TEMPTATION
Temptation
often comes wrapped in the form of something beautiful, something that appeals
to our senses and desires. It is often necessary to think twice before we
recognize that a beautiful object or goal (at times) is really sin in disguise.
Hermeneutics,
Baker Books, 1981, p. 219.
In effect, by
accepting Satan's statement, Eve was calling God a liar, even though she might
not have recognized those implications of her action. She accepted Satan as the
truth-teller and God as the prevaricator. By partaking of the fruit she was
implicitly stating her belief that Satan was more interested in her welfare
than God was. Yielding to the temptation implied that she accepted Satan's
analysis of the situation instead of God's.
Henry Virkler
Hermeneutics, Baker Books, 1981, p. 219.
No man knows
how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current
that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only
those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find
out the strength of the German army by fighting it, not by giving in. A man who
gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would
have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very
little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving
in. We never find out the strength of
the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it.
C.S. Lewis
Mere Christianity.
Christ,
because He was the only Man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only
Man who knows to the full what temptation means.
C.S. Lewis
Today in the Word, November 1998, p. 24.
Temptations
are an appeal to meet righteous needs in an unrighteous way.
Bill Thrasher
A Journey to Victorious Praying, Moody Publishers, 2003, p. 30.
What is
temptation? Some synonyms for “tempt” are: allure, attract, entice, seduce, and
tantalize. Some synonyms for “tempted” are: enchanted, entranced, bewitched,
hypnotized, spellbound, charmed, mesmerized, enraptured, and captivated. Each
word generates an emotional picture. Temptation relates to sin. [We] are
allured by it. We are attracted to it, enticed by it, seduced by its seeming
pleasure, tantalized by the fantasy of what it would be like.
Jerry White
Copied
from Dangers Men Face by Jerry White © 1997, p. 80. Used by Permission of NavPress
– www.navpress.com. All rights reserved.
The power of
all temptation is the prospect that it will make me happier. No one sins out of
a sense of duty when what they really want is to do right.
John Piper
How
Dead People Do Battle With Sin, Sermon, January 1, 1995, www.DesiringGod.org. Used by
Permission.
The first
degree (of temptation) relates to the mind – it is dragged away from its duties
by the deceit of sin. The second aims at the affections – they are enticed and
entangled. The third overcomes the will – the consent of the will is the
conception of actual sin. The fourth degree disrupts our way of life as sin is
born into it. The fifth is the flesh’s goal, a hardened life of sin, which
leads to eternal death (James 1:14-15).
Kris Lundgaard
The Enemy Within, 1998, P&R Publishing,
p. 58, Used by Permission.
Let no man
think himself to be holy because he is not tempted,
for the holiest and highest in life have the most temptations. How much higher
the hill is, so much is the wind there greater; so, how much higher the life
is, so much the stronger is the temptation of the enemy.
John Wycliffe
The
weaknesses we see in the people of the Bible are the very weaknesses we ought
to recognize in ourselves. Like Eve, who ate the forbidden fruit, we are
vulnerable to temptation when we act on our own. Like Abraham, who lied about
his wife to save his neck, we are vulnerable to temptation when we are scared.
Like David, who slept with Bathsheba while his men were off to war, we are
vulnerable to temptation when we are idle. Like Elijah, who wanted God to end
his life, we are vulnerable to temptation when we are exhausted. Like Peter,
who denied his Lord even after he promised to die for him, we are vulnerable to
temptation when we are overconfident. In other words, we are vulnerable to
temptation practically all the time.
Philip Graham Ryken
Lead
Us Not Into Temptation from When You Pray by Philip Graham Ryken, © 2000,
Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, p. 148.
The fact
that [God] does not tempt us (Jas. 1:13) does not mean that our temptations are
somehow outside of His control. God is sovereign over all the affairs of life,
including every temptation to sin. Although He does not cause our temptations,
He does allow them to occur.
Philip Graham Ryken
Lead
Us Not Into Temptation from When You Pray by Philip Graham Ryken, © 2000,
Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, p. 151.
