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How Does God's Word Help Us Resist Temptation?
In Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus was tempted three times by the devil. Each time the devil tempted Him, He responded with Scripture, answering, “It is written.”
The Psalmist wrote, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). Knowing what God has said and storing it in our hearts helps us to resist temptation and avoid sin.
How does the word of God help us resist temptation?
God’s Word Clearly Defines and Exposes Sin.
The law of God tells us what sin is (Romans 7:7). Without God’s law, we wouldn’t know what is sinful and what is not. If we tried to go off of our own intuition, what we would decide would end in our destruction (Proverbs 14:12).
Our culture tries to redefine sin by renaming it. Adultery gets renamed to an “affair.” Covetousness is rephrased as “ambition.” Pride is relabeled as “self-confidence.”
By clearly defining and exposing sin for what it truly is (“sin is lawlessness” - 1 John 3:4), God’s word protects us from redefining what sin is, minimizing the seriousness of sin, or justifying engaging in sin (Romans 6:1-2).
God’s Word Guides Our Desires.
When the devil tempted Jesus, he used the same “playbook” that he uses to tempt all people: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-17). He appealed to Jesus’ desires, but our Lord rejected each temptation by relying upon Scripture.
The devil appeals to our own desires to “entice” us and draw us away from what is right (James 1:13-15). God’s word teaches us the proper outlet for our desires (Hebrews 13:4). We must not trust our own “feelings” or desires; we must trust in the Lord to direct us in the right way (Proverbs 3:5-7). Our feelings must be trained and guided by truth.
God’s Word Strengthens Us.
Although Jesus was physically weakened by His 40-day fast (Matthew 4:1-2), He was spiritually prepared for the devil’s assault. He depended on the Father’s strength, and we should do the same. The apostle Paul urged Christians to put on the whole armor of God, trusting in His power and might in our fight against evil (Ephesians 6:10-13).
When we depend upon God, even when we are weak, we are strong in Him (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). God’s word is living and powerful (Hebrews 4:12).
God’s Word Reminds Us Whose We Are.
Right before Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, He was baptized by John in the Jordan River (Matthew 3:13-17). The Father proclaimed from heaven, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
The first thing the devil says to Jesus is an attack on what the Father said. The devil began, “If You are the Son of God…” (Matthew 4:3). In the Garden of Eden, the first thing the devil did was undermine what God had said (Genesis 3:1).
Often, the devil takes a similar approach to us. “If you were really forgiven…” or “If you were really saved…” or “If you were really loved…”
We must store up God’s word in our hearts so that Satan doesn’t undermine our trust in the One we belong to (1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 3:1; 1 Corinthians 6:20). Peter warns Christians about forgetting what God has done for us (2 Peter 1:8-11).
When the devil tempts us, who will we rely on? Will we rely on ourselves? Will we try to redefine sin? Or will we rely on God and His word?
Temptation will come; we should prepare ourselves with God’s word for when it does. Then, armed with the word of God, we must resist the devil (1 Peter 5:8-9).
Get full access to Centered on Christ at centeredonchrist.substack.com/subscribe
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By Jameson StewardIn Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus was tempted three times by the devil. Each time the devil tempted Him, He responded with Scripture, answering, “It is written.”
The Psalmist wrote, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). Knowing what God has said and storing it in our hearts helps us to resist temptation and avoid sin.
How does the word of God help us resist temptation?
God’s Word Clearly Defines and Exposes Sin.
The law of God tells us what sin is (Romans 7:7). Without God’s law, we wouldn’t know what is sinful and what is not. If we tried to go off of our own intuition, what we would decide would end in our destruction (Proverbs 14:12).
Our culture tries to redefine sin by renaming it. Adultery gets renamed to an “affair.” Covetousness is rephrased as “ambition.” Pride is relabeled as “self-confidence.”
By clearly defining and exposing sin for what it truly is (“sin is lawlessness” - 1 John 3:4), God’s word protects us from redefining what sin is, minimizing the seriousness of sin, or justifying engaging in sin (Romans 6:1-2).
God’s Word Guides Our Desires.
When the devil tempted Jesus, he used the same “playbook” that he uses to tempt all people: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-17). He appealed to Jesus’ desires, but our Lord rejected each temptation by relying upon Scripture.
The devil appeals to our own desires to “entice” us and draw us away from what is right (James 1:13-15). God’s word teaches us the proper outlet for our desires (Hebrews 13:4). We must not trust our own “feelings” or desires; we must trust in the Lord to direct us in the right way (Proverbs 3:5-7). Our feelings must be trained and guided by truth.
God’s Word Strengthens Us.
Although Jesus was physically weakened by His 40-day fast (Matthew 4:1-2), He was spiritually prepared for the devil’s assault. He depended on the Father’s strength, and we should do the same. The apostle Paul urged Christians to put on the whole armor of God, trusting in His power and might in our fight against evil (Ephesians 6:10-13).
When we depend upon God, even when we are weak, we are strong in Him (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). God’s word is living and powerful (Hebrews 4:12).
God’s Word Reminds Us Whose We Are.
Right before Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, He was baptized by John in the Jordan River (Matthew 3:13-17). The Father proclaimed from heaven, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
The first thing the devil says to Jesus is an attack on what the Father said. The devil began, “If You are the Son of God…” (Matthew 4:3). In the Garden of Eden, the first thing the devil did was undermine what God had said (Genesis 3:1).
Often, the devil takes a similar approach to us. “If you were really forgiven…” or “If you were really saved…” or “If you were really loved…”
We must store up God’s word in our hearts so that Satan doesn’t undermine our trust in the One we belong to (1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 3:1; 1 Corinthians 6:20). Peter warns Christians about forgetting what God has done for us (2 Peter 1:8-11).
When the devil tempts us, who will we rely on? Will we rely on ourselves? Will we try to redefine sin? Or will we rely on God and His word?
Temptation will come; we should prepare ourselves with God’s word for when it does. Then, armed with the word of God, we must resist the devil (1 Peter 5:8-9).
Get full access to Centered on Christ at centeredonchrist.substack.com/subscribe