How To Overcome Temptation
There have been times where I've felt like I am tempted "above that which [I] can bear." (Alma 13:28)Though common, these kinds of thoughts and feelings indicate that repentance is needed and that I am living far beneath my privileges as a child of God. I am not without help in
overcoming temptations. In fact, ancient and modern-day prophets confirm there
are many ways I can help myself by turning to the Lord and letting God prevail
in my life more fully.
Be Humble and Prayerful
Humility and continual prayer restrict Satan's ability to tempt me more than I can bear.
If I am prideful
and/or do not call upon God, temptations can become unbearable. They might even
seem irresistible. If I find myself thinking, "I didn't want to, but I
couldn't seem to help myself," or "The devil made me do it,"
it's a good indicator that humility and prayer are in order.
28 But that ye would humble yourselves before the
Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may
not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy
Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all
long-suffering;
Book of Mormon
Scriptures
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/alma/13?lang=eng&verse=28#p28
The "way to
escape" is through humility and prayer.
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.
New Testament
Scriptures
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/1-cor/10?lang=eng&verse=13#p13
Pray, pray, pray.
5 Pray always, that you may come off conqueror;
yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the
servants of Satan that do uphold his work.
Doctrine and Covenants
Scriptures
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/10?lang=eng&verse=5#p5
No temptation is
too great.
With the help of the Holy Ghost, we can watch
over ourselves. We can pray to recognize and reject the first thoughts of sin.
We can pray to recognize a warning not to speak words which would hurt or tempt
someone else. And we can, when we must, pray for the humility and the faith to
repent.
There will surely be some who hear my voice who
will have this thought come into their minds: “But the temptations are too
great for me. I have resisted as long as I can. For me, the commandments are
too hard. The standard is too high.”
That is not so. The Savior is our Advocate with
the Father. He knows our weaknesses. He knows how to succor those who are
tempted.
April 2006
2000–2009
Henry B. Eyring
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2006/04/as-a-child?lang=eng&verse=#p
Put Distance Between the Temptation and You
When temptation
persists, or when I find myself in impossible circumstances, I can put distance
between myself and the temptation.
Joseph shows gratitude for all he has. He cares more about what God thinks than what others think. He persists to resist repeated advances. When he was alone and the odds were stacked against him, he fled and removed himself from the situation.
7 ¶ And it came to pass after these things, that
his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
8 But he refused, and said unto his master’s
wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath
committed all that he hath to my hand;
9 There is none greater in this house than I;
neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his
wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
10 And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph
day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
11 And it came to pass about this time, that
Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of
the house there within.
12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie
with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.
Old Testament
Scriptures
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/gen/39?lang=eng&verse=7&context=7-12#p7
Heeding promptings
will protect me.
The promptings that come to us to flee evil
reflect our Heavenly Father’s understanding of our particular strengths and
weaknesses and His awareness of the unforeseen circumstances of our lives. When
these promptings come, they will not generally stop us in our tracks, for the
Spirit of God does not speak with a voice of thunder. The voice will be as soft
as a whisper, coming as a thought to our minds or a feeling in our hearts. By
heeding its gentle promptings, we will be protected from the destructive
consequences of sin.
To Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency
April 2006
2000–2009
Robert D. Hales
Confront Satan
There is a pattern
for telling Satan to get lost.
- Remember who I am. I am a child of
the Almighty God. I can judge between right and wrong, between good and
evil. Resolve to choose God.
- Name the commandment associated with
struggle. Call Satan out in his purpose, tell him to leave and that you
will keep the Lord’s commandments.
- If the temptation persists, call on
the Lord for strength and repeat that he must depart.
- If after the second command the
temptation remains, command him in the name of the Only Begotten to
depart, and he will depart.
- Acknowledge the Holy Ghost and bear record of the Father and the Son and express gratitude.
How does one bear record?
By testifying. When testimony is expressed
verbally or written down it is also recorded in heaven and sins are forgiven.
D&C 6:3
3 Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony
which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they
rejoice over you, and your sins are forgiven you
12 And it came to pass that when Moses had said
these words, behold, Satan came tempting him, saying: Moses, son of man,
worship me.
13 And it came to pass that Moses looked upon
Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude
of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?
14 For behold, I could not look upon God, except
his glory should come upon me, and I were transfigured before him. But I can
look upon thee in the natural man. Is it not so, surely?
15 Blessed be the name of my God, for his Spirit
hath not altogether withdrawn from me, or else where is thy glory, for it is
darkness unto me? And I can judge between thee and God; for God said unto me:
Worship God, for him only shalt thou serve.
16 Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not; for God
said unto me: Thou art after the similitude of mine Only Begotten.
17 And he also gave me commandments when he
called unto me out of the burning bush, saying: Call upon God in the name of
mine Only Begotten, and worship me.
18 And again Moses said: I will not cease to call
upon God, I have other things to inquire of him: for his glory has been upon
me, wherefore I can judge between him and thee. Depart hence, Satan.
