Overcoming temptation

1 Corinthians 10:13 (New International Version) 13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

In our study of "The Purpose Driven Life" this week we discussed temptation and overcoming temptation. This particular scripture really spoke to me - "...when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out...".

Those words are so powerful. We have to remember this, there is always a way out, and Jesus is the Way.

I have overcome a lot of temptation areas in my life, and it is a tough battle, and it is almost always more of a spiritual battle than a physical battle. Once you realize the spiritual nature and ask God to help you, it becomes so much easier.

I have battled compulsive eating, alcohol abuse, and cigarette smoking. When I tried to battle these issues on my own, I often failed. I would stop drinking or smoking, but then would start overeating. I battled these issues for years! It was my way of dealing with pain, stress, and other bad feelings I didn't know how to handle.

We have to always be on guard, because even when we are trying to make a good change, to resist one temptation, another temptation might become stronger. We justify our over-eating because at least we are not boozing or drugging. Or we justify living on a diet of black coffee and cigarettes to control our compulsive eating problem.

My weight has fluctuated from 125 to 250 pounds during my adult hood. I am currently at a healthy weight again - about 147 pounds. I had lost 110 pounds over a period of about four years, (from 250 down to 140 pounds). And I can thank God for helping me with the weight loss, but I admit smoking was appetite suppressant. I would eat a reasonable amount of food, then stop and light up. Sometimes, I skipped meals and just smoked.

I finally woke up and realized that part of my joy for overcoming overeating was being taken away by becoming hooked on cigarettes, and that smoking cigarettes really was against what I believed in my soul to be right. But it was a very powerful temptation for me as I was married to a smoker, and my parents smoked. But I had lost a grandparent to lung cancer, had concerns for the health of my family that still smoked, and something in me finally clicked....I felt stupid for giving into the temptation to smoke and getting addicted to nicotine.

But when I was willing to give up smoking, I found I needed a toolkit of strategies to kick the habit. I used a nicotine gum to wean my body off of the nicotine, I tried to break patterns of behavior tied to smoking, and one thing I did was visit a church for an evening meeting about environmental issues. The meeting challenged my thinking, and helped reawaken my dormant consciousness. Years ago, I had sought to eat a wholesome, organic, vegetarian diet and to recycle. These ideals had gradually slipped away during my marriage. The people in the church were people willing to challenge themselves to simplify their lifestyles for their own health, and for the earth. I was attracted to the hope they showed that it really is possible to live another way of life. This little church, the Church of the Brethren, became my support group for my desire to make healthy life changes. No one judged me, condemned me, or forced me to change in any way that I was not ready to change. I slipped and fell a couple of times before I truly overcame, but their support helped me find the strength, and their example gave me the hope that it could be done, with God's help.

So, I am not speaking as a person who is a saint and has never fallen into temptation. I am speaking as a person who has been very weak in many areas of my life - but gradually, as I have learned to accept my own powerlessness over temptations, I have turned these over to God. Just a simple prayer, "God, I feel tempted to go smoke a cigarette because I feel really stressed. Please help me resist this temptation." Then later, just, "Jesus, take this temptation away from me."

It works for me. And it can work for you too.