Resisting Temptation - Tools in God's Toolbox

"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, 
New Post on grampswhatshappeningman.blogspot.com Sat Dec 5  

Gramps