Part 1 - THE KITCHEN TABLE SERIES: How I Overcome Temptation

Sanctification, readiness, purity, are critical as we see the Day approaching!

These are my own words and AI is not used. Have grace. I’m not great at writing and grammar is like kryptonite.

For over a year now, during some of my interviews, I have partially discussed how I deal with temptation. It’s usually when the host gives me a few minutes to wrap up the time we’ve had. From my heart to yours, we need to spur each other on. Often, I talk about putting down childish things, cooperating with works of sanctification, and being an overcomer.

Sin…especially recurring sin. We need to put this on the table and talk. The kitchen table is a familiar place, a safe place, where we fellowship with other members of the Watchmen community and more broadly the Body of Christ. In the inaugural launch my my new weekly series called “The Kitchen Table”, let’s do a deep dive on temptation. I feel led to begin here because time is short (remember: one day closer…) and we want to finish well.

I’m going to share my story—through a prayer example—of how I learned to deal with temptation and be an overcomer. None of us are perfected yet, see 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 but after years of the terrible ‘sin’ → ‘ask for forgiveness’ → ‘guilt and shame’, never-ending cycle, I finally had a breakthrough that I’d like to share with you. And it’s quite personal. I’m going to share how I pray when tempted.

The following is a representation for how I learned to be more victorious. The format is unusual because I want to pair “the part I pray” with “the part I’m thinking about as I’m praying”. The prayer stands on it’s own. But I strongly believe there is value in sharing the inner dialogue that I go through…and that’s why it’s personal.

A word about temptation and some backstory. We know what it is and we know why we are always pestered by it. Some of the thoughts that are top-of-mind are that we live in a fallen world; we have an enemy that prowls around seeking to take us down (see John 10:10); we have gaps and chinks in our armor (Ephesians 6:10-24); and sometimes we just don’t understand our profound vulnerability as Believers to the spirit of the Antichrist and the world system. What I’m saying is that most people don’t even understand the Biblical truth of spiritual warfare and how we need to be alert to the schemes of the enemy. Be alert. The naive do not see the need (Proverbs 27:12).

On being a Watchman or Watchwoman—if this is you, then you already know that you are “awake” to the things happening in this world and your Ezekiel 33:6-9 accountability mandate is sobering to say the least. I’ve been a Watchman for 8-years so far and I don’t even recognize myself anymore. My Christian walk before becoming a Watchman are so innocent, naive, and totally otherworldly to me now. At this point in my life—just to contrast this—I know the world as it really is under the sway of the enemy and his minions. All Watchmen and Watchwoman know what I’m talking about.

So, you know my heart already. The hour is nearer than when we first believed. So, when I speak about working on personal sanctification in my interviews, you known that we need to put this entire topic on the Kitchen Table and wrestle with the implications. Get to it. Put your boots on. We have work to do. In our inner life and secret rooms we know we have kept these locked rooms from the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit. We act in a defiant way so soften. But, who are we actually kidding? Read Psalm 139. God sees the dark room, He knows us, knows about the spiritual attack that is coming. He knows our favorite dark room and it breaks His heart that we won’t give Him the keys and ask for mercy and forgiveness. There is a part of me that dies every time I consider how my actions and inactions have hurt the Lord. It’s unbearable sometimes.

Does this make sense? Do you realize we must up our game in this season? Anyone else noticing how dark and evil our world is getting? Hello???? Read Matthew 5:14, Ephesians 5:8, and 1 Peter 2:9.

My Epiphany

It’s not enough to say “No!” to temptation. This is because the veracity of your “no” weakens over time. You may start strong and resist well…but why does it always seem like there inevitably comes a point on the near horizon where we just cave in? Years of failure helped me realize that we can’t just say no and have it stick in our walk over long periods of time. That’s when I had my second realization.

