5 Biblically Proven Ways to Overcome Temptation

In Genesis 1:26, God created man in His own image (take note of the words in bold and italics). This means that Adam and Eve later in Genesis 3:5 did not need to eat any fruit to look like God because they were already in His image. In the same way, Jesus Christ is the son of God and all through scripture, it is pointed straight to see that He is the son of God (Matthew 14:33). This too means that Jesus did not need to turn stones to bread in order to show that He was the son of God.

 

Take for example, your father is the President of Nigeria and you get into your classroom at the university with all the security details attached and someone comes asking you to prove that your father is the president. This is the exact situation that happens many times when the devil wants to show his ugly face. On a random day, some persons (if in Jesus’ shoes) would likely ask the devil, “what kind of bread? Bread? Butter or Wheat?” That would have been a mere show of power rather than a revelational proof.

Temptation keep us on our toes. It places us in a kind of check to understand how well we stand we God. The ability and grace to resist and flee whenever it comes is usually a result of intimacy with God and self control which is a fruit is the Spirit. How then can we overcome temptation?

1. Know that the Devil will always Come

When next the devil comes to haunt or tempt you as a believer, you must tell him that you already knew that he would come around. Tell him how that he merely fulfilled what you anticipated and that he cannot succeed. A true believer will definitely be tempted but your ability to overcome such temptation by the spirit of God is what makes you dreaded by the enemy.  

2. Know that you do not need to prove anything to the devil.

As mentioned earlier, Eve, like Adam was already in the perfect image of God and so there was no proper or tangible reason to eat the fruit. In the same way, Jesus was the son of God and He did not need to turn stones to bread to prove His Sonship. Many times when the devil comes to tempt, he wants you to prove something to him. For Joseph, he wanted him to prove his self-control. For Abraham, the devil wanted him to prove his faithfulness to God, and to Sarah. It is the devil's same technique every time and you really don't need to prove anything.

3. Walk in the Spirit

In our article on How to Walk in the Spirit, we mentioned that your intimacy or walk with God does not mean that the devil is uninterested in you. It also doesn't mean that the devil has given up on you. That is why he comes using things that interest us - money, relationships, socialisation, connections and all kinds of things in an attempt to bring us out of Christ. As believers, a proper walk with God will help us discern that these things, though necessary are not a substitute for our relationship with God. This understanding and commitment to walking in the spirit will help us overcome temptations.

The devil is constantly working hard to see the end of every true believer. The Bible says in John 10:10 that the devil has come to steal, kill and destroy. He doesn't intend to leave any believer out of his agenda and we must work to make his plans fail over our lives. Temptations will come but it is very possible to live a life that overcomes and is consistently victorious over temptation.