In the Bible the word temptation primarily signifies a trial in which man has the free choice of being faithful or unfaithful to God. Secondly it refers to the allurement or seduction to sin.

Temptation is a reality. The devil uses it to entice believers into sinning, and to shake their faith. It will knock on your door too.

Jesus Himself, as well as his disciples, were not spared (Mat. 4:1-11; Heb. 2:18, Luke 22:31-32).

Genesis three tells the tragic story of Adam and Eve falling prey to the Devil's temptation.

Being tempted to sin and to sin is not the same thing. You have not sinned by experiencing a temptation. You have to act on what the temptation suggests, to commit a sin.

Guard your thoughts and will! Do not toy with thoughts that satisfy your sinful instincts. Solomon asks this rhetoric questions: "Can a man carry fire in his lap without burning his clothes? Can anyone walk on red-hot coals without burning his feet?" (Prov. 6:27-28 – GW).

In the same manner – you cannot entertain fleshly thoughts, without eventually sinning. Therefore, "Don't give the devil a way to defeat you" (Eph. 4:27 – ERV).

Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8 – GNB).

The good news is: "no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it"  (1 Cor. 10:13 – ESV).

Did you catch that? Paul is not saying that God will take temptations away. God is actually allowing you to be tempted, but not "beyond your ability." You are encouraged to trust God for "the way of escape," so "that you may be able to endure it."

God will keep you in perfect peace, if you trust in Him, and have your mind focused on Him (Is. 26:3).

Keep in mind: The cause of sin is inside of you! – "You are tempted by the evil things you want. Your own desire leads you away and traps you. Your desire grows inside you until it results in sin. Then the sin grows bigger and bigger and finally ends in death" (Jas. 1:14-15 – ERV).

Remember! The devil’s suggestions cannot harm you unless you embrace them.

Everyone has his own specific desires, arising from his particular temperament and habits. Their origin lies in a person's sinful nature, and are "of the body and the mind" (Eph. 2:3 – ESV).

Acting on it will be to obey the Devil, "the ruler of the spiritual powers in space, the spirit who now controls the people who disobey God" (Eph. 2:2 – GNB).

You are able to resist the devil, however, there is an important condition: "Submit yourselves to God" first, then, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (Jas. 4:7 – ESV). "Resist him, firm in your faith" (1 Pet. 5:9 – ESV).

You may ask: but what if I yield to temptation?

For a believer sinning, should be the exception, not the rule.

Yet, if you have sinned, it is not an invitation to beat yourself up. John says, "I am writing this to you, my children, so that you will not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have someone who pleads with the Father on our behalf – Jesus Christ, the righteous one. And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven" (1 John 2:1-2 – GNB).

Therefore, "If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 – ESV).

Where do these temptations come from?

Desires are mainly activated by your five senses. You become aware of them through thoughts, feelings an urges.

You have no control over thoughts coming into your mind, but you do have control over how you react to it.

Prepare yourself mentally!  Anticipate temptations to come your way.  Be ready, it should never surprise you.  You know what causes temptation.

Refuse to let temptations shock you.

Accept that here is no need to beat yourself up because you are tempted.

When temptation comes, be prepared for it. Understand: "This is just the Devil trying to engage my sinful nature – I don’t need to attend to it. I must move on serving God."

Don't ruminate on, or fantasize about temptations. There is no need to toy with tempting thoughts, even though it lingers in your mind.

In the following teachings we will discuss the three steps which can help you to control your thoughts and behaviour.

These can be used to help control almost all intrusive thoughts and behaviours. It involves regulating your mental and behavioural responses to your internal thought processes. In other words, rather than acting impulsively or reflexively to unwanted invasive thoughts or feelings/urges, you can train yourself to respond in a goal-orientated manner and refuse to be side-tracked.

The steps are: Recognise, Reappraise, Refocus.

Next we will focus on the first step, Recognise

SOURCES 

Easy to Read Version (ERV); English Standard Version (ESV); God's Word (GW); Good News Bible (GNB).

Schwartz, JM, Beyette, B, Brain Lock: Free yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behaviour, (Harper Collins Publishers, Inc: New York, USA, 1996).