An empty house must be filled, it can’t just be cleaned and left empty. Empty is bad. I know the following Scripture is about a man with a demon that was cleansed and the warning from Jesus. It’s in Matthew 12:43-45. I have thought a lot about a deeper meaning. Maybe the reason why my “no’s” were weaker is because my empty house wasn’t filled with more intentional focus on the Word, on prayer, and on being honest before the Throne Room. So, my “No!” gave me good results initially in resisting sin, but I learned that it stopped short because of ignorance and incomplete thinking in the moment.

I had a profound moment where I had a strong yearning to say “Yes!” after the “No!”. My yes was my personal way to fill my house with the Lord. To be intentional, to take that next step of commitment and not stop short. To pray with acknowledgement about what was happening, and through prayer I discovered that my “Yes” became a reason to praise! It’s the praise that brought peace and joy. I felt like I was tearing my tunic, pouring ashes over my head, calling out to the Lord [this is the “No!”], and then being anointed with oil again [the “Yes!”]. In my weakness, in my “yes’s” I cut short that cycle of guilt and shame. It let me get off the treadmill. In my praise time, it became my way of thanking Him for victory and for all the things He has done for me.

Below is my prayer. I did my best to leave room for you to insert your heart as you talk to Jesus. It is abbreviated in some parts and note I didn’t put in Scripture verses, but as you read you will see them clearly imprinted in my words.

My Prayer Model

I begin with “NO!”

I have to assert control over these unwanted thoughts. The pull can be powerful to relapse back into the world of the fallen man…it’s like gravity, it must be resisted very forcefully. In my head, the “No!” is shouted. It’s where I draw the line. It interrupts the seductive attack of the enemy. In fact, this is what stops it cold.

“That is not me anymore…”

Perspective change. In my head I’m pointing to my past, my failures, and my sin. Now I need to proclaim who I am in Christ. I am redeemed, filled with the Holy Spirit, a new creation. I am not the old me. I realize that what’s happening in the moment is an attack on my identity. The enemy’s familiar tactics make me angry and there is a burning desire to overcome. My vision narrows into total concentration. I will not be defeated.

“YES!”

Saying “No” all the time is not enough. I have to replace the “No” with something else. So, it’s like I say “No” to the devil and “Yes” to Christ. If I don’t say “Yes” then my “No” gets weaker and weaker each time a dart comes…until I stumble, yield to the temptation, or relapse. I know I have the freedom to choose “yes”, because it was paid for on the cross. Jesus did it all and His Spirit lives in me now, filling my room with light. The “yes” is powerful, as it drives the darkness away like when a light switch is turned on.

“Yes, thank You for my salvation…”

Now, I pour out my heart before the Lord. He has drawn me to Himself, and I respond. I know what to do. I crush the temptation with praise from this point forward. Joy begins because my feet are back on the Rock of Jesus, the King of Kings! It begins with what He did to draw me to Himself. It wasn’t me, it was Him. He did it…out of love for me back in my dorm room November 1, 1978.

“Yes, You have given me Your Holy Spirit…”

I have power now. I am no longer thinking of the temptation…it is far from me. His Spirit indwells me and His work of sanctification in my life is being tested. God is not surprised by the temptation…He is forging LIFE (not death) through this experience. I ask myself if I’ve been neglecting reading the Word. Am I cooperating with the Holy Spirit in maturing, in purity, and sanctification? I stand before the mirror and before the King. All fear is gone. There is an overwhelming sense of “unconditional love” and “unconditional approval”.

“Yes, You have given me new life…”

The old man is dead. He has made me a new man. Yet, the fullness of our redemption is not yet complete until we are changed in the blink of an eye and raptured...or die before the rapture. We win either way. I want to see Jesus and be reunited with loved ones in heaven. But that is in the future still, it is not yet. He has given a pledge for the fulness of redemption by giving me the Holy Spirt. This is the new life I have.

“Yes, You have given me a new Identity (in You)

My life is IN CHRIST now. My identity is established by Him in the greatest act of love, mercy and grace ever imaginable. I know my past, but He has given me great hope and an eternal future with Him. Hallelujah!

“Yes, I am not that old man anymore…

Now it’s time to let go and joy swells up. I know what I have to do next. Revisit the issue at hand, with perspective and power, and to resolve that MY CHOICE IS JESUS…not myself…not the pleasure of sin…not the old man. I am me now…the new me….the fragrance of Christ is over my life because I love Him, yield to Him, make Him my priority and yield the throne of my heart to Him. I choose Him. My life is refined and I give Him permission. As I praise Him, I am reflecting on Revelation 4/5 the scene in the throne room.

“So, I praise You for…{insert your items}”

Time to give thanks. The temptation is gone. My perspective is fresh and new and living and victorious. And praise just comes naturally—not because of me, but because of Him and what He has done for me. My list of things to praise Him for just leaps out and I let the Holy Spirit bring things to my mind. Joy bubbles up and tears often come at this point. I continue until I turn my thoughts to finishing well.

“Help me to finish well and stand approved…”

I am a Watchman and I know the accountability thereof. I must be faithful to do as the Lord has commanded of my time, abilities, and resources for His Glory and His purposes. His will, His way, His timing. I will stand before Him and give an account. I reflect on this current temptation and all the thousands of flaming darts in the past, now, and in the future. I want to please Him with my obedience. I commit.

“May the shadow of disapproval never come over your face at the Bema Seat…”

I have this fear…call it the fear of God. I know I am forgiven, and by pouring out my life for His purposes I stand approved. But there is an ever-present fear that Jesus will tell me about the things that He does not approve of, where I missed the mark, where I ignored Him and pushed in the wrong direction. Or worse, because of pride I became resistant and defiant. I reflect on the message to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, and to me it serves as a warning to all of us. So, I am extremely motivated to finish well and stand approved. It is here that I know I can’t do it on my own. So, I ask the Lord: help me NOT to see the shadow of disapproval on Your face when I stand before You.

“Help me to be an Overcomer…”

This is where I am headed now. Resolve. I must be refined, purified, and sanctified. I am an overcomer in these last days. The temptation did not take me down. I have not retreated into mediocrity. I did not allow the numbing pleasures of this world distract me. My focus is intentional. I commit to be about the Father’s business while I still have time this side of death or the rapture. Knowing that rest is coming is comforting…but it is not now! I must exert myself.

“I am a member of the Bride of Christ…”

I understand what that means and I thank the Lord that I am betrothed and must remain spotless and pure. I commit to be ready. Not distracted, not unprepared, not soiled, not one half in the world and one half as a follower of Christ. I am His and His alone.

“You are the REWARD OF LIFE”

I declare “You are the reward of life!” And it’s true. There is no room for anything other than the supremacy of Jesus Christ. He is above all. We have a cloud of witnesses that surround us. We’ve all been humbled, crushed, humiliated, embarrassed and carry the scars prove it. For me, I had to let go of me and the things I was pursuing on my own. The goals I previously had faded when I discovered a powerful truth: Jesus is the reward of life! Wow!!

“Maranatha”

Come, Lord Jesus! Amen.

Final Thoughts

If you follow my interviews, you’ve heard fragments of this over the last few years. I am so happy to unload my brain. I hope it helps you prevail! We are ALL the better for it. I have learned to be victorious and an overcomer. You are an overcomer, too. You can defeat the cycle of sin, defeat, and shame. You can let the Holy Spirit instruct you in how to be conformed into the image of Christ. All brides want to be prepared, right?

Come, let’s do this together. We can help each other. Stay in community with your Church or small group. It’s incredibly important that you do so. The days are evil and getting worse.

May God bless you in this, our finest our. You and I and all of us are at the apex of the Church Age…and the trumpet is going to blow soon enough. We stand on the shoulders of those that have gone before us. And Tribulation Saints will stand on our shoulders. Do all you can to pass the Gospel and the breadcrumbs of our faith into a new generation!

Godspeed,

YBIC,
Scott