19 And now, when Moses had said these words,
Satan cried with a loud voice, and ranted upon the earth, and commanded,
saying: I am the Only Begotten, worship me.
20 And it came to pass that Moses began to fear
exceedingly; and as he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of hell.
Nevertheless, calling upon God, he received strength, and he commanded, saying:
Depart from me, Satan, for this one God only will I worship, which is the God
of glory.
21 And now Satan began to tremble, and the earth
shook; and Moses received strength, and called upon God, saying: In the name of
the Only Begotten, depart hence, Satan.
22 And it came to pass that Satan cried with a
loud voice, with weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth; and he departed
hence, even from the presence of Moses, that he beheld him not.
23 And now of this thing Moses bore record; but
because of wickedness it is not had among the children of men.
24 And it came to pass that when Satan had
departed from the presence of Moses, that Moses lifted up his eyes unto heaven,
being filled with the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of the Father and the
Son;
25 And calling upon the name of God, he beheld
his glory again, for it was upon him; and he heard a voice, saying: Blessed art
thou, Moses, for I, the Almighty, have chosen thee, and thou shalt be made
stronger than many waters; for they shall obey thy command as if thou wert God.
26 And lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of
thy days; for thou shalt deliver my people from bondage, even Israel my chosen.
Pearl of Great Price
Scriptures
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/moses/1?lang=eng&verse=12&context=12-26#p12
The adversary must
depart if I tell him to.
Today I want to convey, in absolutely certain
terms, that the adversary cannot make us do anything. He does lie at our door,
as the scriptures say, and he follows us each day. Every time we go out, every
decision we make, we are either choosing to move in his direction or in the
direction of our Savior. But the adversary must depart if we tell him to
depart. He cannot influence us unless we allow him to do so, and he knows that!
The only time he can affect our minds and bodies—our very spirits—is when we
allow him to do so. In other words, we do not have to succumb to his
enticements!
To Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency
April 2006
2000–2009
Robert D. Hales
Unheeded Temptations Fade
As I persist in resisting temptation its pull lessens over time.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
New Testament
Scriptures
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/james/4?lang=eng&verse=7&context=7-8#p7
Our ancient and modern prophets have constantly
reminded us to resist temptation in order to avoid losing our spiritual
traction and becoming confused, disoriented, and disillusioned in life.
Metaphorically speaking, yielding to temptation
is like approaching a magnet with a metal object. The magnet’s invisible force
attracts the metal object and holds it tightly. The magnet loses its power over
it only when the metal object is placed far from it. Therefore, just as the
magnet is unable to exercise power over a faraway metal object, as we resist
temptation, it fades away and loses its power over our mind and heart and,
consequently, over our actions.
October 2020
General Conference
Ulisses Soares
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/43soares?lang=eng&verse=#p
Study and Heed God's Word
Studying God's Word
helps strengthen my faith and emboldens me against temptation.
23 And they said unto me: What meaneth the rod of
iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?
24 And I said unto them that it was the word of
God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it,
they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of
the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.
Book of Mormon
Scriptures
Through preparation, the Savior grew in power and
was able to resist all of Satan’s temptations. As we follow the Savior’s
example and prepare through studying the word of God and deepening our faith,
we also can draw upon the power of God to resist temptations.
October 2020
General Conference
Kelly R. Johnson
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/56johnson?lang=eng&verse=#p
Make and Keep Covenants
Making and keeping
Covenants gives me strength to resist and overcome temptations.
15 Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay
aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to
destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing
to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his
commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of
baptism.
16 And whosoever doeth this, and keepeth the
commandments of God from thenceforth, the same will remember that I say unto
him, yea, he will remember that I have said unto him, he shall have eternal
life, according to the testimony of the Holy Spirit, which testifieth in me.
Book of Mormon
Scriptures
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/alma/7?lang=eng&verse=15&context=15-16#p15
After the Savior received the ordinance of
baptism to “fulfil all righteousness” (see 2 Nephi 31:5–6), Satan tempted
Him. Likewise, our temptations do not end after baptism or sealing, but
receiving the sacred ordinances and honoring the associated covenants fill us
with marvelous light and give us strength to resist and overcome temptations.
Saving Ordinances Will Bring Us Marvelous Light
April 2018
2010–2019
Taniela B. Wakolo
Be Centered in Jesus
Centering my life
on the Savior robs temptations of their power.
12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it
is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must
build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds,
yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm
shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the
gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built,
which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
Book of Mormon
Scriptures
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/hel/5?lang=eng&verse=12#p12
Many of you have done what I did: prayed with
increased intent, pondered scripture more intently, and tried harder to serve
the Lord and others for Him.
The happy result for me, and for many of you, has
been what the prophet promised. Those of us who took his inspired counsel to
heart have heard the Spirit more distinctly. We have found a greater power to
resist temptation and have felt greater faith in a resurrected Jesus Christ, in
His gospel, and in His living Church.
October 2017
2010–2019
Henry B. Eyring