Every
temptation is a kind of test, but not every test is a temptation. Tests and
temptations have different purposes, and they come from different places. Tests
are designed to show what someone can do. Their purpose is positive, which
explains why God himself tests people, as he tested Abraham (Heb. 11:17). A
test is a trial posed by God to prove the strength of our faith. Temptations,
on the other hand, are more negative. Their explicit purpose is to entice
people to sin, which is why they come from the Evil One. A temptation is a
trial posed by Satan, with the wicked hope that we will fail.
Philip Graham Ryken
Lead
Us Not Into Temptation from When You Pray by Philip Graham Ryken, © 2000,
Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, p. 151.
The devil
tempts, that he may deceive; but God suffers us to be tempted, to try us.
Temptation is a trial of our sincerity.
Thomas Watson
A Puritan Golden Treasury,
compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, by permission of Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. 2000, p. 295.
Satan tempts
to sin under a pretence of religion. He is most to be
feared when he transforms himself into an angel of light. He came to Christ
with Scripture in his mouth: “It is written.” The devil baits his hook with
religion.
Thomas Watson
A Puritan Golden Treasury,
compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, by permission of Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. 2000, p. 289.
Satan doth
not tempt God’s children because they have sin in them, but because they have
grace in them. Had they no grace, the devil would not disturb them… Though to
be tempted is a trouble, yet to think why you are tempted is a comfort.
Thomas Watson
A Puritan Golden Treasury,
compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, by permission of Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. 2000, p. 295.
Idleness
tempts the devil to tempt.
Thomas Watson
A Puritan Golden Treasury,
compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, by permission of Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. 2000, p. 154.
There is a
great deal of difference between falling into a temptation, and running into a
temptation. The falling into a temptation shall work for good, not the running
into it. He that falls into a river is capable of help and pity, but he that
desperately turns into it is guilty of his own death.
Thomas Watson
A Puritan Golden Treasury,
compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, by permission of Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. 2000, p. 296.
Temptations
are rather hopeful evidences that thy estate is good, that thou art dear to
God, and that it shall go well with thee forever, than otherwise. God had but
one Son without corruption, but He had none without temptation.
Thomas Brooks
A Puritan Golden Treasury,
compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, by permission of Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. 2000, p. 295.
The only way
to avoid cannon-shot is to fall down. No such way to be freed from temptation
as to keep low.
Thomas
Brooks
Reading maketh a full man, prayer a holy man, temptation an
experienced man.
John Trapp
A Puritan Golden Treasury,
compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, by permission of Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. 2000, p. 295.
Temptation is
like a knife, that may either cut the meat or the
throat of a man; it may be his food or poison.
John Owen
A Puritan Golden Treasury,
compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, by permission of Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. 2000, p. 296.
Temptations
and occasions put nothing into a man, but only draw out what was in him before.
John Owen
A Puritan Golden Treasury,
compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, by permission of Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. 2000, p. 292.
If we do not
abide in prayer, we will abide in temptation. Let this be one aspect of our
daily intercession: “God, preserve my soul, and keep my heart and all its ways
so that I will not be entangled." When this is true in our lives, a
passing temptation will not overcome us. We will remain free while others lie
in bondage.
John Owen
Sin comes to
us, taps us on the shoulder or tugs at our shirttail and whispers in our ear:
“You deserve better than what God has provided. He’s holding out on you. You
deserve to feel good about yourself. I’ll affirm you in a way no one else can.
Why live in misery any longer? Come to me. I’ll give you a sense of power
you’ve never known before. I’ll expand your influence. I’ll fill your heart
with a sense of accomplishment. I’ll nourish your soul. You’ve never had a
physical rush like the one I’ve got in store for you. Obeying God is boring.
It’s a pain. He’s always telling you to do stuff that’s
difficult and burdensome and inconvenient or ordering you to forsake the few
things that really bring you happiness. Come on. You’ve only got one life.
Obedience is ugly. My way is fun. My way feels good.”
