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HOME IMPROVEMENT SERIES XVI
- OVERCOMING TEMPTATION

here was a woman who had a difficult time avoiding the temptation of buying new clothes. Each time she was in a store, she would always end up buying two or three dresses or new suits. Her husband became very concerned about the family budget. When he brought it up to her, she said simply, "well, I'm sorry. I just can't help it. When I try on a new dress and I like it, I just have to buy it". Her husband said. "Well, why don't you just resist temptation" why don't you, for instance, say "Satan, get thee behind me? The woman said, "Well, I tried that, and Satan said simply, "it looks good from here, too"

The above is a story I culled from a January sermon preached on temptation by Dr. Andrew Wolfe. Although very funny, it speaks to the heart of what many of us are going through in our lives and marriages on a daily basis.

Temptation is the desire to do things that we know we should not do. When we yield to this desire then it becomes a sin that could last generations. Many marriages have broken because of desires to commit adultery, desire to spend beyond means, and desire to marry someone for physical attraction rather than a godly person. In James 1: 13-14 the bible says "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death"

If God does not tempt people, then who does? The answer is easy, The Devil. Let us examine the pattern of Satan's temptation by looking at two of his greatest temptations. The temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and the temptation of Jesus Christ in the wilderness while He was fasting. It is important to note that temptation in itself is not a sin, yielding to the desire is what makes it a sin.

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Pattern of Temptation

By examining these two temptations we see a pattern used by Satan that we can avoid. Apostle John summarized these pattern "For everything in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the father but from the world" and Jesus said Satan is the prince of the world system (emphasis mine -system).

In Genesis we see Satan indwell the serpent and tempted Adam and Eve. In a fashion very typical of the enemy, he did not come telling a bold lie, he came telling half truths. His first statement to Eve was "Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?" - when you look at this statement, Satan was casting doubt on a fact that God told Adam and Eve. In the woman's lustful thinking, she even embellished what God told them, she said "and you must not touch it, or you will die" (God never told them not to touch the tree). Satan, then went on as the "father of lies", telling them that they would not die if they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, well he knew they would not die physically instantly, but they will die spiritually, which is more important that physical death. And very typical of many of us caught in the web of yielding to temptation we blame everyone else except ourselves. Adam blamed God and the woman, Eve blamed the serpent. In the temptation of Jesus Christ in the wilderness (desert), we see Satan; use the same pattern of temptation and deceit. Knowing Jesus would be hungry after fasting for forty days and nights, he tested the pride of Jesus "If you are the Son of God" you would make stones into bread. Satan was trying to kill two birds with one stone, inflate the ego of Christ as being the Son of God (even though he knew that Jesus was the Son of God - Jesus said He saw Satan booted out of heaven), and then get him to do what His father has not ask him to do (disobedience). He again tested Christ by promising temporary wealth. The Bible says the blessing of God makes rich and adds no sorrow, what ever wealth the enemy gives, you can be assured that sorrow is tucked in somewhere (Just read the news about men and women who have gotten wealth illegally - the shame that has come upon them and their family).

We'll discuss how Christ overcame the temptation and why Adam and Eve fell later, for now, let's examine the common pattern of temptation.

1. Create doubts when the facts are clear.

2. Tell half truth about a situation, in order to get you to do what he

   wants and not the consequences that result from your action.

3. Knowing humans and our desires, he tries to influence our attitudes

4. Knowing God hates Pride; Satan uses pride to no end in the lives of

   believers and non-believers alike.

Create Doubts

There were many trees in the Garden of Eden, and the Bible mentioned two of them. The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Bible suggested in Genesis 3: 22, that if Adam and Eve had eating of the tree of life they would have lived forever, but Satan diverted their attention to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He created doubts in their mind about what God said, by his first statement.

