Step 5: Flee Temptation
You will never be able to completely avoid the temptation to return to your old deceitful ways. But there are specific steps you can take to reduce your exposure and susceptibility to temptation.
- Focus on your relationship with God.
Spend time regularly cultivating your relationship with God. In particular, make Bible study a consistent discipline in your life. Constant exposure to the truth will make you a more truthful person.
- Latch on to God’s promises.
Identify assurances in Scripture that make you more confident of winning over your sin of deceitfulness. Store assurances away in your mind as ammunition when the battle with temptation comes.
God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. (Hebrews 6:18)
- Establish safeguards.
Why not make holiness as easy for yourself as possible? Think of ways you can cut off common temptations. Here are examples of the kinds of changes you can make for the better:
• If you cheat on your taxes, hire a tax preparer next year and make all your records available to this person.
• If you defraud your employer by falsifying your time sheet, ask a friend on your work team to verify its accuracy each week.
• If you naturally resort to flattery, practice ahead of time what you can say in favor of a person without lying.
• Ask a trusted Christian friend to hold you accountable in your commitment to not deceive others.
- Expect victory.
You are a new person in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit lives in you. He wants to create an honest heart in you. Seek His help as you eliminate deceit and adopt honesty in your life. As long as you are cooperating with Him, you cannot lose! Praise God!