Sam Storms
Copied
from: Pleasures Evermore: The Life-Changing Power of Knowing God by Sam Storms,
© 2000, p. 27. Used by permission of NavPress – www.navpress.org. All rights reserved.
Temptation,
in and of itself, is not sin… Jesus was repeatedly tempted (Hebrews 2:17-18;
4:14; Matthew 4), but He was sinless… Temptation only becomes a sin when you
acquiesce to it, “fondle” it, and “enjoy” it.
Sam Storms
Copied
from: Pleasures Evermore: The Life-Changing Power of Knowing God by Sam Storms,
© 2000, p. 251. Used by permission of NavPress – www.navpress.org. All rights
reserved.
The strength
of temptation also comes from a tendency to push virtues to such an extreme
that they become vices. For example, it is all too easy for the joy of eating
to become gluttony, or for the blessing of rest to become sloth, or for the
peace of quietness to become noncommunication, or for
industriousness to become greed, or for liberty to be turned into an excuse for
licentiousness. We all know what it’s like for pleasure to become sensuality,
or for self-care to become selfishness, or for self-respect to become conceit,
or for wise caution to become cynicism and unbelief, or for righteous anger to
become unrighteous rage, or for the joy of sex to become immorality, or for
conscientiousness to become perfectionism. The list could go on endlessly, but
I think you get the point.
Sam Storms
Copied
from: Pleasures Evermore: The Life-Changing Power of Knowing God by Sam Storms,
© 2000, p. 251-252. Used by permission of NavPress – www.navpress.org. All rights
reserved.
The focus of
Satan’s efforts is always the same: to deceive us into believing that the
passing pleasures of sin are more satisfying than obedience.
Sam Storms
Copied
from: Pleasures Evermore: The Life-Changing Power of Knowing God by Sam Storms,
© 2000, p. 247-248. Used by permission of NavPress – www.navpress.org. All rights
reserved.
Seven Tactics of Temptation:
1. Satan especially likes to tempt us when our faith is fresh, i.e., when the Christian is only recently converted and thus less prepared to know how to resist his seductive suggestions.
2. Satan especially likes to tempt us
when our faith feels strongest, i.e., when we think we are invulnerable to sin.
If we are convinced that we have it under control, we become less diligent.
3. Satan especially likes to tempt us
when we are in an alien environment.
4. Satan also likes to tempt us when our
faith is being tested in the fires of affliction. When we are tired, burnt out,
persecuted, feeling excluded and ignored, Satan makes his play. His most common
tactic is to suggest that God isn’t fair, that he is treating us unjustly, from
which platform Satan then launches his seductive appeal that we need no longer
obey.
5. Satan especially likes to tempt us
immediately following both spiritual highs and spiritual lows. Periods of
emotional elation and physical prosperity can sometimes lead to complacency,
pride, and a false sense of security. When they do, we’re easy targets for the
enemy’s arrows.
6. Perhaps Satan's most effective tactic
in tempting us is to put his thoughts into our minds and then blame us for
having them.
7. A related tactic of temptation is for
him to launch his accusations as if they were from the Holy Spirit. In other
words, he couches his terms and chooses his opportunities in such a way that we
might easily mistake his voice for that of God.
Sam Storms
Tactics of Temptation, November 8, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com.
Used by Permission.
Temptation is often strong because it comes in the form
of an enticement to satisfy legitimate needs through illegitimate means.
Sam Storms
Tactics of Temptation, November 8, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com.
Used by Permission.
The strength of temptation also comes from a tendency to
push virtues to such an extreme that they become vices. For example, it is all
too easy for the joy of eating to become gluttony, or for the blessing of rest to
become sloth, or for the peace of quietness to become non-communication, or for
industriousness to become greed, or for liberty to be turned into an excuse for
licentiousness. We all know what it’s like for pleasure to become sensuality,
or for self-care to become selfishness, or for self-respect to become conceit,
or for wise caution to become cynicism and unbelief, or for righteous anger to
become unrighteous rage, or for the joy of sex to become immorality, or for
conscientiousness to become perfectionism. The list could go on endlessly…
Sam Storms
Tactics of Temptation, November 8, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com.
