Charles Stanley observes in his book "Winning the War Within" that when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, he did not rely on his own wit or will power, but rather on the Word of God.
Read Matthew 4:3-11.
If Jesus was tempted in all the ways that we are (confirmed in Hebrews 4:15), and His method was wielding Scripture, then we ought to arm ourselves the same way. Below are recommended Scripture passages to meditate on and memorize. They correspond to common temptations:
Temptation to gossip-- James 1:26
Temptation to lust--- Psalm 119:9; Proverbs 6:24-33; Gal 6:7-8; Col 3:2-3
Temptation to fear-- Psalm 56:3; John 14:1
Temptation to disobey the law-- 1 Peter 2:13-15
Temptation to not do the wise thing-- Eph 5:15-16
Troubled by circumstances-- John 16:33
Temptation to demand your own way-- 1 Cor 6:19-20
Temptation to think you're getting away with sin-- 2 Cor 5:10; Gal 6:7-8
Audibly verbalizing Scripture when tempted is one method that is quite effective... but one must become intimately familiar with God's Word. Suppose I spend 2 hours per day watching television, and 10 minutes per day reading Scripture. Which is going to have a greater impact on my life? Simply making the Word a high priority in our lives will help immensely in our walk.
