THE BEST SPIRITUAL WAY TO FIGHT TEMPTATION

[Gordon 7]

I don't have an overriding goal of always living in the glory of God. That is probably one of the reasons I had to make “habits” of a dozen techniques for quitting before I could quit.

When David was young he lived in the glory of God, always praising, always praying, always in the Word. His life was great, and he was mightily blessed. Then he got busy doing other things, and he fell hard. Then he repented and focused on living in the glory of God again. Finally, he got in a good place again. He wrote:

Psalm 72:19 ESV Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!

I read several books by Tommy Tenny who wrote The God Chasers. They were very helpful in leading me to focus on the glory of God. I really need to reread them. Often your local library has them.

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Exodus 33:18 ESV Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”

David focused on living in the glory of God for thousands of days straight when he was young. His spectacular, blessed life is fully chronicled in scripture. He only got into lust when he “stopped doing what he was supposed to be doing.”

Today, plan how you will go to war with lust. Then consider getting busy doing good, and focusing on living in the glory of God. It is a two-part plan that will give you good results.

 

[Gordon 7]

To be ready, we do everything and anything to remind ourselves of what we want to do when the test comes. I am moving, so I am selling some of my junk. For the last 3 people who came to buy stuff, I was not ready to even pray to the Holy Spirit to see if He wanted me to talk to them. After I forgot for a 3rd time I started doing everything I could to be ready. I prayed at night, when I woke up, and when my day started. I put out reminders to “Be ready.” I am now obsessed with being ready. My #1 focus is to be ready today.

Note: I have no interest in talking to anyone who has no interest in hearing. But I need to improve in the way I help others, and I need to open my mouth if the Holy Spirit wants to speak through it. Note: I can't witness personally effectively. But I can be available for God to help me. That is all He wants any of us to do.

Second, obviously, many reading this want to “Be ready” to fight lust.

To be ready practice underestimating the fun of sin. Plus practice overestimating the destruction of lust. You will probably still underestimate it.

Third, pick 3 habits you want to acquire this month that will help you be ready. When will you work on them every day? Then pick 3 more things that you will do today to “Be ready.” Become obsessed with being ready. It works.

For the full article click.

 

[Gordon 7]

Some might say, “It's not my fault. Work/school/people/finances were bad. I can't help myself when life gets this bad. We have 3 options when life gets bad and we get tempted. #1 Turn instantly from lust, dig into scripture, pray fervently, read key articles, start doing other things, and continue to strive to fulfill our purpose or work on finding our purpose. #2 Consider our options, fight back with prayer, visit this site, and get busy doing other things. #3 Give in. Note: #1 works often, #2 works once in a while. #3 is bad.

Second, never say, “This is what I do. This is who I am. I can't change. Consider praying:

“Father, teach me who I am when I fight to do things Your way.”

Third, plan on how to “Be Ready” for temptation “Every day.” When you are planning how to defeat satan before he even gets started tempting you... you are starting down a good road.

For the full article click.

 

[Gordon 7]

Often we pray about what we want. We can spend 30 minutes in prayer without once praying about what God wants. We pray about money troubles, car troubles, and people troubles while forgetting that people around us are in pain.

This week I am praying a lot about being ready. God is really answering that prayer for me this week. It is very likely in His will. He wants me to be ready to go to war with sin and to do His will. I am focusing constantly on that prayer. I am getting answers to that prayer.

Yesterday a lady came over to buy a paint easel. This time I was ready to talk to her about God if she was interested. She was. She was very interested in talking about the Bible.

Temptation

Second, be ready with a plan for what you will do later today. If _______ happens, you will _________. When this _________ type of temptation happens you will ___________.

Third, consider having a two-way, or three-part plan of exactly what to do when temptation gets severe. Then “instantly” start doing it when you get overwhelmed. If you think about it for a bit, you allow satan to join the battle in full force. That is a bad idea.

Finally, pray about what God wants, be ready, and have an exact plan of how to fight off temptation.

For the full article click.

 

[Gordon 7]

To have everything we need to do God's will all the time. Americans call it finding our purpose. Read books on God's will, and purpose. Pray about it. Become obsessed with it. Study articles daily online to become educated about how to find it.

Obviously, we need to quit bad habits to fulfill our purpose. But once you are obsessed with finding purpose and doing God's will, bad habits really do start to fall away.

In my life, once I started trying to do God's will all the time...I then had everything.

 

[Gordon 7]

We can learn a lot about quitting from smokers. When smokers with severe addiction quit it is a mental nightmare. Their “habit” is smoking without thought when they wake up, smoking as they drink coffee, smoking when they get in their car, going on break, as well as a million other times.

To quit they develop tricks to make up for what they are used to. One example is that they always held a cig in their left hand while drinking coffee with their right. Now they squeeze a ball while they drink coffee.