Used by Permission.
Temptation, in and of itself, is not sin. This is
critically important, especially for those who suffer from an overly sensitive
and tender conscience. Jesus was repeatedly tempted (Heb. 2:17-18; 4:15; Mt.
4), but he was sinless. We must resist thinking that we are sub-Christian or
sub-spiritual simply because we are frequently tempted. It was the great
reformer Martin Luther who first said, “You can't prevent the birds from flying
over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” His
point is that a temptation only becomes a sin when you acquiesce to it, as it
were “fondle” it and “enjoy” it.
Sam Storms
Tactics of Temptation, November 8, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com.
Used by Permission.
Whereas God tests our faith, he never tempts
it (James 1:13). The purpose of divine testing is to sanctify and strengthen.
The purpose of satanic tempting is to deceive and destroy. Evil neither exists
in the heart of God nor is He its author. It most assuredly exists in our
hearts and we are its author.
Sam Storms
Tactics of Temptation, November 8, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com.
Used by Permission.
Temptation almost always begins in the flesh (James
1:14). Our flesh sets fire to sin. Satan simply fans the flames. Satan is
powerless until we first say “yes” to sin. He exploits our sinful decisions,
most often by intensifying the course of action we have already chosen (Eph.
4:26-27).
Sam Storms
Tactics of Temptation, November 8, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com.
Used by Permission.
Confront and conquer
temptation at the beginning, not at the end. In other words,
the best and most effective tactic against temptation is to deal with it from a
position of strength, before it
has an opportunity to weaken you. Better to take steps up front to eliminate
temptation altogether (if possible), than to deal with it later when your
defenses are down.
Sam Storms
Tactics of Temptation, November 8, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com.
Used by Permission.
It’s easier
to avoid temptation then to resist it.
Bill Shannon
A Passion for Purity, Shepherd’s
Conference, 2005, Session #33.
Fire tries
Iron, and temptation tries a just man.
Thomas a Kempis
We are too apt to forget that temptation to sin will
rarely present itself to us in its true colors, saying, “I am your deadly
enemy, and I want to ruin you forever in hell.” Oh no! Sin comes to us like
Judas, with a kiss; like Joab, with outstretched hand and flattering words. The
forbidden fruit seemed good and desirable to Eve; yet it cast her out of Eden.
Walking idly on his palace roof seemed harmless enough to David; yet it ended
in adultery and murder. Sin rarely seems
(like) sin at first beginnings. Let us then watch and pray, lest we fall into
temptation.
Holiness.
We must not count temptation a strange thing. "The
disciple is not greater than his master, nor the
servant than his lord." If Satan came to Christ, he will also come to
Christians.
Commentary:
Matthew 4.
To be tempted is in itself no sin. It is the yielding to
the temptation, and giving it a place in our hearts, which we must fear.
J.C. Ryle
Commentary:
Matthew 4.
Forms of
temptation:
1.
Temptation
to act – 1 Jn. 2:16
a.
“lust
of the eyes” - Personal aspiration
b.
“lust
of the flesh” - Personal gratification
c.
“boastful
pride of life” - Personal reputation
2.
Temptation
to react
a.
Fight
- anger, hostility, wrath, resentment, bitterness
b.
Fright
- fear, anxiety, worry
c.
Flight
- avoidance, apathy, escape, withdrawal
James Fowler
Excerpted from: Temptation, Study Outlines, 1999, www.christinyou.net. Used by Permission.
Fly from all
occasions of temptation, and if still tempted, fly further still. If there is
no escape possible, then have done with running away and show a bold face and
take the two-edged sword of the Spirit. Some temptations must be taken by the
throat as David killed the lion; others must be stifled as David hugged the
bear to death. Some you had better keep to yourselves and not give air. Shut
them up as a scorpion in a bottle. Scorpions in such confinement die soon, but
if allowed out for a crawl and then put back into the bottle and corked down,
they will live a long while and give you trouble. Keep the cork on your
temptations, and they will die of themselves.
