How to overcome temptations?

Can you imagine a life without TEMPTATION?

 Look at what the Word of God says about temptation:
(1 Corinthians 10:13)
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
According to the Word of God, no human who lives in flesh can avoid temptation completely.The above scriptures reveals that temptation is common to all humans, but God helps us to deal with temptation by making a way for us to escape. Further God makes sure that we are not tempted beyond our ability to bear it.

However, we see many people find it difficult to bear temptation so that at last they give in to it by committing various sins against God.

How could this happen if God helps people to bear temptation and opens a way out of it?

Look at the below passage of the Scripture:
(2 Chronicles 12:13-14)
So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess. And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD.

Rehoboam was the son of King Solomon, who reigned in his father's throne after the death of King Solomon. The Scripture says that he did evil because he didn't prepare his heart to seek the Lord. In the sense, he did evil because he was tempted beyond his ability to bear it as he didn't not prepare his heart to seek the Lord. What does this mean?

Well, God did not help King Rehoboam to overcome temptation as he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord. If we want God to help us to overcome temptation, we should get ready for temptation by seeking the Lord well before temptation comes on us.

How do we seek God so that we receive God's help to overcome temptation?

Well, when we engage ourselves in all of the below activities and many others as the Holy Spirit guides us, we would prove that we are in the process of seeking God. Remember, we can easily seek the Lord in the way shown below, when we are free from temptation.

We must read, study and meditate upon the Word of God daily.
We must spend quality time in the presence of God daily in worshiping, praising and thanksgiving.
We must praise and thank God in heart during the day while engaging in our daily activities.
We must ask God for his counsel for our decisions in day-to-day matters.
We must make God our first priority over everything.
We must serve God by using the opportunities available to us right now.

When we seek God daily in this manner, we get closer and closer to God. Finally, we find ourselves in a very strong intimate relationship with God. This relationship is the foundation for the rest of the matters in our life. As we spend days, weeks, months and years in seeking God, God is right with us in our day of temptation.

After we establish such a relationship with God, it is not that easy for us to give in to it when we are tempted. Now, we have so many reasons for not committing a sin against God. We do not want to give up at this stage as we have come a long way with the Lord. As a result, instead of giving in to our temptation, we start to struggle in our thoughts against it. It is at this time that God provides us with a way out of our temptation.

How does God do it?

Well, God would keep another thought in our mind in order that we are dragged away from  our temptation. In other words, this thought  which God would put in our mind is so powerful that we truly forget everything about the sin we were just tempted to commit against God. This is purely God's favour for us to overcome our temptations.

But still we get into temptation on and off as we go through this life in flesh. According to the Word of God, there are no special saints under the sun who are exempt from temptation. We all have sinned at some point in life and come short of the glory of God.

(Romans 3:23)
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Hence, getting a feeling or a thought in the mind to commit a sin is natural and common to all humans as it is caused by temptation. But when we have built a strong, intimate relationship with God, we begin to notice that we easily overcome our temptations as and when we face them. In fact, we do not do it with our strength, but with God's favour as we read in 1 Corinthians 10:13.

So, let's get ready for temptation by seeking the Lord with all our heart, day and night well before temptation comes and hits us.