According to the bible, when Jesus went to the desert to fast and pray he was tempted by the Devil (Matthew 4:1–11). The Devil offered Jesus power and worldly riches if he would just fall on his knees and worship the devil.
Jesus was strong enough to say no.
Most of us mere mortals are not as strong as Jesus was. If there is a plate of chocolate biscuits next to a plate of fruit, we’ll often choose the biscuit (at least this is the case with me). For ordinary humans like you and me, the best way to resist temptation is to avoid it all together.
To do this, you need to understand what your bad habits are and then work out ways to avoid succumbing to them. The temptation will often be fleeting — it may have a tendency to arise when we are feeling a bit flat and vulnerable. So:
- If you have a tendency to splurge at the shops, consider leaving your credit card at home. If you see something you really like, you can always come back later.
- If you can’t stop at just one chocolate biscuit, don’t keep them in the house.
When Jesus devised “The Lord’s Prayer”, he showed that he was wise as well as strong. As such, he included the line, “Lead us not into temptation” rather than “Give us the strength to resist temptation” as the most appropriate method of not succumbing to our shortfalls.
So do yourself a favour. Work out what your worst habits are and the circumstances under which you succumb to them. Then consciously develop strategies to avoid the situation altogether. After all, the easiest temptation to resist is the one you never encounter.
