“To tempt” is defined by the dictionary as “to get someone to do something that seems advantageous or pleasurable but might be immoral or foolish.”
Who is the one who tempts us?
Who is it that lures us in? Devil! Like a lion prowling the land, he is looking for humans to devour (1 Peter 5:8). But James 1:14 informs us that temptation also comes from within, so he is not totally at fault: “But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.”The three most prevalent causes of temptation are power, sex, and money. Are you merely want to increase your income? Do you read unhealthy literature, watch porn, or watch movies with explicit sexual content? Will you stop at nothing to exert control over others, even if it involves participating in unethical behavior like practicing occultism?
Do you see how temptation works?
Do you see how temptation works? You are consumed by what you focus your heart and your mind on. In order to be victorious over temptation, we have to put our focus on the person of Jesus Christ. Get your eyes off of temptation, and get them on Jesus. We do that because in Jesus, “we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are –yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus has been there and can show us the way out for we read in Hebrews 2:18, that because Jesus “Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted“. However far you have fallen, you are not to give up because “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
How to fix your eyes on Jesus?
How then do we fix our eyes on Jesus? It is by practicing the conscience presence of Jesus Christ. It’s never taking your eyes off Him. We are told to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and to set our minds “on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:2). Jesus and Satan don’t occupy the same heart at the same time. If your heart and mind are filled with the presence of Jesus Christ, there’s no room for Satan there. The Christian life boils down to that: keeping your eyes on Him, focusing on Him, thinking about Him. You are in communion with Him every moment of every day in all your activities and in all your interactions. Keep your eyes on the Master. And you can say with Him, “Away from me, Satan!” (Matthew 4:10).
