Overcoming temptation is not simply “resist or it will persist”.
For sometimes, if you resist…it will only persist. .
It is imperative that we, as Christians, realize the importance of the examinations that come with temptations. God allows trials into our lives to “examine” us; thus we can conclude that if God allows it, we should not resist it! There is something, however, that we should resist. Obviously, we should strive to resist the devil. Now the key here is not actually resisting the devil per se, but rather resisting the wrong thinking he seeks to place into our hearts. Furthermore, when I say that we are to resist these bad thoughts, it is important to note that there is just one way to accomplish this, and that is to cast them down.
2Corinthians 10:5
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
If we try to simply resist, or willfully try to not allow them to come into our heads, we will inevitably fail. When we take that approach, our focus actually becomes more intensely placed upon evil things. Wrong thoughts will come into our minds. The only effective measure of protection against damaging thoughts is to cast them out at once because sometimes, if you try to resist, they will only persist!
My friends, do not seek to resist wrong thinking; instead seek to cast down the bad thoughts as soon as they come across your mind. This is the only way to overcome bad thinking. We don’t need to resist; we need to refocus
When we refocus ourselves toward pure thoughts, we will inevitably draw our minds away from thoughts of evil. Again, we can see the doctrine of replacement. If we simply resist bad thoughts but do not refocus ourselves to good thoughts, our minds will be left with a void that will eventually be filled with that wickedness or worse. But if we refocus our thoughts, thus replacing the bad with good, we will move our minds completely away from where the devil would have them to be.
This is exactly what the Scriptures intend for us to do through temptations of examinations. When something bad happens in our life and we get frustrated or discouraged, God wants us to take a look at exactly why we are feeling that way. Why are we discouraged? Why are we frustrated? He wants us to shift our focus away from the evil circumstance and place it back on Him, so that He may reveal Himself for our perfecting.
You see, God has promised us that all things work together for good (Romans 8:28) and He has assured us that He will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He has promised so many great things that it would be impossible to list them all. However, these promises are what God wants us to focus on, not the adverse circumstances that leave us discouraged!
Recall in Philippians 4:8 that Paul gives us a list of things on which we should think. He says that if anything valuable is to come as a result of our lives, then we must think on these things. All of these things are positive, God-honoring, thought triggers. When we refocus our minds, thinking on positive things, the negative that once consumed our minds will grow strangely dim.
I am not promoting the power of positive thinking here. Rather, I am simply pointing out the dangers of negative thinking. You see, negative thinking is nothing but an avenue of weakness that the devil will use to travel into our minds, thus infiltrating our hearts.
Matthew 6:22-23
“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness.”
Our Lord is saying that our eyes illuminate our bodies because we focus with our eyes. Now, the word single as it is used here means completely focused. So we see that if our eyes are focused on light––or things and thoughts that God used to shape peace after making light––our whole bodies will be illuminated. To have one’s entire body illuminated means to bring to a state of complete peace in the face of temptation, trials and even tribulation!
Thus, when tempted: resist if you can, persist though it might! But don’t be alarmed when by temptation you are still charmed. It may not be easy…your struggles may seem tragic…but your solution is far from magic! Simply reject the hocus pocus and determine to refocus!
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