May mga taong nag-iisip na kaya nilang paglabanan ang tukso. Pero totoo ba ito? Kaya ba nating labanan ang tukso on our own abilities?  For the record, temptation is not a sin until you give in to it.

Firstly, let us tackle about the issue of why are we being tested anyway? The Bible in James 1:2-4 responds:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Tests strengthen us all. Without passing the test, we would not know how strong we are. That is why it is said that we must rejoice…count it all joy that we meet trials and testings because it produces stability, steadfastness…so that we become perfect and complete. So we all need it.

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

Now, that what does the Bible say about temptations? Sinasabi ng  1 Corinthians 10: 13

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.

Sinasabi ng din ng Bibliya “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” Hebrews 4:15

Saan ba nangagaling ang tukso? Sa Diyos ba? In James 1:13

No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God.” For God is not tempted by evil,^[a] and He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone.

Bagamat minsan, hinahayaan ng Diyos ang mga pagsubok, but within limits. May limitasyon. In Job 1:7

Where have you come from?” the LORD asked Satan. Satan answered the LORD, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.

Kaya nga pinag-iingat tayo dahil sinasabi sa Bibliya in 1 Peter 5:8

Maging handa kayong lagi at magbantay. Ang diyablo na kaaway ninyo ay parang leong umaaligid at umaatungal at naghahanap ng kanyang lalamunin.

Satan is roaming on the earth like a lion, seeking people to devour. Then in verse 9 ay sinasabi na:

Labanan ninyo siya at maging matatag sa inyong pananampalataya. Alam naman ninyong ang mga ganitong kahirapan ay dinaranas din ng inyong mga kapatid sa buong daigdig.

The devil is a liar, he came to kill, steal and destroy you, but Jesus came to give you life and more of it abundantly. -John 10:10

Ang iba naman mga pagsubok or problema tayo rin ang may gawa. This is confirmed in James 1:14

 Natutukso ang tao kapag siya’y naaakit at nagpapatangay sa sarili niyang pagnanasa.

Minsan hinahayaan natin ang mga maling thoughts sa ating isip, minsan pumupunta tayo sa mga lugar na hindi dapat, or nagdedesisyon base lamang sa pita ng laman kaya madalas natutukso.

Paano ba labanan ang tukso?

Sa aklat ni San Mateo 4, sinasabi na tinukso ng dyablo si Hesus. Ngunit sa bawat tukso ni Satanas, sinasabi din ni Hesus: “Nasusulat…” tapos sabay sabi ulet ng Bible verse!  If Jesus Christ use the Bible to resist the devil, bakit tayo hindi? Alam natin na nag work itong strategy na ito dahil after 3 attempts, the Devil left him (in verse 11).

In James 4:7 it says that: “…Resist the devil, and he will flee from you…”

We must do the same in our own situation when we are being tempted. We must fight by saying the Word of God. Magiging mahina ang ating pwersa kung tayo ay hindi babad sa salita ng Diyos. Nakukuha natin ang lakas ng ating pananampalataya sa pamamagitan ng pakikinig ng Salita ng Diyos. It comes from reading, meditating and listening to the Word of God. Kaya mahalaga ang pagdalo sa mga Bible Studies and Sunday Services. This way we are plugging-in or recharging our battery, which is our faith. Kung ang iyong isip ay puno ng mga basura ng buhay ng ibang tao, or palagi kang nasa social media, or panonood ng TV, paano ka makakalaban sa tukso nyan? But strength comes when we are connected to Jesus. He said: “without Me, you are nothing.”

The Bible also speaks about the armour, o panlaban sa kaaway. In Ephesians 6

¹⁰ Sa kahuli-hulihan, maging matibay kayo sa tulong ng Panginoon, at sa kapangyarihan ng kanyang katatagan. ¹¹ Isuot ninyo ang buong kasuotang pandigma ng Diyos upang mapaglabanan ninyo ang mga pakana ng diyablo.¹² Sapagkat ang pakikipaglaban natin ay hindi sa laman at dugo, kundi laban sa mga pamunuan, laban sa mga kapangyarihan, laban sa mga makasanlibutang hukbo ng kadilimang ito, laban sa mga espirituwal na puwersa ng kasamaan na nasa kaitaasan. ¹³ Kaya’t isuot ninyo ang buong kasuotang pandigma ng Diyos, upang kayo’y makatagal sa pakikipaglaban pagdating ng araw ng kasamaan, at kung magawa na ninyo ang lahat ay makapanindigan kayong matatag. ¹⁴ Kaya’t manindigan kayo; gawin ninyong sinturon sa inyong mga baywang ang katotohanan, habang suot sa dibdib bilang pananggalang ang katuwiran. ¹⁵  Isuot ninyo sa inyong mga paa ang kahandaan upang dalhin ang ebanghelyo ng kapayapaan. ¹⁶ Bukod sa mga ito, gamitin ninyo ang pananampalataya bilang kalasag, na sa pamamagitan nito ay mapapatay ninyo ang mga nag-aapoy na palaso ng masama. ¹⁷ Gamitin ninyo ang helmet ng kaligtasan, at ang tabak ng Espiritu, na walang iba kundi ang salita ng Diyos. ¹⁸ Palagi kayong manalangin ng lahat ng uri ng panalangin at paghiling sa pamamagitan ng Espiritu,

Sinasabi din sa “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” Matthew 26:41. Kinakailangan binabantayan din natin ang mga bagay na pumapasok sa ating puso at isipan. Kaya minsan maraming nagagawan ng masama because mahina ang kanilang katawan. Kaya mas maganda lumayo sa mga lugar or pagkakataon na alam mong mapapahamak ka, lalo na at nag iisa ka. Minsan iinom ka ng sobra, then it leads to that phrase na “the flesh is weak.” This results to us being unable to resist because we became weak in the flesh. We are easily carried away by our own lusts.

Finally, Jesus said in Matthew 5:29

Kung nagiging sanhi ng iyong pagkakasala ang iyong kanang mata, dukutin mo ito at itapon. Sapagkat mas mabuti pang mawalan ka ng isang bahagi ng iyong katawan kaysa maitapon ang iyong buong katawan sa impiyerno.

If there are things that made you commit sin and fall into temptation all the time, maybe it is time to cut them out of your life –‘dukitin’ mo ito at itapon upang hindi ka na magkasala muli. Gawin mo ito, habang may panahon pa dahil baka sa bandang huli magsisi ka.