They put themselves on the path of temptations. And that is not very wise, is it?
Satan works day and night to deceive us. Jesus says, “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24). Satan works through human beings like a storm to deceive us all - humans such as false messiahs, false prophets, false teachers, and fake preachers.
If a bad storm is tearing through your town, don’t put yourself in the path of the storm. Don’t put yourself in the middle of temptations so you don’t have to resist them.
Adherence to the teachings of God, I believe, will help us avoid future moral problems that we don't see now.
Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. "For God knows that on the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make [one] wise, she took off its fruit and ate. She also gave it to her husband, and he ate." Genesis 3:4-6. Their curiosity defeats their logic. They want to eat them right now. They want to be like God. People who frequently fall into temptations lack the moral strength that governs their behavior. They frequently put themselves on the path of temptations. And once they are on the wrong path, they cannot get out of it. If they do not voluntarily put themselves into the path of temptations, there is nothing for them to resist. And so, my time-tested recipe for how to resist temptations is not to put ourselves into any temptations. Satan cannot force us to do what we don't want to do. Jesus cannot force us to do what we don't want to do. We get into many temptations because we voluntarily put ourselves into temptations. And our bad habits make us do what we should not do. You may disagree with me, but that is the fact! For example, if you are a lover-boy or Casanova, stay away from beautiful-looking women. If you are a gambler, don’t go into casinos. If you have the urge to drink beer or alcohol, don’t go into bars. If you are a smoker and you want to quit smoking, don’t be around people who smoke. In short, do not put yourself into situations where you have to resist temptations. That is my time-tested recipe on how you can resist temptation with little effort. However, how successful we can be in resisting temptations also depends on our old bad habits. Another good method to resist temptation that is guaranteed to work is the Lord’s Prayer - “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:13) If you can recite the Lord’s Prayer with confidence and faith, you will see that He will do the work for you. Yes, God will help us if we ask.
Here's another thing that I believe you should not do. Why do you think Satan can tempt Jesus by taking Him to a mountain? “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’" (Matthew 4:8-9). Do you want to know why Satan can tempt Jesus? It is because Jesus has allowed Satan to take Him to the top of a high mountain to be tempted. If Jesus had refused when Satan took Jesus to the top of a high mountain, Satan could do nothing. He would disappear from Jesus’ face without Jesus having to say a word to Satan! Tonight or tomorrow night a Jinn may visit you and touch your foot while you are sleeping in your bed. Don’t just say to him, “Please don’t bother me.” Instead say to him, “Get the hell out of here!” You need not be courteous to Satan. He is around you to deceive you, just like all the hackers. He wants you to pay him a large sum of ransom - your soul. And so, do not allow Satan to tempt you! Don't go to places where he wants you to go that you should not go. If a good friend of yours wants to take you to a red-light district area, don't follow him. You are not Jesus, and you are bound to fail!
Many years ago, my uncle and my aunt came to visit us in California from Jakarta, Indonesia. I haven’t seen them for a long time. I want to show them around while they are in California. One night we took them to Morongo, a large casino, to see a show and eat dinner. You know what? They would not get out of my car and go into the casino. They refused our invitation. They just sat in the car. They would not place themselves in a situation where they may have to resist evil or temptation. They are smart! And so should we. If we see the dress custom in many Muslim countries, women are covered from top to bottom. If you are lucky you can see their toes. But if you see women in Western countries, they wear only what the law requires them to wear, and nothing more. They do not dress conservatively. They put themselves on the path of temptations. And that is not very wise, is it?
Satan works day and night to deceive us. Jesus says, “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24). Satan works through human beings like a storm to deceive us all - humans such as false messiahs, false prophets, false teachers, and fake preachers.
If a bad storm is tearing through your town, don’t put yourself in the path of the storm. Don’t put yourself in the middle of temptations so you don’t have to resist them.
Adherence to the teachings of God, I believe, will help us avoid future moral problems that we don't see now.
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