Touré Roberts - Winning the War Against Temptation

So, when we start talking about mastering oneself, which is important for mastering temptation, you have to be aware that you can’t just go through life; you have to pay attention to how you feel. You must be attentive to when you’re around certain people and how they make you feel. Awareness is everything when we talk about winning the war against temptation. I need to know what’s inside of me; if I know what’s inside of me, I’ll know what situations not to put myself in. Family, there are some places I will not go, not because I’m a punk, but because I’m wise enough not to put myself in a fight. You understand what I’m saying? There are just some places I’m not going to venture into and some calls I’m not going to take. Hello, somebody! There are some profiles—let me just drive down your stream—there are some profiles I won’t click on because I can tell from the explore page, oh, y’all are quiet now, look at that! I can tell from the explore page that if I click on that, something’s going to jump out at me. Hey, can I talk to some real people? Come on! There are some things—oh no, I better move past that.

Let me tell you something: sometimes, I’ll take it a step further. Sometimes I’ll go and click on that thing and say, «Send me less of that.» Ha! Hmm, okay, so I’ve got more content than I have time! Now, what I want to take you to— we’re going to get to prayer. I want to take you a little deeper; there’s a process to temptation that does become something unprofitable. As I mentioned, if you learn to endure temptation, you are approved for things. There are certain things that you and I won’t realize until we reach the point where we can overcome the very thing that has overcome us.

Let me share my testimony quickly; I think it ties into the song. Just flow with me, and I promise you’re going to be better in about 15 minutes. When I first really gave my life to God, it was in the year 2000, and I was serious about it. You know, I prospered in many natural ways, but I felt like, «Oh God, I really want to give you my life for real,» and I wanted to walk away from some of the things I was doing and be truly real with you, God. So, I started going to church, gave my heart to God, and surrendered to Him. I said, «Alright, God, I’m going to start reading the Word; I want to walk with you.» And I did reduce the amount of sin drastically. I did, I did! I reduced it drastically, but I still had one or two things that I was holding onto—just one or two. As I got closer to the Lord and leaned more into Him, He really began highlighting those one or two things. I thought I had it down from two to one—progress!

But the issue, Israel, the issue is that one thing was what kept me from everything. Sometimes we’re satisfied, and you should feel good. I’m glad for your progress, man; I really am! I think it’s wonderful! You ought to celebrate all those small wins, but there does come a time when you’re going to have to give that one thing up too in order to move forward. That’s where I found myself; I dwindled my long list down to two, finally down to one, and now that one thing is staring me in the face. I would go to church, get fed, read the Word, and think, «Okay, God, we’re good; we’re good, and I’m not going to do that anymore. This is my last time.» But then that one thing would show up at my house—realness! I like it! I love it! That one thing was contained in one person.

Sometimes it’s that one person you just can’t shake off. You don’t know why; you don’t know what it is, but they have a hold on you. You can say no to one temptation, but that one over there—Lord Jesus Christ! I’d have to be serious—so I found myself in this cycle. Me and God were good, okay? I was growing and thinking I wouldn’t do this again, but then that person would show up—looking good, smelling good, talking good, vibing good—and I’d become weak. Next thing you know, I’m on my knees praying again, saying, «God, you know I am sincere about this.» But this time…you know, it’s interesting how the enemy tempts you to do something you know you shouldn’t!