Vital signs- Sunday, July 31st, 2021

When Tempted, Humble Yourself Before God

You may sometimes feel that a temptation is too overpowering for you to bear, but that's a lie from Satan. God has promised never to allow more on you than he puts within you to handle it. He will not permit any temptation that you could not overcome. However, you must do your part too by practicing biblical methods for defeating temptation. First and foremost, you want to refocus your attention on something besides the temptation. It may surprise you that nowhere in the Bible are we told to "resist temptation." We're told to "resist the devil," and that is very different. (James 4:7) The Bible says we're to refocus our attention because trying to resist a thought simply doesn't work. It only intensifies our focus on the wrong thing and strengthens its allure. In other words, whatever you resist, persists. Since temptation always begins with a thought, the quickest way to neutralize its allure is to turn your attention to something else. Don't fight the thought, just change the channel of your mind and get interested in another idea. The battle for sin is won or lost in your mind. Whatever gets your attention will get you. That's why Job said, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust upon a young woman." (Job 31:1 NLT) And David prayed, "Keep me from paying attention to what is worthless." (Psalm 119:37a TEV)