WHAT IS YOUR TEMPTATION?

I was teaching a group of young disciples and we got talking about temptations. One of them asked, “Pastor, what is your temptation?”

I thought briefly and said to them, “I get tempted when there is no money on me”. I am tempted to take money that is not mine and spend with the hope that I will return it.

I shared a brief story of how the office released the money to fuel my car for a trip. I ended up not going and I had not yet bought the fuel. I wanted to keep the money with the thought that, “What if I had bought the fuel, will I return it?”

That’s my temptation! Someone replied, “But that’s no big deal. At least, it was released”. I responded, “But I did not use it for the purpose it was released”.

Friends, temptations are part of our Christian walk. It will test your trust in God. If it ever tempts you, it is because you have what it takes to overcome it.

Paul tells us that God has screened the test that comes our way knowing well that we can overcome it:

We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it.

And each test is an opportunity to trust him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously. (1 Corinthians 10:13 TPT)

How do you overcome this temptation? First, call it what it is. Do not try to colour it at all. Call sin a sin. Fornication sounds scarier than pre-marital sex. Adultery raises an alarm louder than an extra marital affair.

Second, be accountable. Temptation thrives in secret. Let there be at least one person in your life that you can pour your heart to when you are tempted. The person must be free to poke nose in your business.

Third, be brutal with sin. Your destiny is involved. Do not smell what you will not eat. Stop picking the call. Stop visiting that house. Remove the password on your phones. Let your spouse have access to all your chats and calls.

Deal with temptation. There are people who fell and they never get to rise again. They did not come out of the pit of sin and were slain and laid in the grave of ungodly decisions. Beware!