Even after we’ve given our lives to God, we can still find ourselves carrying on with things we don;t want to do, having thoughts that lead us away from His path, and being overcome by the same temptations. The truth is, being born again into a new life with Christ doesn’t remove our old natures; it actually intensifies the struggle between our earthly natures and our spirit. But the good news is that we can be victorious. Here are some strategies to ensure we win the battle: 1) With prayer. Jesus told His disciples, ‘Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. The spirit wants to do what is right, but the body is weak’ (Matthew 26:41 NCV). It can get tiring to always be praying for forgiveness when we’ve given in to temptation – so let’s pray before temptation even comes along. We can’t pray temptation away, but we can prepare ourselves in advance to overcome it. And we can always ask for help from a trusted friend who can stand with us in prayer. The Bible says, ‘Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour’ (Ecclesiastes 4:9 NKJV). 2) By making up your mind. ‘But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.’ We need to decide in advance that we’ll activate our willpower. When we do that, God empowers us by His Spirit. Daniel’s strength and willpower came from God. He prayed three times every day (see Daniel 6:10). Rather than setting ourselves up for failure by not having a strategy, we need to have an escape plan. When Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph, he ‘fled and ran outside’ (Genesis 39:12 NKJV). Both Joseph and Daniel had prayed and made up their mind what they’d do before temptation their way. And we must do that too.