Author Unknown
The
temptation once yielded to gains power. The crack in the embankment which lets
a drop or two ooze through is soon a hole which lets
out a flood.
Alexander MacLaren
Sin dwells in
hell, and holiness in heaven. Remember that every temptation is from the devil,
to make you like himself. Remember when you sin, that
you are learning and imitating of the devil – and are so far like him. And the
end of all is that you may feel his pains.
If hell-fire be not good, then sin is not good.
Richard Baxter
The Reformed Pastor.
When
Christians find themselves exposed to temptation they should pray to God to
uphold them, and when they are tempted they should not be discouraged. It is not a sin to be tempted; the sin is to
fall into temptation.
D.L. Moody
Satan gives
Adam an apple (fruit), and takes away Paradise. Therefore in all temptations let
us consider not what he offers, but what we shall lose.
Richard Sibbes
A Puritan
Golden Treasury, compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, by
permission of Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. 2000, p. 293.
Unwillingness
to accept God's "way of escape" from temptation frightens me – what a
rebel yet resides within.
Jim Elliot
[We must]
pray constantly for His enabling grace to say no to temptation, of choosing to
take all practical steps to avoid known areas of temptation and flee from those
that surprise us.
Jerry Bridges
The Practice of Godliness, NavPress, 1996, p.
127. Used by permission of NavPress – www.navpress.com,
All rights reserved.
Some
temptations can best be overcome by fleeing (2 Timothy 2:22).
Jerry Bridges
Copied
from The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, © 1996, p. 111-112. Used by
permission of NavPress – www.navpress.com. All rights
reserved.
There is
no point in praying for victory over temptation if we are not willing to make a
commitment to say no to it.
Jerry Bridges
Copied
from The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, © 1996, p. 93. Used by
permission of NavPress – www.navpress.com.
All rights reserved.
Every time
we say yes to temptation, we make it harder to say no the next time.
Jerry Bridges
Copied
from The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, © 1996, p. 92. Used by
permission of NavPress – www.navpress.com.
All rights reserved.
It is our
own evil desires that lead us into temptation. We may think we merely respond
to outward temptations that are presented to us. But the truth is, our evil
desires are constantly searching out temptations to satisfy their insatiable
lusts (James 1:14).
Jerry Bridges
Copied
from The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, © 1996, p. 63-64. Used by
permission of NavPress – www.navpress.com. All rights
reserved.
Our
reliance on the Spirit is not intended to foster an attitude of “I can’t do
it,” but one of “I can do it through Him who strengthens me.” The Christian
should never complain of want of ability and power. If we sin, it is because we
choose to sin, not because we lack the ability to say no to temptation.
Jerry Bridges
Copied
from The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, © 1996, p. 80. Used by
permission of NavPress – www.navpress.com. All rights
reserved.
God delights
in our temptations and yet hates them. He delights in them when they drive us
to prayer; He hates them when they drive us to despair.
Martin Luther
Temptations,
of course, cannot be avoided, but because we cannot prevent the birds from
flying over our heads, there is no need that we should let them nest in our
hair
Martin Luther
The Early Years, Christian History, n. 34.
Since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, temptation has been a constant,
unrelenting part of human life. Men have tried to avoid and resist it with
self-inflicted pain to make themselves uncomfortable and
presumably humble, or by isolating themselves from other people and from
physical comforts. But no person has ever found a place or a circumstance that
can make him safe from temptation.
John MacArthur
The MacArthur New Testament Commentary
Matthew 1-7, Moody, 1985, p. 84.
That
is God’s plan and purpose – to use Satan’s temptations as a means of testing
and strengthening our faith in Him and of our growing stronger in
righteousness. God allows testings in our lives in
order that our spiritual “muscles” may be exercised and strengthened. Whether
the testing is by God’s initiative or is sent by Satan, God will always use it
to produce good in us when we meet the test in His
power.
John MacArthur
The MacArthur New Testament Commentary
Matthew 1-7, Moody, 1985, p. 87-88.
