What to Do When You're Tempted

Psalm 119:11 (ESV) says, I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Did you know God’s Word will help you to want to do the right thing? Before we know the Word, we can sin and really not feel too bad about it. But once we begin studying the Word, doing the wrong thing makes us very uncomfortable! The Word begins changing us on the inside, helping us to want to do what’s right.

It still amazes me how God’s Word “illuminates” certain areas of our lives, helping us to see areas where we need to come up higher. When I first began a relationship with the Lord, I had so many things wrong with me; I felt like God could “clean up” four or five areas and I would probably never even notice!

As I continued to read and study God’s Word, the Holy Spirit began to lovingly point things out that needed to change—things like the way I talked (being harsh, critical, and judgmental), my attitude toward my husband, and bad habits that were preventing me from having a better life.

Only God Can Change Us

One of the most important lessons that God taught me early on was that I can’t change myself—only He can change me. My part is to seek Him, spend time in His Word, and cooperate with the Holy Spirit when He points out areas that need to change.

Look with me at 1 Thessalonians 5:24. It says, He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it (ESV).

I love this! God not only shows us what to do, but He also promises to help us do it. The Lord shows us the truth of His Word, then also gives us the strength to fight temptation and do what His Word says.

Isaiah 41:10 is another encouraging scripture. God tells us, fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (ESV).

This is so good! When we spend time in the Word, it strengthens our spirit man, and the Lord “hardens” us so we can stand up to the difficulties and temptations that come our way. He literally gives us the power to say no to things that aren’t good for us.

Temptation Will Come

Now, the Bible says that temptation will come—we’ll never fully get away from it until we get to heaven. But God wants to strengthen us to handle it when it comes. In Matthew 26:41, Jesus tells His disciples, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation...”

God wants us to run to Him when we are tempted. I think we can sometimes feel strange talking to God about our weaknesses and temptations, but He already knows what we’re going through, and He longs to help and strengthen us.

I believe if we pray beforehand, we will be strong enough to resist temptation. In fact, I’ve recently been aggressively praying about my weak areas more than ever before. I’ll pray, “God, strengthen me in these areas before I’m even tempted.”

I encourage you to take a few moments right now. Can you think of a weak area right now that’s a temptation for you? If so, take a minute to pray and ask the Lord to strengthen you in that area.

Find Hope in His Word

Over the years, I’ve known or witnessed so many people who were going down the wrong road in life, feeling powerless against temptations or addictions they knew would harm them. But when they made a commitment to God and to be a student of His Word, it injected the Lord’s supernatural strength into the situation and gave them something they never expected—hope.

If you’re tired of fighting life’s battles on your own...or you want to live for God but just can’t seem to make it stick, then I encourage you to begin planting God’s Word deep in your heart. Because when things get tough and you don’t know which way to turn, it has the power to save your soul (James 1:21).