Keep on Guard Against Temptation

1-2. (a) What warning did Jesus give his disciples? (b) Why did the disciples give in to human weakness? (See also pictures.)

“THE spirit, of course, is eager, but the flesh is weak.”a (Matt. 26:41b) With those words, Jesus showed that he understood our imperfect condition. But his words also included a warning: Beware of overconfidence. Earlier that very night, the disciples had confidently expressed their determination to stick by their Master. (Matt. 26:35) Their motives were good. Still, they did not realize how quickly they could weaken under pressure. Thus, Jesus cautioned them: “Keep on the watch and pray continually, so that you may not enter into temptation.”​—Matt. 26:41a.

² Sadly, the disciples failed to keep on the watch. When Jesus was arrested, did they stick by him or did they give in to the temptation to flee? Caught off guard, the disciples did exactly what they said that they would never do​—they abandoned Jesus.​—Matt. 26:56.

3. (a) To remain loyal to Jehovah, why must we avoid overconfidence? (b) What will we discuss in this article?

³ We cannot afford to be overconfident. True, we are determined to let nothing turn us away from Jehovah. Yet, we are also imperfect and vulnerable to temptation. (Rom. 5:12; 7:21-23) Without warning, we could find ourselves in circumstances that make the wrong course seem very appealing. To remain loyal to Jehovah and his Son, we need to follow Jesus’ counsel to keep on guard against the temptation to sin. This article can help us do that. First, we will consider in what areas we must especially be on guard. Then, we will discuss how to guard ourselves against temptation. Finally, we will consider how to remain on guard.

KEEP ON GUARD​—IN WHAT AREAS?

4-5. Why keep on guard even against minor sins?

⁴ Even sins that are relatively minor can weaken our relationship with Jehovah. Also, they can lead us to commit more serious sins.

⁵ All of us face temptation to sin. But each one of us has areas of vulnerability, whether it is to commit a serious sin, to engage in some form of unclean conduct, or to fall prey to worldly thinking. For example, one person may be fighting temptation to commit sexual immorality. Another might be strongly inclined toward unclean practices, such as masturbation or viewing pornography. Still another may be struggling with fear of man, independent thinking, a quick temper, or something else. As James states, “each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire.”​—Jas. 1:14.

6. What must we be honest about?

⁶ Do you know in which areas you are most easily tempted? It does us no good to fool ourselves by denying our weaknesses or concluding that we are too strong to fall into wrongdoing. (1 John 1:8) After all, Paul indicates that even those “who have spiritual qualifications” might give in to temptation if they do not keep on guard. (Gal. 6:1) We must be honest with ourselves and acknowledge the areas in which we are not strong.​—2 Cor. 13:5.

7. To what should we give special attention? Illustrate.

⁷ Once we have identified those areas in which we are most susceptible to temptation, what should we do? Strengthen our resistance! To illustrate, in Bible times the most vulnerable part of a city wall was its gates. Therefore, the gates were the most heavily guarded. Similarly, we need to give special attention to any areas in which we know that we are especially weak.​—1 Cor. 9:27.

HOW TO BE ON GUARD

8-9. How could the young man described in Proverbs chapter 7 have avoided committing a serious sin? (Proverbs 7:8, 9, 13, 14, 21)

⁸ How can we guard ourselves? Consider what we can learn from the young man discussed in Proverbs chapter 7. He committed sexual immorality with an immoral woman. Verse 22 tells us that the young man went after her “suddenly.” But as the preceding verses show, he had taken several steps before this that gradually led him to sin.

⁹ What led up to his sin? First, in the evening, he “passed along the street near [the immoral woman’s] corner.” Then, he marched toward her house. (Read Proverbs 7:8, 9.) Next, when he saw the woman, he did not turn away. Instead, he accepted her kiss and listened as she spoke of the communion sacrifices she had offered, perhaps in an attempt to make him think that she was not a bad person. (Read Proverbs 7:13, 14, 21.) Had the young man avoided the dangers that led up to the sin, he would have guarded himself from the temptations and from the sin.

10. How might a person today make the same mistake as the young man?

¹⁰ Solomon’s account illustrates what can happen to any worshipper of Jehovah. He might fall into serious sin and later feel that everything occurred “suddenly.” Or he might say, “It just happened.” And yet, if he thinks about what actually occurred, he will likely discover that he took some unwise steps that led to his transgression. Those steps might have involved bad association, unwholesome entertainment, or frequenting questionable places​—whether in person or online. Perhaps he had also stopped praying, reading the Bible, attending meetings, or sharing in the ministry. Like the young man discussed in Proverbs, he may not have committed the sin so “suddenly” after all.

11. To keep from falling into sin, what should we avoid?

¹¹ What is the lesson for us? We need to avoid not only the sin itself but also the steps that lead to sin. Solomon makes that very point after relating the account of the young man and the immoral woman. Referring to the woman, he states: “Do not stray onto her paths.” (Prov. 7:25) He also says of such a wayward woman: “Stay far away from her; do not go near the entrance of her house.” (Prov. 5:3, 8) Yes, we guard ourselves from sin by keeping far away from the circumstances that lead to it.b This might include avoiding certain situations or activities that are not off-limits for Christians in general but that are known to lead us into temptation.​—Matt. 5:29, 30.

