There’s good news, bad news and the truth when it comes to temptation.

The good news you are not alone. The apostle Paul struggled with the same thing. Paul could not understand why he kept sinning when he knew and even preached the evils of sin.

Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:13-25

Evil was right there with him all the time, leading him astray. It’s a war. That’s the bad news. Evil’s full time job is temptation, causing us to sin. Satan wants to corrupt God’s children since He can’t corrupt God.

The only one who can save us from the vicious sin cycle is Jesus Christ. Jesus was tempted in the desert face-to-face with Satan and won! He used scripture to thwart Satan’s attempts. Scripture is the weapon of truth to defend your heart from attack.

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Memorization and application make effective shields against the stinging arrows of sin. The best news is you have a defense. The question is. . .do you want to defeat temptation or just lose another battle again?