We all struggle with temptation. Every single one of us. Some of us struggle with food, some with alcohol. Some of us crave the praise of others, and many struggle with the temptation to lust or shop for stuff we think will make us happy. Some of us are ‘lucky’ enough to struggle with all the above. How can we proactively guard ourselves in advance so that we don’t give in to our temptations?

Five Ways To Guard Your Life From Temptation.

1. Guard Your Eyes.

Be aware of areas of temptation and ask God to help guard your eyes. For instance, if you struggle with spending money online, be cautious of mindlessly surfing online. I struggle with gluttony so I need to guard my eyes from the candy aisle or bakery.

Be aware of areas of temptation and ask God to help guard your eyes.

If you struggle with lust, be cautious of the TV shows you watch. My wife Kristen and I do whatever we can to avoid shows that show off too much skin. Look into all movies you watch in advance with an app like Plugged In so you know if a movie could potentially cause you to stumble with lust. Guard against romance novels or magazines containing suggestive material.

Even on days you think you’re doing well, guard against anything that may cause you to stumble. In 1 Corinthians 10:12, Paul writes, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (NIV) In other words, don’t put too much confidence in your flesh, because if you do, you might fall.

2. Guard Your Mind.

We must be careful of the types of things that attack our thought life. I recently shared with some friends I can still recall images from porn I saw when I was 12 years old. Those images are burned into my memory if I allow myself to dwell upon them. Fortunately, God’s Word speaks into this area of our humanity. Here are a few verses that inform how we can guard our mind:

• Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (NIV) Paul instructs us to think about things that are excellent and praiseworthy. The more we dwell on the things that honor God, the better we can guard my mind.
• Paul writes in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV) I want my mind to be transformed by rightly worshipping God and renewing my mind through His word and through the things that honor Him.
• Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (NIV) When a thought enters my mind that doesn’t honor God, I follow Paul’s challenge to take it captive, meaning I stop thinking about it or dwelling on it. I want to take tempting thoughts I have and take them captive to the obedience of Christ.
• See also Psalm 119:9-16. In this passage, the Psalmist talks about hiding God’s Word in our hearts. Try memorizing some scripture to help you amid temptation. Scripture memory is a great way to engage and guard your mind against tempting thoughts.

Scripture memory is a great way to engage and guard your mind against tempting thoughts.

3. Guard Your Heart.

Guard your heart from feelings that tempt you. The heart is often known as the seat of our emotions. Many of our desires and intentions come from the heart. For this reason, I want to do everything I can to guard my heart.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (NIV)

I want to protect my heart from anything that leads to sinful desires. We can guard our hearts against sinful temptations by seeking to mold our hearts to become more like Christ.

4. Guard Your Hands.

Ecclesiastes 9:10a says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…”. (NIV)

The context of this verse points towards working in a way that honors God, using our hands in a way that shows we are working for God’s glory. I know that when I am idle and have time to kill, I am more likely or susceptible to do things or think things that are not of the Lord. But, when I keep busy and work to honor Him and steward my time well, I am much more likely to guard my hands.

5. Guard Your Body.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (NIV) I want to guard my body against temptation in every way, with every part of my body. Any part I missed above is captured in this one. Honor God in everything by the ways you and seek to honor God with your body.

Your Turn:

• Discuss with your spouse or with your community where you struggle most when it comes to temptation.
• How can you better guard your eyes, mind, heart, hands and body?