For lust, examine when, where, and why temptation explodes. When and where is it part of your routine? What exactly are you going to do differently in these situations in the future? Start working on the #1 thing that makes u fall and then add other things.

For example, you start getting worked up at work. It is vital to have an exact plan for these situations. You might have prayers ready, and you pray with all your might. You might have articles picked out that will help you the minute you get home. You might plan to have Bible study and prayer the second you get home.

Quitting is like being an expert car mechanic. They know the exact tool they need to use to solve the problem. Turning from lust is a top 5 tool. Fill up your quitting notebook with ideas and potential tools to attack weaknesses in your routine.

If you find an article that is a perfect “tool” for you to find freedom consider highlighting it or taking notes. Especially if it is based on God's Word, do everything you can to get it “Into you.”

How will you prepare to “Be ready” in these situations? It is impossible to prepare too much.

Being ready is a key to peace.

 

[Gordon 7]

Get new habit ideas from Google. Also, search for good things to think about. Start a notebook to chart 2 new good habits to do or to think about daily. Fill it up so that you can someday have the habit of doing and thinking about new things. For the full article click.

 

[Gordon 7]

Your thinking leads you to the road that you will travel. That is usually bad. Why? Because 95% of our thoughts are either evil, or prompted by God. To succeed we must intentionally feed our minds God's thoughts.
The first step is to recognize where the thought came from. If it is a lustful thought it came from darkness. Then we need to know if the thought is a lie or truth. Satan said to Eve, "The (prohibited one trees) fruit is special." When we have a lustful thought, we think it is special, and exciting. Satan's lie to us is that this thought will make our life great. We need to recognize this thought as a lie. We need to remember how it turned out for Adam and Eve.
#2 We need to reject the thought "In the name of Jesus." When a lustful or sinful thought hits consider praying:
"Father, I reject this thought in the name of Jesus Christ."
#3 Replace the thought with scripture. What scripture verses will you read every day this month so that you are prepared to "Replace the thought with scripture?"
When we hear a great preacher, we think, oh, what a talent. No! A great preacher has replaced his thoughts with scripture. When he preaches... truth flies out.
#4 Rejoice in the Lord. Learning how to rejoice is a top 20 technique for quitting. Making it a habit is part of your key to freedom.

 

[Gordon 7]

Warning: Christian content. If that is not what you want. Please stop here.

Unmet needs are at the top of a list for some. They sometimes lead to falls. Jesus sacrificed everything for us. Today, will you sacrifice one unmet need for Him?

Why should we make it a habit to sacrifice unmet needs? Because giving in to short-term pleasures (With added destruction) always ends badly. Fighting to do things God's way starts us on the path toward healthy living. It is worth it.

Second, practice starving the eyes. We have developed the habit of staring at sensual things. Now it is time to break that habit and to learn how to bounce our eyes away from sensual things (immediately). The new habit is: When your eyes bounce towards, bounce your eyes away, immediately!”

When you bounce your eyes away you'll begin to starve your eyes as well. And, as you starve your eyes, you'll begin to lower your appetite for sexual images. Thanks to wedared.com for these tips.

Third, practice praising the Lord when you bounce your eyes away. When we praise the Lord at these moments we are saying: Father, my joy comes from You and only You. I will practice patience and wait for Your pure joy.

For the full article click.

 

[Gordon 7]

God wants our time, attention, and affection. When we double our attempt to do that, our other negative emotions fade in importance.

 

[Gordon 7]

Think about how your alternate activity affects P. If we dig into a bit of scripture first, we will be more content with many activities. If we pray during the alternate activity, we will have more patience for doing something that our “self” does not want to do. Pray, honor God, fight, and win.
For the full article click.

 

[Gordon 7]

What do u look at that causes temptation to rise? Let's say u said your cellphone.

#1 Always pray before you click any search:

“Father, take away this spirit of lust. Help me to turn instantly from lust.”

#2 Strive to form the habit of turning instantly when you click on something that turns out to be tempting. If that happens, cover your screen with one hand and swipe or click away with the other.

Finally, consider praying the above prayer every hour, and say 5 times per day:

“I want to form the habit of turning from lust.”

 

[Gordon 7]

At this point prayer and Bible study are both vital. When we do both and then add praising the Lord, good things happen. Praising turns our bad attitude into a good one. Praising lifts our spirits. Praising turns our darkness into light. Consider striving to make praising the Lord a consistent part of your life. It turns the light on.

For the full article click.

 

[Gordon 7]

Joy is waking up in the morning and knowing, “Life is good.” Joy is waking up to problems and knowing, God is with me, these problems will be solved or they will lead to good. Joy is knowing that Bible study and prayer are keys to success.

#1, Seek to find God's blessings because they lead to joy. Study, “Verses blessed,” and articles on being blessed, then strive to do what they say. Be patient after you change to find God's blessings. It takes longer than you think.

#2 Study God's promises:

Psalm 37:4 ESV Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Don't delight in money or pleasure. Delight yourself in the Lord and watch Him start to give you everything. Once again, put in the work and “Be patient.”

Isaiah 40:31 But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Psalm 84:11 ESV For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
Joy is having “No good thing withheld from you.” This is a conditional promise for those who walk uprightly. Work at living uprightly, and “patiently” wait for the long-term promise to start to happen.

Joshua 1:9 ESV Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”
You can be confident in all of the Bible's promises coming true if you constantly focus on doing what this verse says. Have patience, it will happen if you consistently put in the work.

#3 Once you are doing the above steps, then you will begin to find great joy by being in God's presence.

Psalm 16:11 ESV You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
After you have decided to go to war with sin and to find God's will for you, you will find great joy in spending a block of time in Bible-study, and prayer. I insist on living in joy, so I insist on spending a block of time in Bible-study, and prayer.

I really want pleasures forevermore, so I insist on spending time focusing on what God wants me to do.

Follow these 3 keys to finding joy. Work consistently and patiently to make it happen. In my life, doing so was the best thing I ever did.

 

[Gordon 7]

James 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Implanted means to make it a “Habit” to have the scripture “In you.”

#1 We receive the implanted word by memorizing key scriptures. Satan loses some of his power when we tell him exactly what God says about our temptation. At some point, he will even leave you alone if he keeps hearing scripture from you.

#2 We receive the implanted word by studying scriptures that are vital to what we need to change. Today, I am adding this verse to the verses for quitting because it says so much.

#3 We receive the implanted word by praying over key scriptures daily.

#4 We receive the implanted word by listening to great sermons. Today I listened to a great sermon. I got this great verse from his great sermon.

#5 We receive the implanted word by listening to Godly music. Turn instantly from music that openly promotes lust. Turn on music that promotes healthy living and Godliness. Christian music that quotes scripture is receiving the implanted Word.

#6 We receive the implanted word by having a goal of doing what the Bible says. By having a plan for how to do it.

#7 We receive the implanted word by reading the Bible. The more chapters you read daily, the more you will have power to overcome.

#8 We receive the implanted word by submitting to the Bible. Consider praying:

“Father, help me to submit to Your ways.”

It would be hard to pray that one too often.

#9 We receive the implanted word by ending our devotions saying, thinking, and knowing that... “God, you are 100% correct about how You tell me to live. Your ways are good, vibrant, and perfect. My life will be greatly improved if I do things Your way.”

Today, determine to plant as much of the Word in you as you can. The Word is a seed in you that changes you. The changes it produces are very exciting.

 

[Gordon 7]

99% of people put up with some level of lust in their lives. We tell ourselves, "This smaller level is not so bad. This smaller level is not so destructive.
Purdue Pharma created OxyContin, which is really fancy heroin. They said: "It is not so bad. It is not so addictive. It is good for you.
They lied often over the years while they built sales up. Since the government put its stamp of approval on Oxy in the 90s, deaths from heroin overdoses have quadrupled. Many of these increased deaths were due to legal prescription drugs, and legal drugs now illegally sold by dealers.
We do the same thing. An illicit fantasy or a quick look is not as bad as sleeping around with a bunch of people. That is 100% true from the point of view of society (harming others). But... this quick look or whatever is putting a 10-mile-high boulder between us and joy and purpose. Or, the recurring fantasy or whatever is making our lives so they are almost completely devoid of God's blessing, despite our beliefs.
Here are some facts. All heroin is bad unless you are dying, are in full distress from trauma, or some other situation just like that. #2 All lust is bad. If I look for 2 seconds with lust at my fav TV star in her bikini tonight, there will be consequences. I will get something like, "Extra anger, extra fear, or other emotions that go out of whack and mess up my life." Wow, all from 2 seconds... I better limit it to 1 second. Um, no. The same thing will happen. Note: These are the minimum things that "Will" happen. If I ask people to list the gigantic things that sometimes happen, we could be here all day.
Some of you are 100 miles away from "Fullness of joy." But, it is vitally important to believe that it can happen if we change to allow it to start to happen.
What smaller level of lust are you putting up with? Consider praying:
"Father, help me to rise up to Your standards in the area of lust. Please show me how to increase in Your joy instead of selfish pleasures. Help me to believe that "All lust is bad and destructive."
Don't allow any level of lust in your life. It leads back to habits, is always destructive, and it keeps us from living the way God wants us to live.

For the full article click.

 

[Gordon 7]

Satan always lies to us. Today, consider copying any of the lies that you struggle with, and make a Google doc, or a Word file based on the full article linked below so that you can memorize the truth. If you tend to believe the lie, reading the scripture about that lie every day will pound that lie out and replace it with the truth.
Second, yesterday, I said: If I look at my fav TV star in a bikini and lust after her, I will have destruction. The problem with that statement is... I always lust when I don't look away. My habit has created a stronghold. I can't say, "If I stare and lust... because if I stare, I will lust." So, for the 500th time, I say to form the habit of turning from lust. Turning "instantly" from lust.
Third, the lie I believed was: "Life just ran me over for the 3rd time today. I can console myself by going back to P."
Truth: Jesus was whipped, humiliated, and crucified. If I reject sin in my darkest hour, He will "Fill me" in my darkest hour."
In your darkest hour, give Him a chance to be your everything.

Please click on the full article. It is great.

 

[Gordon 7]

Yesterday I decided to take a break from my fav TV show. It is an old show and it is usually pretty clean (no nudity) but, lately they have been showing too much (For someone with my background). A month ago I would have hit the forward fast on their sort of risky scenes, but right not I am working way more than normal. When I am tired, temptation increases.

Satan wants me to believe that I have to watch certain shows, or have to look at certain high-risk things. But, he is lying. I want to keep my joy. Last night I watched the whole football game. I wanted to watch something better, but I decided to try to stick it out because temptations are up. So I praised the Lord and watched football. I kept my joy, and now I have a better plan on how to handle today. Funny thing, I really enjoyed the game.

Second, consider starting to make it a habit to take the temperature on how close you are to falling before a fall. Example: A 16 year old boy says, “I looked and was tempted severely, but I fought it off.” What he means is... They started showing something wrong on TV, he stared at it for 5 seconds, then repented and shut it off.”

He is falling (fast) before a fall. He is proud he shook it off (and he should be), but his staring is going to buy him an avalanche of temptation. With that level of temptation, he needs to make drastic changes for a day or two, or it will likely end poorly.

Make it a habit to realize how much heat is on you. If it is high, panic, repent, and study extra on how to change.

For the full article click.

 

[Gordon 7]

Yesterday I started reading an article about emotional intelligence. I should prob buy a book on that topic. EI is understanding how your emotions lead to bad habits. If I treat others poorly, they treat me poorly, I feel bad, I get depressed, and temptation goes through the roof. Consider praying every hour this week:

“Father, help me to love others.”

EI is letting other people talk, have opinions, and have beliefs. EI is showing them respect. But... what if they are dead wrong? You can “gently” correct them. If they want to argue their misguided belief, change the subject. You will never convince them after the argument starts.

Remember, you are using EI for you. If you often fight and argue, moods get black, and temptation skyrockets.

Today consider writing 3 prayers about emotions that lead you back to darkness. Here are some:

“Father, help me to be the peacemaker.”

“Father, help me to understand, they had a bad day. They are more mad at the world than they are at me.”

“Father, help me to study verses every day about ____________. Fill in the blank with your top negative emotions like anger, fear, hate, and jealousy. Simply search Google “Verses anger” or whatever emotion plagues you.

Second, be aware that how you “feel” affects bad habits. If I am alone and turn on the TV I might feel frustrated. Does the Bible have an answer for that? Of course. I should pray fervently to be content. If I pray fervently, my joy comes from God, so as long as the TV can provide even the tiniest bit of entertainment, life gets good again.

What Bible trait can you dig into to offset your negative emotions? If you know it, pray it 10 times as much. It will help you keep temptation lower. If you don't know what trait will help you, consider asking someone.

For the full article click.

 

[Gordon 7]

Tip 9 is surviving a bad day. If you are aggressively fighting the habit you may have noticed that “bad days” cause a ton of falls. #1 Biblical Paul would fight to overcome hard times without falling virtually all the time. The first reason he could do that was because he had learned to be content. Consider praying:

“Father, take away this lust and help me to be content.”

Today analyze how high up your list “bad days” is. If it is at the top of your temptation to fall list, consider setting an hourly alarm and praying this prayer until it is a lifelong habit. If it is on your top ten list consider praying it hourly until you start remembering to pray it more often.

#2 Increase contentment by giving thanks for the good things you have.

#3 Don't say “Live stinks,” instead say, “It's okay.” Say this will pass, I will get through this, if I pray, God will be with me and help me through this. Be positive.

#4 Pray about and practice being content with your relationships. Pray about increasing in love, and putting them first.

#5 Pray about and practice being content with your lack of relationships. A single lonely person has every opportunity to have a totally on-fire relationship with Jesus. Pray often about being content, and make sure that totally on-fire relationship happens.

Finally, if you are obsessed with 3 things, life will start to get good. #1 Be obsessed with finding your purpose. #2 Be obsessed with going to war against sin. #3 Be obsessed with praying about contentment until you learn to have contentment.

Today, consider setting your goal of how often you will pray to be content. It will help.

For the full article click.