"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the
world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all
that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth
away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for
ever." - 1 John 2:15-17
Another translation reads,
"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you,
for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For
the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything
we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the
Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with
everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live
forever." - 1 John 2:15-17 NLT
The best way to keep from falling into temptation, is to not
take that very first step. This means that the moment an ungodly thought comes
to mind, we must dismiss it. We must not take that first step down a path that
leads to destruction.
What is the process?
"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his
own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin:
and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." - James 1:14-15
What kind of thoughts are ungodly? We should be on guard of
unforgiving, judgmental, lustful, hateful, jealous, proud, or angry thoughts.
We must stop such thoughts and let them go immediately. It
is when we keep thinking an ungodly thought, or allow our mind to go from one
thought to another in the wrong direction, that it gets worse.
Unforgiving thoughts can escalate as we build a case against
someone instead of forgiving them.
Prayer is always in order, asking God to forgive us of such
thoughts, and to help us to clear our minds of them.
Prayer is also in order if the thought involves another person,
praying for their salvation, their situation, as well as if they have committed
any offenses against us, asking God to forgive them and to clear their account with
Him of what they have done against us, which is true forgiveness.
Besides guarding our thoughts, we must guard what we look at,
listen to, and where we go. Just as with our thoughts, the moment we recognize
something as a temptation, we need to immediately turn from it to prevent being
consumed by it.
Wisdom tells us to keep a distance from these things. If we
allow ourselves to draw near to temptation, or to go where temptations are
present, we set ourselves up for a fall. We must resist and distance ourselves
from such places so we can keep the victory.
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you." - James 4:7
We have the assurance that with every temptation that our
flesh is responding to, God has provided a way of escape. We also have the
assurance that the temptations we are facing are not unique to us, but others
are facing such temptations as well.
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is
common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above
that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that
ye may be able to bear it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13
Another translation,
"The temptations in your life are no different from
what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation
to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out
so that you can endure." - 1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT
Most of all, we have the assurance that through the power of
the Holy Ghost, we can be victorious.
As a man, Jesus faced all the temptations that any man could
face, and yet was without sin. How? By the power of His Spirit. This is why as
our heavenly Father Jesus put on a human body and died for our sins – so that
we too could be filled with His Spirit.
When we turn to Jesus by repentance, covenant with Him by
baptism in Jesus name, and receive the gift of His Holy Ghost, we receive the
authority of Jesus name, and the power of His blood and Spirit to overcome any
temptation that can come our way.
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." - Acts 2:38
"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world:
and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." - 1
John 5:4
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth
me." - Philippians 4:13
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