How to Overcome Temptation

This expert summary, based on the teachings of 1 Corinthians 10:13 and other scriptural references, provides a comprehensive strategy for Christians to overcome temptation. The core message emphasizes that temptation is a universal experience, but God provides a controlled environment and an assured escape route for every believer.

I. The Universal Reality: Temptation as a Common Experience

The initial foundational truth is that all people are tempted; no one is exempt, and the believer is never alone in their struggle.

Good Company in Struggle: Every person who has walked the face of the Earth has been tempted. Even the “Saints of scripture struggled mightily with sin”. Examples include:

• Noah’s drunkenness.
• Abraham’s deception.
• Moses’ temper.
• Elijah’s murmuring.
• David’s sexual sin.
• Jonah’s rebellious spirit.
• In the New Testament, Peter’s denial and Paul’s arguing with Barnabas are noted.

Jesus Christ was Tempted: Crucially, even Jesus Christ was tempted. Hebrews 4:15 states that we have a high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses because He “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin”.

Temptation is Not Evil: To be tempted is not evil; only to yield to temptation is evil. Since Jesus was sinless yet faced temptation, the act of being tempted itself does not constitute sin.

Spiritual Maturity Does Not Eliminate Temptation: Believers should not assume that reaching a higher level of spiritual maturity will remove temptation. In fact, the more mature a believer becomes, the greater and more subtle the temptations will be. Those walking closest to the King often experience the fiercest fighting from Satan. Temptation will follow believers all the way until they get to heaven.

II. God’s Promise: The Controlled Environment and Certain Escape

Paul’s response to the problem of temptation in 1 Corinthians 10:13 establishes two vital divine assurances: God controls the intensity of the struggle, and He always provides a way out.

1. Temptation is a Controlled Environment

God is faithful and “will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able”.

• God Limits the Test: When God allows temptation into a life, He promises to limit both the kind of test and the intensity of it. God knows human limitations and never allows an individual to be tempted beyond what they can bear.
• God Does Not Tempt: Believers should never blame God for temptations. God does not tempt anyone with evil; He may test believers, but He never tempts them. James 1 clarifies that God “cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone”. The Bible identifies the devil as the tempter.

2. The Promise of Certain Escape

God always provides a means of victory. “But with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it”.

• Escape is Always Available: God sees the temptation from the beginning to the end, and the way out is always already available. He provides this escape route at the very moment the test begins.
• Jesus Provides Aid: Since Jesus suffered and was tempted, He is able to aid us who are also tempted. The escape in the midst of testing is found in the person of Jesus Christ Himself.
• The Believer’s Role: While God provides the way, the believer must actively take the way of escape. This is not a passive rescue; it requires engagement in spiritual warfare, fighting through and running to the escape provided. Failing to take the provided way out is often the reason for defeat.

III. Practical Principles for Overcoming Temptation

To achieve consistent victory, the sources offer practical, actionable steps rooted in scripture.

1. Recognize the Possibility (Beware of Pride)

Be careful of an arrogant attitude concerning personal invulnerability. The moment a person “thinks he stands,” he is the most vulnerable. Pride is described as Satan’s number one sin, preceding destruction and a fall.

2. Request Help in Advance (Pray Beforehand)

Believers should pray about temptation before it ever happens.

• The Lord’s Prayer instructs us to pray: “lead us not into temptation, but Deliver Us from the evil one“.
• We are also told to “watch and pray” that we “enter not into temptation”.
• The time to decide on convictions (e.g., against premarital sex) is long before the crisis where compromise is a possibility.

3. Resist the Devil (Quote Scripture)

“Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. Resistance is not passive but requires active involvement. Jesus demonstrated this method by quoting scripture to the devil, causing Satan to leave Him.

4. Retreat from Specific Sins (Run Away)

For certain highly potent sins, the instruction is to run away rather than stand and fight.

• The three sins believers are told to run from are: immorality, greed, and idolatry.
• These sins have an incredible power over humans, and attempting to fight them in one’s own strength without fleeing often leads to victimization.

5. Remove the Means of Sin (Common Sense)

Make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. This involves using common sense to get rid of things that cause defeat and avoiding paths where temptation is guaranteed to find you. This includes avoiding places or people that trigger a known vulnerability.

6. Refocus Your Life (Greater Passion)

Temptation must be overcome by cultivating a passion greater than the temptation itself.

• Look to the Master: Like a trained dog, a believer should take their eyes off the tempting object and fix their eyes on the Master’s face.
• Consider Consequences: Men, specifically, are encouraged to keep the face of their bride and children in front of them, asking if a moment of pleasure is “worth ruining everything”.