Philippians 4:8 (NIV) -“Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is right, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, what is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.”

Temptation is the desire to engage in short term urges for enjoyment, which threatens long-term goals.  It is the state of being attracted and enticed. Whatever gets our attention will get us. Temptation always begins with thoughts, so we must neutralize them and turn our attention to something else. The more we think about something, the more it takes control of us.  Ever wonder why it is so hard trying to lose weight or quit smoking?  Don’t fight the thoughts; change the channel in our mind.  Our focus can cause either victory or self-defeat.

Temptation begins by capturing our attention. What gets our attention, engages our emotions and activates our behavior.  Ignoring a temptation is far more effective than fighting it.  This can mean physically leaving a tempting situation, turning off the television, ignoring that telephone call, or steering clear of gossipers.

Spiritually, our mind (the only part of our body not saved) is our most vulnerable organ. To reduce temptation, we must keep our mind on God’s word and think on good thoughts.  The principle of replacement is to defeat bad thoughts by thinking on better things.  Overcome evil with good! The devil cannot get our attention if our mind is in heavenly places.

We must manage our mindset and monitor our media intake.  Remove all the trash, be selective, and be smart.  If we avoid beehives, we won’t get stung!  We can never go wrong by keeping our mind and focus on Jesus.