F.B. Meyer Quote – 5 Effective Ways to Deal with Temptation

– F.B. Meyer

5 Effective Ways to Deal with Temptation

F.B. Meyer is correct. Temptation can be a blessing, which is good to know since it can be everywhere and happen anytime.

The key to dealing with temptation is to always remember one central fact behind temptation: you cannot prevent temptation from appearing but you can control how you respond to it. You are always in control as to how you are going to deal with temptation. Your response is always a choice. Here are five effective ways you can choose to deal with temptation.

Tip 1: Pray

A lot of people think of prayer as empty ritual. Basically, you get down on your knees and focus on the things that you want or you expect things from God. That’s not real prayer. Real prayer is when you focus on God’s will for you. By focusing on God’s plan, you are basically focusing on your relationship with Christ.

Temptation is very powerful because it often hits you on your weak spot. If you have problems eating certain food, that’s where a lot of your temptation comes in. If you have a lot of problems with looking at members of the opposite sex, guess what, that’s where temptation will hit you. Temptation always has a way of hitting you at your weakest spot. Prayer helps you deal with this because you refocus your mind on Jesus. When you re abiding on Jesus, you are tapping into his strength and willpower instead of yours.

Tip 2: Claim biblical promises

Did you know that there are hundreds promises in the bible? God’s love letter to humanity, called the Bible, contains that many promises. It is a shame that not enough Christians claim these promises.

As God said, his word does not come back to him void. When you bring God’s word in front of him and claim it through your prayer, God will deliver on his word. God is faithful and does not lie. There are all sorts of promises involving self-control, hard times, dealing with adversity, and all other situations where temptation comes up again and again. You only need to read your Bible closely to find these promises and claim them.

Tip 3: Invoke the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is all around us. By invoking and inviting the holy spirit to abide in your heart when you’re feeling tempted, you are tapping into an immense source of power.

How powerful is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit was there when the world was created. Just as everything was created through Jesus and God the Father, everything was also created through the Holy Spirit. By claiming and asking the Holy Spirit to deliver you from temptation, you can get the strength in your heart to do what you need to do, to think what you need to think, and say what you need to say to get out of the clutches of temptation.

Tip 4: Think of what you will lose

Another effective way of dealing with the temptation is to think of what you will lose when you give in to temptation. There’s a big price that you will pay when you give in to temptation.

Temptation has a great power to deceive us into thinking sin is worth it, because we are so focussed on the now. Think about what that sin may impact in your life, and what that may cause you to lose in the process. God promises that the sin is not worth the short-term effect.

Tip 5: Visualize Jesus sitting next to yourself

Let’s face it. It’s very easy to sin when we think that Jesus can’t see us and to give into temptation when we believe that whatever we’re doing is hidden. Nobody will know about it.

Well, guess what? God sees everything! This is why it’s a good idea if you are being challenged by temptation to visualize Jesus sitting in front of you. At worst, it can bring home the message that your actions are always registering with God. At best, you have somebody who supports you sitting in front of you that can basically hold your hand as you brave temptations.

Conclusion

The great news about temptation is that you don’t have to give in. Overcoming temptation may seem impossible especially if it takes the form of an addiction but by focusing on the six tips above and keeping Jesus in your heart, you can do anything.