What do we do with temptation and our own failures? This message helps us understand temptation and gives us 4 keys to conquer it.

Temptations come when drift away from God. But God will always draw us near to him. Overcoming temptation is about loving God more than our own desires. God chose you to be a first fruit of his creation in all the world. You can trust him and rest in his will.

About the Speaker

Joel Wolski has been a passionate follower of Christ for over 30 years and serves on the Board of Faith Chapel. He is dedicated to living and sharing a Christ-filled life. Through the years, he has also been both a student and leader in Bible studies. His greatest desire is to help others grow in their identity in Christ. Also an avid photographer, you can follow Joel on Instagram or his website.

Conquering Temptation

“God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 13 And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. 14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

16 So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. 18 He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession” (James 1:12-18, NLT).

First, we’re going to pull this passage apart to understand what it says. Then we’ll look at some examples to help understand what it means.

In verse 12, we see the second sentence starts with “Afterward”. After what? After the temptation. “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation” (James 1:12). This isn’t a reward we get after resisting a trial. Our testing is complete at the end of our lives.

Understanding Temptation

Overcoming temptation is our lifelong journey.

In verse 12, we see “God has promised to those who love him.” Notice, it does not say those who follow the rules. Relationship, not rules, is the basis of Christianity. So, what does this tell us about the nature of temptation? Temptation is not about breaking rules, but about our love being drawn away for Jesus. This is the first thing that we need to understand, and it’s the basis of everything going forward.

Temptation comes when we drift away from God.

Temptation comes when we allow our affection to drift away from God and his will, and onto ourselves and our own desires. “Do not say, ‘God is tempting me’” (James 1:13). Temptation is about our love for God; God does not draw us away from himself. This is how we know the difference between God’s leading and the temptation of our own desires.

God will always draw us to him, never push us away.

In verse 14 we see that our own desires “entice us and drag us away.” The Greek word is pi-rad’-zo: to determine whether a thing can be done. Temptation is that inner dialog we have with ourselves to decide if a certain action is worth the potential consequence, or whether or not we think we can get away with it.

We temp ourselves.

Let’s again go back to the beginning, with Eve and the serpent at the tree of knowledge.

“When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it” (Genesis 3:6, NET).

Don’t confuse temptation with opportunity. Eve talked herself into eating the fruit. The serpent gave her the idea, but she convinced herself the perceived benefits outweighed the potential consequence.

Overcoming temptation is about maintaining our love for God over our love for ourselves.

We learn that temptation conceives sin which gives birth to death; “desires give birth to sinful actions... it gives birth to death” (James 1:15). Temptation promises good things, but it only delivers destruction. The wording here is important because it directly relates to the contrast James is about to make in verse 18.

God delivers on what temptation promises.

“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift” from God (James 1:17). Notice it doesn’t say whatever is good and perfect is earned, but a gift.

Why would God give us these gifts? It was God’s desire to bring us into relationship with him; to make us his sons and daughters. So, he “chose to give birth to us” (James 1:18). Temptation, on the other hand, brings sin and death.

He chose you.

For what have you been chosen? In verse 18 we see that we “became his prized possession,” or as the NIV puts it, “we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created”. The first fruits are what the Israelites were commanded to bring as an offering. It was like a promissory note of faith, trusting God for the rest of the harvest. As the firstfruits of God’s new creation, we are his gift to the world.

We can rest in God’s will.

We can now live lives not ruled by our own temptations, but resting in God’s will and pursuing his good and perfect desires. We are here to be examples of the life God has to offer the world, not only now, but our lives are also to demonstrate God’s new creation.

When we begin to realize that Peter shared in our struggles, we can start to accept we can share in his triumphs.

Peter denies Christ:

‘Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “No, I am not” 26 But one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?” 27 Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed.’ (John 18:25-27, NLT).

When Peter denied Christ, it wasn’t the temptation. It was the sin. The temptation actually came well before this, when Peter still had the opportunity to alter his course.

What does James say? Temptation carries us away from God and toward our own desires. These desires give birth to sin and sometimes it takes time for them to gestate. This is what we see with Peter. Peter promises to follow Jesus to death (see John 13:33-38). In John 13:37 Peter says, “I’m ready to die for you.” This desire to follow God to death is the temptation to Peter.

4 keys to conquering temptation

1. Repent early and often.

Temptation comes when we think we’re better than we actually are. It’s rooted in pride. This was Peter’s chance to “repent;” to “turn away” from the path he was heading down.

Did you know you can repent before you fall into sin? Remember, temptation is that internal dialog we have with ourselves. We can continue with that conversation until we convince ourselves, or we can turn away (repent) from our own motives and desires and back to God and his desire for us. Temptation can actually provide an opportunity to discover these heart issues we might have.

Let’s be clear, temptation is not sin, but it is the road that leads there. And this was not the first signpost Peter had been shown.

‘From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.

22 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s”’ (Matthew 16:21-23, NLT).

Jesus was telling the disciples God’s plan, and Peter says, “heaven forbid”. This is the temptation! What does Jesus say? “Get behind Me, Satan… You are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but men’s” (Matthew 16:23, NASB).

2. Educate yourself in God’s word and will.

Temptation comes when we try to tell God that his plan is wrong. Notice, Peter’s desire wasn’t for evil, he was just ignorant.

The prophet Hosea proclaimed, “my people are being destroyed because they don’t know me” (Hosea 4:6a, NLT). If we are going to be able to overcome temptation, we need to get to know God and his will. We need to educate that inner voice, so we don’t convince ourselves to do stupid things.

What does it take to overcome temptation? Look at how Jesus immediately follows up his rebuke of Peter.

‘Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it’ (Matthew 16:24-25, NLT).

3. Love Jesus more than yourself.

We have to love Jesus more than our own lives–it’s that easy. Temptation isn’t just about the big things. It’s the moment-by-moment process by which we choose Christ, in every situation, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. It’s this lifestyle of choosing God that builds us up and prepares us for the really big decisions that truly are a matter of life and death.

What if we blow it as badly as Peter did? Jesus restores Peter, and he can restore you. Let’s pick up again with Jesus and Peter “after all these things were fulfilled.”

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”

“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. 16 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. 17 A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep’ (John 21:15-17, NLT).

4. Big screw-ups get big grace.

Make no mistake, we will all screw up. Peter had deep flaws, but that didn’t disqualify him. And your flaws don’t disqualify you, just as my flaws don’t disqualify me.

I’ve screwed up big. I thought I didn’t struggle with certain temptations. I fooled myself; I just hadn’t had the opportunity. When I did finally find myself in a potentially compromising situation, I was completely unprepared to recognize that inner voice of my own desires, convincing me to be so stupid. But those desires had always been there, hidden from me inside my own heart.

Conquer temptation through understanding and action.

So, what do we do with temptation and our own failures? By understanding it and then following the key steps to conquer it.

Understand, this is a lifelong journey. Temptations come when drift away from God; and we can even tempt ourselves. But God will always draw us near to him. Overcoming temptation is about loving God more than our own desires.

Don’t forget: God chose you to be a first fruit of his creation in all the world. You can trust him and rest in his will.

What are the keys to conquering temptation?

1. Repent early and often.

2. Educate yourself in God’s word and will.

3. Love Jesus more than yourself.

4. Big screw-ups get big grace.

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