First a couple of essentials about temptation:
- Temptation comes from 3 places: The Devil, other people, and our own hearts.
- God does not tempt us (James 1)
- We cannot eliminate temptation, but we can minimize it
So if our purity goal is to rid ourselves of temptation, it’s not going to happen. If our goal is to stop being tempted sexually, it will never happen. We need to realign your thinking to what God’s Word teaches.
One more essential is God has created our sexuality. We are sexual beings. If God were to take our sexuality or our sexual desires away, we would become less than He created us to be. Our big goal is to develop a healthy, godly sexuality.
BIG THOUGHTS AND TIPS
1. Check the nouns – These are the people, places and things we allow in your life. Remember grade school on this one? Are the nouns we’re hanging around healthy? We have to dump bad people, bad places, and bad things we’ve allowed to influence us and replace them with healthy nouns. More than anything else, this will help us minimize temptation.
2. Sin nature is a part of it, but not all of it – We can’t blame everything on our sin nature. We are fully responsible for my choices and the sexual actions I take. Also, we are tempted when we place ourselves in vulnerable situations.
3. What’s driving our struggles? (Long-Term Strategy) – We have to think deeper when it comes to temptation. We have needs, wounds, feelings and unmet expectations that pull at us too. If we want to be successful internally, we need to spend time asking God to heal us on the inside. Finding God’s healing means less vulnerabilities, less triggers, and more health.
4. Be transparent with 2 other people – Call it confession or accountability or sharing… we need to learn to talk about our temptations. Our buddies need to be the same gender. Sharing our struggles and temptations helps bring them out in the Light. It is a way we walk in truth. When we hide what we are being tempted with, we dwell in darkness, we give it power, and we give the Devil a foothold.
5. Short-term strategies – We need short-term helps to get through tempting moments that pop up right in front of you. You have to practice each of these to get good at them.
Bounce the eyes – Keep your eyes moving. Look somewhere else.
Think through the drink – A great one from Alcoholics Anonymous. What are the consequences if you go through with this? Talk yourself out of it. Train your mind to go there.
Surf through the urge – When we feel the pull, don’t fight it. Temptations come. Ride the wave into something healthy. Ask God to help you use the temptations as springboards to righteous actions.
Run away – Get the heck out! If you run into a sexually stimulating person, or bounce to a site on the computer, get out! Flee. Run. Turn it off. Go do something else. Physically get your body somewhere else.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?
Q: What are your best tips (short-term or long-term) for dealing with temptation?
By Jeff Fisher of www.porntopurity.com