Examples of many fallen heroes and heroines show that temptation, generally described a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals, is not a thing to toy with. In the context of some religions, temptation is the inclination to sin.

Indeed, scientific studies have shown that temptation is harder to resist than we think. That may be why experienced people like Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God recommend fleeing– rather than believing in our strength or toughness – as the best solution to temptation

He says, “Some people take it as an act of cowardice to run from those they feel sexually attracted to. No! It is not cowardice, it is wisdom! God knows how He wired your body, so if He says you should run in a particular situation, please run for your dear life!”

The pastor and a renown mathematician has been proved right even by scientists who are wont to dismiss spiritual reality as lacking empirical evidence.

The psychology of temptation

According to the psychology of temptation, espoused by scientists, temptation follows a fairly standard, yet powerful, process. It starts as a desire, but human nature is such that we want to have a taste of what we desire so much. So, we play with it in our mind, imagining how we would feel if we have it.

It is also curious of human nature that no matter how blessed we are we tend to focus on the one thing we do not have!

Next, the thought builds until it finally gives way to full-blown desire. It becomes compulsive, rendering our response impulsive. We’re no longer content simply to enjoy the object in our mind; now, we must actually have it.

An expert explain it this way: “Temptation usually begins in the mind, where we live out an active fantasy life. The human mind has the capacity to create entire conversations and experiences out of nothing. Through fantasy, we can enjoy something without ever bringing it into the real world.

“Over time, fantasy becomes boring, and one feels a need for more gratifying fulfillment. Ultimately, our thoughts are so wrapped around the one temptation that it seems impossible to think of anything else. When that happens, our mind is held captive by the desire. And whenever our life becomes intently focused on we are trapped.”

At this point all the boast about strong will power, self-regulation and the ability to withstand temptation vanishes in smoke. Scientists explain this. Studies have shown that self regulation, our strength to inhibit impulses, make decisions, persist at difficult tasks, and control emotions can be spent just like a muscle that has been lifting heavy weights.

Sadly, in being vulnerable to doing the wrong we tend to be unaware that they are in a moment of weakness, unlike the strain and fatigue we feel in our muscles after a workout.

A clergyman sees the vulnerability this way: “The devil masks his deceptions in beautiful packaging that appeal to our natural senses and desires. And he promises that there will be no repercussions for indulging in sinful practices that God clearly says will end in destruction.

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Before yielding to the devil’s temptations, we should always consider the consequences that will inevitably follow. But the last thing the devil wants us to think about is the devastating outcome of sin. That’s why he tempts us to minimize our sin by claiming that nobody’s perfect or that we just made a mistake.”

The battle in our brains

According to studies, the problem is not with your brain as a whole, but with a battle for dominance between two parts of it: the nucleus accumbens (where the good times roll) and the inferior frontal gyrus (where the bouncer lives).

Scientists say the way those two regions settle their differences determines—at least partly—how well any one person avoids overindulging. In a recent study, the people who had had the greatest reaction in the part of the brain for good times indulged significantly more than the people whose inferior frontal gyrus did a better job of maintaining control. It is said that the battle between the two regions can be fierce, but obviously continuous exposure to the object of temptation strengthens the former, while fleeing will have an opposite effect.

The failure of self-control

In recent years, both behavioral scientists and neuroscientists have begun seeing self-control as a sort of finite resource, something that can be exhausted when you exercise it too long in the same way you can do only so many pushups before collapsing.

A research from the Kellogg School of Management demonstrates that individuals believe they have more restraint than they actually possess -ultimately leading to poor decision-making

The study, led by Loran Nordgren, found the sample, on average, displayed a “restraint bias,” causing individuals to miscalculate the amount of temptation they could truly handle, in turn leading to a greater likelihood of indulging impulsive behaviour

“People are not good at anticipating the power of their urges, and those who are the most confident about their self-control are the most likely to give into temptation,” said Nordgren.

“The key is simply to avoid any situations where vices and other weaknesses thrive and, most importantly, for individuals to keep a humble view of their willpower.”

In other words flee from “any situations where vices and other weaknesses thrive.” Flee from the stimulus, psychologists would say.

Dr Charles Stanley does not think man is enslaved to temptation. “Many people act as if there’s no defense against temptation,” he says.  “At the first hint of desire, they throw their hands up and give in. What they fail to recognize is that enticement is a process, and processes can be short-circuited at any stage.”