"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like
a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour". (I Peter 5:8).
Hey Gang: In this day and age when
reading the evening newspaper is like reading a horror story that is too evil
to be true. I have come to the point
where I can only handle the news one or two days a week. One of the reasons I enjoy our tenure at
Bartlesville, volunteering at Voice of Martyrs, is there is only local
television and very little national and world news.
But, As Believers we need to get the
good news entrenched in our hearts and minds - Satan has been defeated and is
on earth on borrowed time. He is a gross
sort of being with a crushed head. We know that at the cross and Christ’s resurrection,
Satan's power over Christians was destroyed.
The war has already been won! So take up your cross and sword today and keep your head up high - don't
act like you have been defeated.
However, there is a 'nonetheless'
principle involved here, Satan still prowls the earth looking to drive a wedges
between God and His children. His temptation is, unfortunately, a daily part of
our lives. (I Peter 5:8). But Peter gave us the antidote to his
temptations, "But resist him, firm
in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being
accomplished by your brethren who are in the world" (5:9).
Yet, if we use the power of the Holy Spirit
and the truth of God's Word to help us, we will find ourselves effectively
resisting temptations. But, there is a BUT,
a prerequisite, we must avail ourselves of His presence by inviting the Holy
Spirit to have control over our lives and spending quality time in God’s Word.
It
is important to firmly implant in your dome of intellect that
Satan’s power over Christians has been effectively destroyed; the war has
already been won through our Savior’s death and resurrection which conquered
the power of sin and death forever.
So, how does one stand firm in the face of this world filled
with bangles and beads that are constantly dangling the "better life"
that the world offers? First, we need to
understand, temptation is always there.
Jesus endured it and overcame it in the wilderness. How? By overcoming
Satan with the Word of God.
The Psalmist emphasized this point when he wrote, "Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I may not sin against You" (Psa. 119:11). In addition to God’s Word, prayer can help us
to resist temptation. The night He was betrayed, Jesus prayed in the Garden of
Gethsemane and He told Peter to pray “so
that you will not fall into temptation” (Mark
14:38). Also, in the “Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus taught us to pray that we
would not be lead into temptation (Matthew
6:13; Luke 11:4).
Soooo, keep in mind, even though Christians already have the
tools necessary for victory, we need to use our common sense and not place
ourselves in situations that prey upon, or stimulate, our weaknesses. We are
already bombarded every day with images and messages that tantalize our sinful
lusts. We don’t need to make it more difficult than it already is.
Blessings,
Gramps
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