Why You Should Give In (Part 2)

The last post talked about how loves and desires, ruled by sin, are the true culprits. Now, we look at what it means to overcome.

1. We overcome temptation by replacing our ruling love. We draw near to God prayerfully through His Word and learn to love and rely on Him. Defeating sin at its essence is not about reforming our behavior but replacing our love.

2. We overcome temptation by resisting the lies we are believing. This is related to replacing our ruling love, but it involves identifying what lie we are believing. Am I hoping this thing will satisfy me or this person will meet my need? What am I trusting this thing will do for me? Such resisting comes with rejoicing, prayer, and meditating on the true Word of God.

3. We overcome temptation by recognizing we need to give in. We overcome not by suppressing our desires or trying to find enough strength in ourselves to resist. We overcome not by pretending but by surrendering. We invite our all-sufficient Jesus to be our strength in our time of need and give in to Him. Running out of strength is not a bad thing; it’s human. What matters is what we do next.

4. We overcome temptation by transferring our desire. We don’t suppress it. We transfer that desire from what is wrong to what is right and make Christ the object, rather than something we’ll regret. We recognize that desire, like pleasure, isn’t wrong, but we need to desire the right thing.

Of course this doesn’t mean we don’t make a plan or take practical action against whatever we are warring against. Rather, it means that in addition to addressing behavior, we choose to address the problem of the heart.

Love is more powerful than perhaps we give it credit for. Our love drives us to do things that are unhealthy, unsafe, and unwise and will ruin us in the end. On the other hand, we have God’s love, which caused Him to make the greatest sacrifice and give up His life not for His friends but for His enemies (Rom. 5:8). Love is more than warm feelings; it is a force to be reckoned with.

As Christians, it’s not that we suddenly stop sinning but rather that we have no need to sin. We are accepted (Rom. 15:7) and forgiven (1 Jn. 1:9). We can’t fool God; He knows everything, and our sin will find us out (Num. 32:23). We can’t lie, hide, or escape (Ps. 139), and we shouldn’t be controlled by a fear of man (Prov. 29:25, Is. 2:22). If we live with integrity, we can do what God asks of us with a pure heart and clear conscience: To act justly and love mercy and walk humbly with our God (Mic. 6:8).

God’s economy is different than ours. His is upside-down (or rather, ours is upside-down). The least is the greatest. To save, we lose. To gain, we give. To win, we yield. To heal, we forgive. To be victorious, we give in. Only Christ succeeded with temptation every time. We may be fading, but we can trust that His strength will never give out. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world (1 Jn. 5:4).