1) If the temptation attacks our thoughts, then we must push the wrong thought out of our mind, and then begin to immediately focus our thoughts upon Christ and some passage of Scripture.

2) If the temptation comes from some attraction to our senses—seeing, hearing, tasting, and touching—then we must turn our head or body away and flee the temptation. Then immediately we must focus upon Jesus Christ and prayer and review some Scripture passage.

Thought 1. William Barclay has a thought on temptation that should challenge us to turn our total being over to Christ. We have the statements in outline form for emphasis:

“Now desire is something which can be nourished or stifled. A man can … by the grace of God, eliminate desire if he faces it and deals with it at once. But …

• he can allow his steps to take him into certain places and certain company.

• he can encourage his eyes to linger on certain forbidden things.

• he can spend his life fomenting desire.

• he can use mind and heart and eyes and feet and lips to nourish desire.

“[However, a man] can so hand himself over to Christ and to the Spirit of Christ that he is cleansed of evil desire. He can be so engaged on good things that there is no time or place left for desire. It is idle hands for which Satan finds mischief to do; and it is an unexercised mind which plays with desire, and an uncommitted heart which is vulnerable to the appeal of lust.

“If a man nourishes and encourages desire long enough, there is an inevitable consequence. Desire becomes action. If a man thinks about anything long enough if he allows himself to desire it long enough, all the chances are that in the end he will do it. Desire in the heart in the end begets sin in the action” (The Letters of James and Peter. “The Daily Study Bible.” Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1958, p. 61f).