Many of us know the truth of God regarding our marriages (see my articles on the truth series), we know God put us together to raise Godly off-springs (Malachi 2), we know he wants wife to respect husbands and husbands to love wife (Ephesians 5), we know he wants us to humble ourselves before him so we can resist the devil (1 Peter 5). We know we cannot approach him with iniquity in our hearts (Psalms 24), we know God does not want homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22) and many more truths. Yet we allow the enemy to cast doubts on these truths. We have watched too much television, that we have become sensitized to the lies of the devil. Divorce use to be a taboo in America, now it is common place. It used to be a taboo in Nigeria (and other African countries) now it's becoming common place. Because men of God that we know have moral challenges we use them as examples instead of Christ. The biggest issue in the last election in America was the "gay marriage" issue. That should never have been, but that is what doubts have done. Even churches, ordained men and women and congregants now doubt this truth about the institution of marriage. Many of us now doubt that God brought us together as a couple. I remember a young lady telling me that God told her to divorce, my answer to her was simple, if you want to divorce go ahead, but please don't use the name of God, He cannot go against what He gave us in his word. As you read, I want you to examine yourself and ask this question, what truth of God is Satan, casting doubt on in my life?

Telling half truths

Satan rarely tell outright lies, he sugar coats his lies and presents it in a nice way, that is why he is said to "appear as the angel of light". He told Eve, that she would not die, rather that she would become like God knowing evil and good. It is important for me to say at this point that at the center of the new age movement is the belief that every person is a god to his/her self, that there is no absolute truth (Satan used that lie in the Garden of Eden). Satan, perhaps realize that they would die somehow, since God told them they will. Today, he continue to tell many people there is no heaven of hell, once you die physically, that is it. He is even telling church folks lies, many denomination exist to worship angels, when the Bible clearly state that they are ministering spirits not to be worshipped, a total distraction from the worship of God.

Satan is perhaps telling someone reading this article that, if you divorce him or her, life would become good. Well, statistics clearly indicate that your nightmare is just beginning, you might get temporary relief from him asking for sex or her nagging you, but then you have to deal with child support, custody, trust issue all your life, raising children alone, rebellious adolescent children and many facts of a broken home.

Remember, the devil would not out-rightly call things as they are. When you find yourself second guessing something, seek the heart of God about that thing.

Influencing our attitude

You will notice that Satan did not approach Adam first, he approached Eve instead (I'm not suggesting women are the vulnerable one - in any household one person is more vulnerable than the other), and he knew who was vulnerable among the two of them. He was able to convince Eve with lies and half truth, while her husband was standing right next to her.

The word of God repeatedly tells us that our attitude should be like that of Christ, who consider himself nothing, and choose to die for us. We need to keep it in our head that without God in our lives we are nothing. We might achieved what the world call success, money, children, fame etc, those are things that can be taken away overnight.

When we start to think that it's about us, then we are playing into the enemy's hand. He can then come in with his bag of tricks. I know husbands whose wives struggled with them for many years and now that they are "big name people" or "they have some money in their pocket" the woman is no longer attractive to be seen with them, they now need another beautiful wife to boost their self-esteem.

Pride

This is the oldest trick in Satan's hat. He appealed to Eve's pride by telling her that she'll be like God. That trick is alive and well today, most advanced countries in the world are referred to as post-God, they now believe that they are gods to themselves. Anyone who believes in God is now said to be dumb, some even say that you cannot be an intellectual (a scientist) and believe in God.

Satan tried his pride hat-trick on Jesus by asking him to bow down for authority over the world system (Jesus made the world! Why would he bow to have what He created?). As believers we already have victory in the death and resurrection of Christ and in obedience to his words, we don't need the devil to fan our pride. Many homes are broken because of pride, husbands don't want to forgive wife because of pride, wives thinks the husband is too bush (uncultured), and they are ashamed of him. Pride breeds unforgiveness; it breeds conflicts in the house. Pride is also a sin and God himself resist people who have pride.

Overcoming Temptation

We now know what temptation is, the person who tempts and his pattern of temptation. Satan tempting us is not a sin, yielding to this temptation gets us into trouble. In 1 Corinthians 10: 13 the Bible says "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" Hebrews 2: 18 "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted", Hebrews 4: 15 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but we have one who has been tempted in ever way, just as we are - yet he was without sin".

The Bible clearly indicates that

• Our high priest was tempted in every way we will ever be tempted,

  therefore he can empathize with us during temptation.

