Resisting in My Strength… or Resting in His Life?
Temptation may rise, but it cannot stay—light has already come, and Christ in me is the victory.
A Conversation About Temptation, Struggle, and the Victory Already Living Within
“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” – Galatians 5:16
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 15:57
A Late-Night Text Exchange After a Rough Day
Ethan:
I blew it again today. I was doing fine, then temptation hit—hard. I tried to resist, I prayed, I quoted Scripture—but I still gave in. I honestly don’t know what else to do.
Me:
Man, I get it. I remember white-knuckling my way through so many battles—repeating verses, rebuking thoughts, making vows. But underneath it all, I was still relying on me to win the fight. I didn’t realize I was trying to overcome the flesh… with the flesh.
Ethan’s View: Spiritual Temptation Requires Spiritual Discipline
Ethan texts back: “But we are supposed to resist, right? James 4:7 says, ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee.’ And even Jesus quoted Scripture when He was tempted. Doesn’t that mean I should fight back using every tool I’ve got?”
He sends a string of verses:
1 Corinthians 10:13 – “God… will provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
Ephesians 6:11 – “Put on the full armor of God…”
Matthew 26:41 – “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
“It just feels like I’m missing something,” he adds. “Like, I know I should be able to resist—but I keep failing.”
My Response: The Way of Escape Isn’t Just a Strategy—It’s a Person
I reply: “All those verses are true. But what if the way of escape isn’t primarily something you do… but someone youtrust?”
Galatians 5:16 changed everything for me: ‘Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.’ Not ‘fight harder,’ but ‘walk with Me.’”
I follow up: “When Jesus overcame temptation, He wasn’t modeling a method for us to copy. He was showing us what a totally yielded life looks like. And now, His very life lives in you (Gal. 2:20). The same victorious Spirit that resisted Satan in the wilderness now lives inside you.”
Fighting vs. Yielding: Where Victory Comes From
Ethan texts: “So you’re saying I don’t have to fight temptation?”
“No,” I respond, “I’m saying you don’t have to fight it alone. In fact, you were never meant to. Romans 6:11 tells you to consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God. The old ‘you’ that was addicted to sin? Crucified. Buried. Gone.”
I add: “Now you walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4). That doesn’t mean temptation disappears. But it does mean you no longer have to obey it. You can stop trying to resist in your own effort and instead say, ‘Lord, I trust You to live Your victorious life through me in this moment.’”
A Grace-Oriented Appeal
Temptation is real. The struggle can be intense. But the battle was never yours to win alone.
You are not fighting to become free—you are already free in Christ.
You are not trying to kill the old self—it’s already dead.
You are not asking for strength—you are trusting the One who is your strength.
So next time temptation rises, don’t shift into battle mode. Shift into trust. Walk by the Spirit. Depend on Christ’s indwelling life. And know this:
You are not resisting for victory. You’re resisting from it.
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