How to Fight Temptation and Win

1. Wetin all of us de face?

E DON ever hungry you to do something wey Jehovah no like? If this one don ever happen to you before, no think say na only you de face this kind big problem. Bible talk say: “No temptation wey don come to una wey no de happen to people.” (1 Cor. 10:13)a This one mean say any temptation wey you de face, other brothers and sisters de face-am too. Know say you no dey alone and Jehovah go fit help you win the fight.

2. Wetin be some temptations wey some of our brothers and sisters and Bible students de face? (Still check the picture.)

² Another thing wey Bible talk be say: “Each person de face test when the thing wey e want, don de tempt-am and de hungry-am.” (Jas. 1:14) This verse show say the temptation wey one person de face, fit dey different from the one wey another person de face. For example, e fit hungry some brothers to do sex wey no clean with woman, but for other brothers, e fit hungry them to do sex wey no clean with man. Some sisters fit face this temptation too. Even though say some people don stop to de look naked people picture or film, after some time, e fit de hungry them again. This one still de happen to people wey don stop to drink too much or wey don stop to take hard drugs. This na just some example of things wey some brothers and sisters and even some Bible students de face. True-true, sometimes all of us de feel like apostle Paul when e talk say: “When I want do the correct thing, na bad thing dey inside me.”—Rom. 7:21.

3. If person get one particular temptation wey e don de struggle with for long time, how this one fit affect-am?

³ If e get one particular temptation wey you don de struggle with for long time, this one fit make you feel say you no go fit do the correct thing. Even though say you never fall for the temptation, you fit still think say your own don finish, and say Jehovah no go accept your worship just because say that bad thing de come your mind. But make you know say all this one no be true! Why we talk like this? This article go explain-am with this two questions: (1) Who want make we de feel say our own don finish and say we no go fit fight temptation? (2) Wetin you need to do so that you no go fall for temptation?

HOW SATAN WANT MAKE WE FEEL

4. (a) How Satan want make we feel about temptation? (b) Why we dey sure say we go fit fight temptation and win?

⁴ Satan want make we feel say we no go fit fight the temptation wey we de face. Jesus make-am clear say Satan de try to tempt us when e talk say: “Make you no allow us fall for temptation, but save us from the wicked person.” (Matt. 6:13) Satan talk say people no go obey Jehovah when them face temptation. (Job 2:4, 5) Why Satan go think like this? Na im be the first person wey fall for temptation and wey no obey Jehovah. E clear say e de think say we just be like-am, and say we no go waste time to disobey Jehovah when bad thing hungry us to do. Satan even think say Jesus go fit fall for temptation! (Matt. 4:8, 9) But na true say we no go fit fight temptation and win? No! We agree with wetin apostle Paul talk when e write say: “For everything, I de get the power wey I need from God wey de give me power.”—Phil. 4:13.

5. Wetin make us know say Jehovah dey sure say we fit fight temptation and win?

⁵ Jehovah no be like Satan, e dey sure say we go fit fight temptation and win. How we know this one? Na because Jehovah talk say plenty-plenty people go survive the great tribulation because them hold-am tight. Just think about wetin this one mean. Jehovah no go fit lie, and e don talk say no be few people go enter the new world, but na plenty-plenty people. Them go enter because them don “wash their long cloths and make them white with the blood of the Lamb.” This one mean say Jehovah de see them as righteous and clean people. (Rev. 7:9, 13, 14) E clear say Jehovah dey sure say we fit fight temptation and win.

6-7. Which other thing Satan want make we believe?

⁶ Apart from say Satan want make we feel say we no go fit fight temptation and win, e still want make we feel say because bad things de come our mind sometimes, Jehovah no go fit accept us and say our own don finish. But just think about-am, na Satan Jehovah no go ever fit accept, e no get hope and Jehovah go destroy-am. (Gen. 3:15; Rev. 20:10) Satan want make we feel say our own don finish because e de jealous us as we get the hope to live forever and this na something wey e no get. But we happy say our own never finish. In fact Bible show say Jehovah want help us, no be to condemn us. E “no want destroy anybody but e want make everybody repent.”—2 Pet. 3:9.

⁷ If we de feel say we no go fit fight temptation or say Jehovah no go accept us because bad things de come our mind sometimes, e mean say we de think the way Satan want make we think. As we don know this one, e go help us fit make up our mind so that we no go gree for Satan.—1 Pet. 5:8, 9.

HOW WE FIT DE FEEL BECAUSE WE GET SIN FOR BODY

8. Apart from the sin wey we de commit, which other sin Bible talk about? (Psalm 51:5) (Still check “Word Wey Them Explain.”)

⁸ Apart from Satan, e get another thing wey de make us feel say we no go fit fight temptation and win. Wetin be that thing? Na the sin wey we get for our body, wey we inherit from Adam and Eve.b—Job 14:4; read Psalm 51:5.

9-10. (a) How Adam and Eve condition be after them sin? (Still check the picture.) (b) How the sin wey we inherit from Adam and Eve de affect us?

⁹ Make we talk about how Adam and Eve feel after them sin. After them disobey Jehovah, them hide theirself and try to cover their body. When Insight on the Scriptures de talk about this thing wey them do, e talk say: “Sin make them start to shame and their mind start to worry them.” After Adam and Eve sin, them no ever get better friendship with Jehovah again. Their mind continue to worry them and them really shame because of their sin.

¹⁰ The truth be say, our condition no be the same with Adam and Eve own because them no go fit gain from Jesus sacrifice. But, because of Jesus sacrifice, Jehovah go fit forgive our sins. (1 Cor. 6:11) But even with this one, we still inherit sin from them. So e no de surprise us say we too de feel shame and our mind de worry us sometimes. In fact, Bible tell us say sin don really affect us for many ways. And this one still de happen to people “wey no sin for the same way wey Adam sin.” (Rom. 5:14) But even with this one, we no need to feel say we no go fit fight temptation and win, or say we no get hope for future. Wetin go fit help us?

11. Wetin we need to do if our mind de tell us say we no go fit fight temptation, and why?

¹¹ Because of the sin wey we inherit from Adam and Eve, sometimes, our mind fit de tell us say we no go fit fight temptation. But make we no listen to-am. Why? Na because Bible teach us say make we no allow sin continue to “rule as king” for our body. (Read Romans 6:12.) This one mean say we fit decide say we no go do any bad thing wey de come our mind. (Gal. 5:16) If to say Jehovah no dey sure say we go fit fight temptation and win, e for no tell us make we fight-am. (Deut. 30:​11-14; Rom. 6:6; 1 Thess. 4:3) E clear say we go fit fight temptation and win.

12. If our mind de tell us say our own don finish and say Jehovah no go accept us, wetin we need to do, and why?

¹² When our mind de tell us say our own don finish and say Jehovah no go accept us because bad things de come our mind sometimes, make we no listen to-am. Why? Na because Bible help us see say Jehovah understand say them born us with sin for body. (Ps. 103:​13, 14) E “know everything” about us, even the different-different ways wey the sin wey we inherit don affect us. (1 John 3:​19, 20) So if we continue to fight temptation and do our best make we no put hand for sin, Jehovah go see us as righteous people. Why we talk like this?

13-14. Because bad things de come our mind sometimes, this one mean say we no go fit do wetin go make Jehovah happy? Explain.

¹³ Bible show say for bad thing to come our mind and to do the bad thing wey come our mind, na two different thing. We no go fit stop bad things make them no come our mind, but we fit control ourself make we no do the bad things wey come our mind. For example, some Christians for Corinth be de put hand for sex wey no clean. Some of them wey be men, be de sleep with other men. Paul write say: “Na so some of una be before.” But because them don stop to do this bad thing, e mean say e no go get time wey their body go want make them do this bad thing again? E no go too correct if we think like that because this kind feeling de strong well-well and e fit come person mind even after e don stop to do-am. But Jehovah accept this Christians because them control theirself and no do wetin their body de push them to do. Jehovah see them as people wey dey “clean.” (1 Cor. 6:​9-11) E go fit see us like that too.

¹⁴ No matter the kind bad thing wey de come our mind sometimes, we go fit fight the temptation and win. Even if we no go fit stop bad thing make e no come our mind, we fit control ourself and no “do wetin our body want and wetin our mind tell us.” (Eph. 2:3) So wetin be some things wey go fit help us?

WETIN WE NEED TO DO

15. To fit fight temptation and win, why we need to know our weak point, and accept say we dey weak for there?

¹⁵ To fit fight temptation and win, you need to know your weak point and accept say you really dey weak for there. Make you no deceive yourself with “thinking wey no correct.” (Jas. 1:22) For example, person wey de overdrink alcohol fit de tell imself say: ‘Other people de drink pass me.’ Or brother wey im mind de push-am to look picture or film wey de show naked people, fit de tell imself say: “If to say my wife de show me love, I for no face this problem.” If person de give this kind excuse for im mind, e go easy for-am to fall for temptation. So make you no de try to give excuse, even for your mind. Nobody fit force you to do wetin you no want do.—Gal. 6:7.

16. To show say you don make up your mind say you no go fall for temptation, wetin you need to do?

¹⁶ Another thing wey you need to do to fit fight temptation na to make up your mind say you no go fall for temptation. (1 Cor. 9:​26, 27; 1 Thess. 4:4; 1 Pet. 1:​15, 16) To fit do this one, think about the particular temptation wey you de face well-well, and the time wey you de face-am. E fit be say the temptation de come for one particular way and for one particular time. For example, e de hard you to fight temptation when you tire from work or when time don go far for night? Prepare your mind and decide wetin you go do if you face the temptation. The best time to do this one na before the temptation come.—Prov. 22:3.

17. Wetin we fit learn from Joseph example? (Genesis 39:​7-9) (Still check the picture.)

¹⁷ Make we see wetin Joseph do when Potiphar wife try to force-am to sleep with-am. Joseph no waste time to tell-am no and run comot. (Read Genesis 39:​7-9.) Wetin this one teach us? Joseph don already make up im mind to do wetin correct before Potiphar wife try to tempt-am. For the same way, you fit make up your mind to do wetin correct before you go face temptation. If you do like this, e go dey easy for you to do wetin correct because you don already decide wetin you go do before.

CONTINUE TO CHECK YOURSELF

18. Wetin go help you fight temptation and win? (2 Corinthians 13:5)

¹⁸ To fit fight temptation and win, you need to continue to de check yourself. (Read 2 Corinthians 13:5.) From time to time, you need to check the things wey you de think about, the things wey you don de do for some time, and where you need to adjust. For example, even if you succeed to run from one temptation, ask yourself say: ‘I quick run from the temptation, or I waste time before I say no?’ If e be say you waste time before you run from the temptation, make you no condemn yourself. Instead, make you think about wetin you fit do next time so that you go quick run comot. Ask yourself say: ‘I fit reduce the time wey e de take me to comot any bad thing wey come my mind? The kind things wey I de watch, read, or listen to de make-am hard for me to fight temptation? I de quick comot my eye if I just see picture or film wey fit make person think about sex? I understand say Jehovah law na for my own good even though say I go need to work hard to show self control so that I go fit obey them?’—Ps. 101:3.

19. How some small-small bad decisions fit later make person put hand for serious sin?

¹⁹ As you de check yourself, make sure say you no de give excuse for any bad thing wey you do. Bible talk say: “The heart de deceive pass any other thing, and e hard to control.” (Jer. 17:9) In fact, Jesus talk say “wicked thinking” de come from the heart. (Matt. 15:19) For example, even though say person don stop to look picture or film wey de show naked people, after some time, e fit start to think say e no bad if e look some kind picture wey fit make sex de hungry person because say the people no naked finish. Or e fit de think say e no bad if e de imagine for im mind say e de do wetin bad so far say e no do-am for real life. If person de think like this, we fit talk say e de “plan to do the things wey the body want.” (Rom. 13:14) Wetin go help you run from this kind thing? Make you notice the small-small things wey fit later make you put hand for serious sin, and make you run from them.c Reject any “wicked thinking” wey fit make you give excuse for any bad thing wey you do.

20. How our life go be like for future, and who go fit help us now?

²⁰ As we don learn, Jehovah de help us fit fight temptation and win. Apart from this one, because of Jesus sacrifice, we get hope to live forever for the new world. That time, we go really happy say any bad thing no go de come our mind and we go fit worship Jehovah well. But before that time come, we fit dey sure say Jehovah no go condemn us because bad things de come our mind sometimes and say we go fit fight temptation and win. Yes, with Jehovah help, we go fit win!