12. What resolve did Job make, and how would it help him guard against temptation? (Job 31:1)

¹² To avoid situations that lead to sin, we will need to make a firm resolve. That is what Job did. He “made a covenant with [his] eyes” never to look lustfully at other women. (Read Job 31:1.) Adhering to that resolve would keep him far away from committing adultery. We too can resolve to avoid anything that is likely to lead to temptation.

13. Why must we guard our thinking? (See also pictures.)

¹³ We must also guard our thinking. (Ex. 20:17) Some believe that there is nothing wrong with fantasizing about improper desires as long as an individual does not act on them. But such thinking is wrong. A person who dwells on a wrong desire intensifies the desire. In a sense, he creates a temptation, which he will now have to resist. Of course, wrong thoughts will at times come into our mind. The key is to reject these thoughts immediately and replace them with good ones. When we do, we keep wrong thoughts from growing into a powerful desire that is hard to fight and that might even lead us to committing a serious sin.​—Phil. 4:8; Col. 3:2; Jas. 1:13-15.

14. What else can help us guard against temptation?

¹⁴ What else can we do to guard ourselves against temptation? We need to be absolutely convinced that we will always benefit from obeying Jehovah’s laws. We may on occasion struggle to bring our thoughts and desires into harmony with what God approves, but the peace of mind that we will experience will be well worth the effort.

15. How will cultivating right desires help us guard against temptation?

¹⁵ We need to cultivate right desires. If we learn to “hate what is bad and love what is good,” we will strengthen our resolve to do what is right and avoid situations that lead to sin. (Amos 5:15) Proper desires will also fortify us to remain firm if we find ourselves in a tempting situation that we could not have anticipated or prevented.

16. How can spiritual activities help us to remain on guard? (See also pictures.)

¹⁶ How can we cultivate right desires? We should be absorbed as much as possible in spiritual activities. When we are at Christian meetings or in the ministry, we are not easily tempted to do wrong. Instead, we build our desire to please Jehovah. (Matt. 28:19, 20; Heb. 10:24, 25) By reading and studying God’s Word and meditating on it, we strengthen our love for what is good and our hatred for what is bad. (Josh. 1:8; Ps. 1:2, 3; 119:97, 101) Remember, Jesus told his disciples: “Pray continually, so that you may not enter into temptation.” (Matt. 26:41) As we spend time with our heavenly Father in prayer, we take advantage of his help and strengthen our determination to please him.​—Jas. 4:8.

REMAIN ON GUARD

17. What tendency did Peter give in to on more than one occasion?

¹⁷ Likely, we can rid ourselves completely of some imperfect tendencies. But we might find that other inclinations continue to give us trouble. Consider the case of the apostle Peter. He gave in to fear of man when he denied Jesus three times. (Matt. 26:69-75) Peter seemed to have overcome that fear when he gave a bold witness before the Sanhedrin. (Acts 5:27-29) However, some years later, “fearing those of the circumcised class,” he temporarily stopped eating with Gentile Christians. (Gal. 2:11, 12) Peter’s fear had returned. Perhaps he was never completely free of it.

18. What can happen with regard to some wrong tendencies?

¹⁸ We might find ourselves in a similar situation. How? A tendency that we thought we had put behind us might return to tempt us again. For example, one brother admits: “I resisted pornography for ten years and convinced myself that my problem was over. But the addiction was lying dormant, waiting for the right circumstance to rear its ugly head.” Commendably, he did not give up. He realized that he would need to put forth a daily effort to resist this vice​—perhaps for the rest of his life in this system of things. With the help of his wife and his congregation elders, he took stronger measures to resist pornography.

19. How can we resist a persistent tendency?

¹⁹ How can we resist a persistent tendency so that we do not act on it? By following Jesus’ counsel with regard to temptation: “Keep on the watch.” Even during periods when you feel strong, continue to avoid situations that can lead to temptation. (1 Cor. 10:12) Keep applying the strategies that brought you success. Proverbs 28:14 states: “Happy is the man who is always on guard.”​—2 Pet. 3:14.

THE REWARDS OF KEEPING ON GUARD

20-21. (a) What rewards will we enjoy as we keep on guard against temptation? (b) If we do our part, what will Jehovah do for us? (2 Corinthians 4:7)

²⁰ We can be certain that keeping on guard against temptation is worth the effort. Whatever “temporary enjoyment” sin may offer, living by Jehovah’s standards will make us far happier. (Heb. 11:25; Ps. 19:8) That is because we are designed to live according to his ways. (Gen. 1:27) Thus we will enjoy a clean conscience and keep ourselves in line for everlasting life.​—1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 1:3; Jude 20, 21.

²¹ True, “the flesh is weak.” But this does not mean that we are helpless. Jehovah stands ready to give us the needed power. (Read 2 Corinthians 4:7.) Note, however, that it is the power beyond what is normal that God provides. The normal power​—the effort we put forth from day to day to guard against temptation—​is our responsibility to supply. If we do our part, we can be confident that Jehovah will answer our prayers for added strength when we need it. (1 Cor. 10:13) Yes, with Jehovah’s help, we can keep on guard against temptation.