How To Resist Temptation

Galatians 5:17 (NLT) – “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”

Temptation is something every Christian faces. It knocks on the door of our hearts in moments of weakness and even in moments of strength. Whether it’s pride, lust, anger, greed, or simply procrastination, temptation tries to lure us away from God’s will.

It is important to understand that our heart (or our flesh) is desperately wicked and is constantly wanting to fulfill its own lusts. Our heart has no regard for God or His laws. It is warring against our Spirit constantly. I have learnt over the years that being a Christian is not a walk in the park and it is not about just attending church every week and saying grace over our food before we eat. Being a Christian is signing up for war. A daily war with our own flesh, and enduring the battle till the day Christ returns or until we finish our race in this world.

The battle will never end until Christ returns and blesses us with a brand new body. We will never become sinless, but we will progressively sin less if we actively engage in the daily war. Every true believer will actively engage in this battle daily. This is a sign of a truly born again believer.

But resisting temptation isn’t impossible. In fact, it becomes increasingly possible when we understand the inner battle between the Spirit and the flesh—and when we choose which one we’re going to feed.

The Bird Analogy: Feeding the Right One

Like human babies, all baby birds depend on signaling to let their parents know that they are hungry several times in a day. This is called “begging” in the bird world. Unlike human babies, usually a parent bird has a brood of many babies begging and competing for food. When food is in abundance, the parent birds feed every chick according to their needs. They feed the scrawny ones first to help them survive. However, when food is scarce, the parent bird ignores the cries of the weaklings and feeds the healthier chicks to increase their chances of passing on their genes. When necessary, they let their weak babies die of starvation. Studies have revealed that birds may even force feed their healthier babies and starve the weaklings during food scarcity to increase their chances of survival.

We have a lesson to learn here. We each have two chicks that are constantly “begging” and competing for more food. Our bodies with its sinful nature is the weak and scrawny chick, and our spirit and soul is the healthier chick. The word of God teaches us that the sinful nature wants to do what is evil and the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite to what the sinful nature desires and these two are at war with each other “begging” for more food several times in a day. We know that our spirit and soul have a chance at eternal life, while our bodies have zero chance of eternal life. Therefore, shouldn’t we be force feeding our healthy selves to guarantee eternal life and starving our weak selves when we know it’s not going to make it?

Today’s verse says, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. I encourage you to read the rest of the chapter. There’s a war going on within you, and it is up to you to take sides. Whichever side you take, wins! In other words, whichever side you feed more wins and the other will starve. Which chick are you feeding more?

---

Temptation Is an Opportunity

Every moment of temptation is an opportunity to prove to yourself that you love The Lord more than you love yourself. Ever notice that you get tempted only in areas you generally LIKE to? If you are a non-smoker, you never get tempted to smoke, do you? We need to learn to say an authoritative NO, not just to others and our kids, but to ourselves. Starve the weak chick to death that we know has zero chance of eternal life and force feed the spirit with the Word of God.

The more time you spend in prayer and in His word, the more you get to KNOW the Lord. The more you know Him, the more you love Him. The more you love Him, the less you love the works of your flesh. Feed your spirit with the Word of God and learn to ignore the cries of the flesh. The flesh has no chance of eternal life. Think of each temptation as a faith gym. It might feel hard in the moment, but resisting it strengthens your spiritual muscles.

Feed the Spirit, Starve the Flesh

Galatians 5:17 says, “The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other…”

So how do you resist temptation?

1. Walk by the Spirit
   Make room for the Holy Spirit to lead you through regular prayer, worship, and quiet reflection.
2. Feed on God’s Word
   Just like physical food strengthens your body, the Word of God strengthens your inner man.
   • Matthew 4:4 – “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
3. Crucify the Flesh
   Galatians 5:24 says, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there.”
4. Say NO to Yourself
   Saying “No” to sin isn’t just about resisting external pressure—it’s about saying no to your own desires. Like I said earlier, we don’t get tempted by things we dislike. Temptation shows up in areas we secretly like.

Practical Ways to Resist Temptation

Here are a few more tools that can help:

1. Replace the Trigger

• If scrolling social media causes envy, replace it with a few minutes in a devotion app. Check out YouVersion. It’s a great app. I use it personally.
• If stress causes emotional eating or angry outbursts, pause and pray instead.

2. Memorize Scripture

• Jesus fought temptation in the wilderness with Scripture (Matthew 4).
• Keep a few verses handy on your phone or notepad.
• Be consistent everyday with a bible study plan

3. Avoid Isolation

• Temptation grows in secrecy. Talk to a mature believer or accountability partner. Anything you bring out into the open light, loses its power. Because sin thrives in darkness. Share you struggle with someone you trust and bring it out into the light.
• Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 reminds us: “Two are better than one… If one falls, the other can help him up.”

4. Keep Short Accounts with God

• Don’t wait for Sunday to confess your failures.
• 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins…”

---

Loving God More Helps You Sin Less

The more time you spend in prayer, Scripture, and worship, the more you know the Lord. And the more you know Him, the more you love Him. And the more you love Him, the less attractive sin becomes.

When your affections shift from self to Christ, your choices will start to reflect that.

Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15

---

Eternal Perspective: What Are You Feeding?

Let’s return to the bird illustration. Your spirit is the strong chick—destined for eternal life. Your flesh is the weak chick—temporary and dying. Why keep feeding what has no future?

You don’t overcome temptation by willpower alone. You overcome it by drawing closer to the One who is greater than your desires.

• 2 Peter 1:3 – “By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life…”

So the next time temptation comes knocking, ask yourself:

“Which chick am I about to feed?”

And then choose life. Choose the Spirit. Choose Christ.