• He understands our frame, so he would not let us bear beyond our frame

  or what we can bear

• When we are tempted, there is always a way out for us (sometimes we have

  to look carefully, sometimes we have to listen carefully)

• Since our high priest was able to overcome temptation without sin, the

  same is expected from us.

How did Jesus Overcome temptation?

1. He knew right from wrong - for anyone to be deceived or for doubt to be created in our minds, we will need to have an absolute truth that we live by. I'm not sure Eve was sure of what was right or wrong, it took a doubtful statement from Statement from the devil, for her to doubt what God told her not to do.

   We have to be certain of what we believe, not been blown back and forth by good arguments or intellectual an intellectual discussions. Parents are now scared to send kids who believe in God to college because Professors will make fun of them. We need to teach our kids definite right and wrong and that no matter who challenged them, it does not change the truth. It takes a lot of faith not to be in God.

   While Jesus knew what was right and wrong, and he stood his ground, Adam and Eve, were wobbly and they fell.

2. To face the schemes, doubts, and other tricks of the enemy we need to know the word of God. The three times Satan tempted Jesus, three times he replied with, "it is written" and he would then go ahead and quote a scripture. If he has not kept the word in his heart, there would be nothing to quote. The Bible says we should cast down imaginations or thoughts that exalt itself more than the word of God.

   When our mind is being bombarded with thoughts, it left to us to rebuke the enemy, using scriptures. "You thoughts of divorce, I hold you captive". The word of God is powerful; Apostle Paul calls it a "Sword".

3. Jesus was always prayed up. We know that He is God, yet he had to take time out in prayer. To successfully battle the enemy, we need to be more in the spirit than in flesh. The Bible encourages us to be ready in and out of season.

   Jesus was always ready against whatever trick the enemy brought. He would from time to time set himself apart for prayer. I don't consider myself a prayer person like my Mom, but I've found praying fervently for conferences or other situations in my life makes a huge difference.

4. Surround yourself with godly people - Jesus never hung out with just anyone. Many of us want to eat out cake and have it. We want to put one leg in the things of God and another leg in the things of the world. In Revelation we are told that God will spit out, any undecided people or church.

   We cannot operate in a vacuum as Christians, but we are to choose our close friends carefully. It's important to have people around you for encouragements etc, but be very careful who you allow into such inner chambers of your life. Jesus had many disciples but he was very close to 12 of them, and even among the twelve, he took only three with him to the mount of transfiguration.

In summary, while overcoming temptation is not an easy task, not overcoming it is not an option either. We already have a high priest who promised that he would not allow us to be tempted more than what we can bear. Our high priest has also already shown us how to overcome these temptations when they come at us.

I pray that as we face those temptations to commit adultery, abandon our marriage, beat our wives, or to disrespect our husbands, that we are able to stand under the protective arm of our high priest, which is Jesus Christ and resist the desires that motivate us to be disobedient to God.

P.S. AFTER THE PUBLICATION OF MY BOOK "PECULIAR CONFLICTS - AFRICAN MARRIAGES IN WESTERN CULTURES" AND AN APPEARANCE ON TBN CHANNEL 14, TX. I CONDUCTED PECULIAR CONFLICTS CONFERENCES IN 5 CITIES IN AMERICA AND 1 IN LONDON, ENGLAND, TOTALLY OUT OF POCKET IN 2003. THE CONFERENCES FOCUSED ON THE PROBLEMS, OFFER SOLUTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR QUESTIONS.

IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT KILLINGS (DALLAS TX & SOUTH CAROLINA), I'LL LIKE TO CONDUCT THESE CONFERENCES AGAIN IN 2006, BUT THIS TIME PARTNER WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN DOING IT AS A COMMUNITY SERVICE/OUTREACH IN THEIR CITY. IT IS MY DESIRE TO REACH EVERY AFRICAN IRRESPECTIVE OF RELIGION.

IF YOUR ORGANIZATION IS INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH ME TO BRING THE ISSUES OF MARRIAGES AS IT RELATES TO US IMMIGRANTS TO YOUR CITY, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME.