[dropcap2 variation=”coffee”]D[/dropcap2]airy Queen came up with the Hunger Buster. Now it’s time for the Temptation-Buster.
Temptation does not come out of the blue. It knows your weaknesses. It targets real, legitimate needs (for love, acceptance, safety, security, protection, provision, meaning, significance). It will come. This is war, and you must be ready.
In our last post, we tried identifying an area where we are most often tempted. We considered what real need was being targeted. Let’s go back to those two steps briefly:
- What temptation do I often fall prey to?
- What legitimate need (love, acceptance, safety, security, provision, protection, meaning, significance) is being targeted by that temptation?
Got it? Okay, now for step 3.
3. How has Jesus Christ already met that need?
Chew on that for a minute. Think carefully about your answer.
If you can remember this simple 3-step process, you can actually prepare yourself for temptation before it arrives. The next time it rears it’s ugly head, you initiate the process:
- Wait a minute! I’m being tempted to…..
- I know what you’re doing! You’re appealing to my legitimate need for….
- I praise God that need is already met in Jesus Christ! Here’s how…
Of course, battling temptation is not an entirely logical process. It’s pretty emotional, right? And no, it’s not as easy as 1-2-3. And yes, you will fail at times. But the point is that you can be proactive. You can prepare. You can practice, and practice makes permanent. And that means you can win.
To say it more correctly, you can learn to rest more in the victory that Christ, the Temptation-Buster, has already won for you. This is how we begin to stop what we hate but keep on doing.