Temptations
that have been anticipated, guarded against, and prayed about have little power
to harm us. Jesus tells us to “keep watching and praying,
that you may not come into temptation” (Mark 14:38). Victory over temptation comes
from being constantly prepared for it, which, in turn, comes from constantly
relying on the Lord.
John MacArthur
The MacArthur New Testament Commentary
Matthew 1-7, Moody, 1985, p. 89.
Every
temptation, directly or indirectly, is the temptation to doubt and distrust
God.
John MacArthur
Ephesians, Moody, 1986, p. 359.
The
Word, watchfulness, prayerfulness.
That’s it. No magic. That’s how you deal with [temptation]. Pour the Word in.
Stay alert. Understand what’s going on around you by way of temptation. Be discerning
and fall prostrate before God and cry out for His power. That’s the path to
triumph. Then you can rise and walk to face the foe as [Jesus] did [in
Gethsemane].
John MacArthur
Man of Sorrows-Part 1. The article originally
appeared (http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/80-158)
at www.gty.org. © 1969-2008. Grace to You. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
When we are
tempted and seek to know and love God, and like Moses long to see His glory,
and out of that occupation of our
minds have no further love for that previous temptation, we have
experienced something of the reality of the very highest form of freedom from
sin. It is one thing to love sin and to force ourselves to quit it; it is
another thing to hate sin because love for God is so gripping that the sin no
longer appeals. The latter is repentance; the former is reform. It is
repentance that God requires. Repentance is “a change of mind.” To love and yet quit it is not the same
as hating it and quitting it. Your supposed victory
over a sin may be simple displacement. You may love one sin so much (such as
your pride) that you will curtail another more embarrassing sin which you also
love. This may look spiritual, but there is nothing of God in it. Natural men
do it every day.
Jim Elliff
Disinterestedness, Christian
Communicators Worldwide, www.CCWtoday.org. Used by Permission.
Though some
situations which invite temptation cannot be changed, most can. A man who will
not flee the setting of his temptation when he is able still loves his sin.
Jim Elliff
The Unrepenting Repenter, Christian Communicators Worldwide, www.CCWtoday.org. Used by Permission.
The greatest
of all temptations is to want to be without any.
Henry Drummond
I know well
that when Christ is nearest, Satan also is busiest.
Robert Murray
M’Cheyne
What about
cravings? The Bible understands them well. It refers to them as temptations.
The Bible recognizes that people with years of sobriety often still struggle
with huge temptations. Sometimes this is just a normal part of the slow process
of change. Sometimes it is simply a consequence of being reminded of something
we once loved. But at other times it can be a result of mentally cherishing and
nurturing the addiction while physically abstaining from it. Instead of asking
God for a desire to hate sin at its roots, some people cling to the pleasant
memories associated with their addiction. They remember that they once had a
potent escape, whereas now they experience the pain of facing daily problems.
Edward T. Welch
Blame
in on the Brain? P&R Publishing, 1998, p. 196.
God has
defeated Satan through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Through this overwhelming victory, God has also empowered you to overcome any
temptation to sin and has provided sufficient resources for you to respond
biblically to any problem of life. By relying on God’s power and being obedient
to His Word, you can be an overcomer in any
situation.
Biblical Counseling Foundation
As an
obedient believer, you are to stand firm in the strength of the Lord, to be
sober in spirit, and to remain alert in order to resist the schemes of the
devil. However, in all areas of your walk as a believer, you are incapable in
your own strength and insufficient in your own resources to overcome the wiles
and temptations of Satan. Therefore, you must put on the full armor of God to
be an overwhelming conqueror in you continuing spiritual battle.
Biblical Counseling Foundation
Self-Confrontation Manuel, Lesson 21, Page 4,
Used by Permission of the Biblical Counseling Foundation.
Christian
maturity is not indicated by the infrequency of temptation but by the
infrequency of succumbing to temptation.
Douglas
Moo
James, Eerdmans, 2000, p. 76.
It’s easier
to resist temptation at a distance than when it is near.
Author
Unknown