Date: 11-Feb-2024
Name: Ben Ola
Topic: FLEE? RESIST? CONFESS?
Content:
‘But Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.'
2 Timothy 2:22
God has promised never to allow more on you than he puts within you to handle it.
However, you must do your part too by practicing four biblical keys to defeating temptation.
Refocus your attention on something else.
nowhere in the Bible are we told to “resist temptation.” We are told to “resist the devil,”
we are advised to refocus our attention because resisting a thought doesn’t work. It only intensifies our focus on the wrong thing and strengthens its allure.
Every time you try to block a thought out of your mind, you drive it deeper into your memory.
You don’t defeat temptation by fighting the feeling of it.
Since temptation always begins with a thought, the quickest way to neutralize its allure is to turn your attention to something else.
Don’t fight the thought, just change the channel of your mind and get interested in another idea. This is the first step in defeating temptation.
The battle for sin is won or lost in your mind. Whatever gets your attention will get you.
That’s why Job said, Job 31:- “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust upon a young woman.”
And David prayed, Psalms 119:37 — “Keep me from paying attention to what is worthless.”
We naturally move toward whatever we focus our attention on.
The more you think about something, the stronger it takes hold of you.
Temptation begins by capturing your attention. What gets your attention arouses your emotions. Then your emotions activate your behavior, and you act on what you felt.
Ignoring a temptation is far more effective than fighting it. Once your mind is on something else, the temptation loses its power.
Sometimes this means physically leaving a tempting situation. This is one time it is okay to run away. Get up and turn
off the television set. Walk away from a group that
is gossiping. Leave the theater in the middle of
the movie. To avoid being stung, stay away from the bees. Do whatever is necessary to turn your attention to something else.
Spiritually, your mind is your most vulnerable organ. To reduce temptation, keep your mind occupied with God’s Word and other good
thoughts. You defeat bad thoughts by thinking of something better. This is the principle of replacement.
We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5. This takes a lifetime of practice, but with the help of the Holy Spirit you can reprogram the way you think.
Reveal your struggle to a godly friend or support group.
You are better off to have a friend than to be all alone. . . . If you fall, your friend can help you up. But if you fall without having a friend nearby, you are really in trouble.” Ecc 4:9-12
If you’re losing the battle against a persistent bad habit, an addiction, or a temptation, and you’re stuck in a repeating cycle of good intention-failure-guilt, you will not get better on your own! You need the help of other people.
Some temptations are only overcome with the help of a partner who prays for you, encourages you, and holds you accountable.
James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Don’t repress it; confess it! Don’t conceal it; reveal it. Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing.
Don’t repress it; confess it! Don’t conceal it; reveal it. Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing.
You are only as sick as your secrets.
So take off your mask, stop pretending you’re perfect, and walk into freedom.

Satan wants you to think that your sin and temptation are unique so you must keep them a secret. The truth is, we’re all in the same boat. We all fight the same temptations, and “all of us have sinned. 1 Corinthians 10:13
The reason we hide our faults is pride.
The truth is, whatever you can’t talk about is already out of control in your life: problems with your finances, marriage, kids, thoughts, sexuality, secret habits, or anything else.
What are you pretending isn’t a problem in your life? What are you afraid to talk about? You’re not going to solve it on your own. Yes, it is humbling to admit our weaknesses to others, but lack of humility is the very thing that is keeping you from getting better.
Resist the Devil.
James 4:7 says, “Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.” We don’t passively resign ourselves to his attacks. We are to fight back.
* The first step is to accept God’s salvation. You won’t be able to say no to the Devil unless you’ve said yes to Christ.
* Second, you must use the Word of God as your weapon against Satan.
You can’t bluff Satan with logic or your opinion, but you can use the weapon that makes him tremble—the truth of God. This is why memorizing Scripture is absolutely essential to defeating temptation.
If you don’t have any Bible verses memorized, you’ve got no bullets in your gun! I challenge you to memorize one verse a week for the rest of your life.

Realize your vulnerability. God warns us never to get cocky and overconfident; that is the recipe for disaster.
Don’t carelessly place yourself in tempting situations. Avoid them. Remember that it is easier to stay out of temptation than to get out of it.

Don’t be so naive and self- confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence. <This message was edited>
Prayer Points:
