Thank you, my dear friend, for asking this very important question. I believe that the quick answer is that we do not have that power to resist temptation within ourselves, that is, within our flesh or the natural man, but it requires the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts through the washing of the Word of God (Ephesians 5:25-26; Titus 3:5; John 3:3-5). When we are saved, it is the Holy Spirit indwelling believers that gives us the power and the desire to do God’s will (Philippians 2:13).  When we believe, the Spirit indwells us and changes us (2 Corinthians 5:17), and it is then that we are washed, eternally sanctified, and justified in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:11).  But this is just the beginning of the Spirit’s work.  Day by day, again through the power of the Spirit and by diligent reading and obedience to the word of God, we are conformed to the very image of Christ (Romans 8:29). You must remember that God’s Word is living and powerful (Hebrews 4:12), and His Word washes us and instructs us, and thus as we diligently study His Word, through the working of the Spirit, our thoughts and desires will be changed so that we can walk more in accordance with His will. But again, I say that Christians must be willing to read and obey the Word of God, and when we do, the Bible gives us much practical guidance as to how to avoid sin. The working of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God is really the key to a holy walk in this scene.

In Psalms 119:11 we read: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” God’s Word will keep us clean and will direct us, but we must read and obey. Some other verses from the Psalms which speak to the importance of dedication to God’s Word and the purposeful walk of a believer follow: Psalms 1:1-3; Psalms 19:10-13; Psalms 119:105; and Psalms 139:23-24. Consider also verses which are sometimes called “the flees of the Bible”: 1 Corinthians 6:14 says to “flee fornication”; 1 Corinthians 10:14 tells us to “flee from idolatry”; we are to “flee youthful lusts (2 Timothy 2:22,23; and of course in James 4:7-8, we are advised to “resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Each of these require obedience on our part, but God will help us in this effort. Now, in addition to the “flees,” there are some other practical Scriptural helps that I will list, and these bring out that “purposeful” desire not to be sinning.  In 2 Timothy 2: 15-16 we read: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed…But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.”  It takes a purposeful effort to read God’s Word and to avoid the things that lead to sin. In Romans 13:14 we read: “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” This verse, I believe, reminds us not to plan for or make any allowance for things or events that might lead us to sin. In 1 Corinthians 9:27 we find some advice from the Apostle Paul as to how he brings and keeps his body and desires under control. Self-discipline requires some effort on the part of the believer, but again, God is there to help.  Through God’s Word and the work of the Holy Spirit, we are able to overcome temptations. In 1 John 2:1 we read: “…these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” You’ll note that the verse says “if” any man sin—it is not a foregone conclusion that believers will sin; but thankfully, if we do sin, we have One who can advocate for us, and that is Christ Jesus the righteous.

We must always remember that God is on our side in this struggle. He wants us to have victory over temptation in our lives, and He has provided the means whereby we can do this…His Spirit, and our devotion to the washing of God’s Word, the Bible.  Indeed, we read in 1 Corinthians 10:13: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”  This should be very encouraging to the Christian, that the Lord is with us in this matter of avoiding sins, and He will actively help us. 

My dear friend, I am so glad that you desire to walk a holy walk in this scene, and I am praying that the Lord will richly bless your efforts—there is so much blessing in walking closely with the Lord! This holy walk is only possible because the Lord Jesus has broken the power of sin and death in His mighty work on Calvary’s cross.  Sadly, due to the presence of the old nature within us, we will not be perfected until the return of Christ Jesus to take us to be with Himself. However, we are encouraged to strive for the goal of holiness (Christ-likeness) through submission to the will of God while in this scene. The Apostle Paul speaks about striving for this goal in Philippians 3:12-14, and this is probably the best example of the Christian striving for practical holiness that I can come up with, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”. May the Lord bless His Word to your heart.  (SF)  (592.3)