Tag Archives: temptation

Don’t let Pride Lead to Your fall.

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Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:12‬ ‭ESV‬‬
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In the previous verses of chapter 10, Paul is reminding the Corinthians of the sins of the Isralites in the wilderness and how those sins led to their destruction. In verse 11 he notes that these things were recorded in the Word for our instruction. 

When I read verse 12 I see it as a warning against pride. This is probably because of my own history. I became a Christian as a teenager during the Jesus movement of the 70’s. I was convinced that I would never abandon my faith, but that is exactly what I did once I got out on my own. 

I spent the next twenty years on a spiritual roller coaster … never feeling I could measure up to God’s standards, which is true. None of us can, which is why He sent Jesus to take on the punishment of our sins. I would give in to temptation and instead of running to God for forgiveness, I would run away in shame. God spent years tolerating my prodigal lifestyle, but He never stopped pursuing me. 

At some point, I finally got it. I let go of my pride and acknowledged, God, I cannot do this on my own. I determined that moving forward, WHEN (not if) I sinned, I would humbly run to God, repent and ask for His forgiveness, instead of using my failures as a excuse to give up. 

You may ask, what does that have to do with pride. I was trying to serve God in my own strength. When I failed, I let condemnation and shame drive me to just give up. Trust me, I have blown it many times since I made the commitment to fight for my faith. I have allowed God to teach me through the consequences of my actions and my faith is now deeper than it’s ever been. 

My relationship with God isn’t based on my performance. It’s based on my love for God and dependance on Him. 

I KNOW there is a constant war between my flesh and my spirit, and like Paul, I realize I cannot win this war through willpower. 

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.

(Romans 7:15-19 ESV)

Even Paul, a pillar of the faith, acknowledged his sin struggle. These verses reflect a humble spirit. He doesn’t excuse his sin, but realizes he cannot win this spiritual war on his own. God will always make a way of escape when we are tempted, the problem is we often choose to ignore it. 

Prayer: Lord, I am so thankful that You never give up on me. I am so thankful that You love me in spite of my sinful nature. Thank You for your unfailing mercy. Lord, keep me humble. When I am weak, You are strong. 

I long for the day when my spirit will be set free from this fleshly body which continually wars against my spirit. Thank You Father for clothing me in the righteousness of Christ, and helping me to see that in the flesh, my righteousness is like filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6) My reliance is on You Jesus, and the blood of the cross. I am more than a conqueror IN CHRIST. 

Overcoming Temptation

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“But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

img_1609In Matthew 4:1-12 We see Jesus being led into the wilderness, by the Holy Spirit, to be tempted by Satan. After Jesus fasted for forty day’s Satan’s first temptation was for Jesus to turn stones into bread, to satisfy His physical hunger. While Jesus certainly could have done this, I believe His response was an indication that God had not released Him from His fast. Jesus was waiting for a WORD from God.

Even though Jesus was fully man, He was also fully God and He with the Father when Satan attempted to take over the throne. He recognized His enemy. He knew how to respond to the tempter.

Here are three valuable lessons we can learn from these verses.

◾️ We do not have to fight the enemy in our own strength. Jesus did not respond to Satan out of emotion or logic. He responded with faith in God’s voice as the guiding force of His life. If we want to overcome the enemy we too have to learn to distinguish all other voices from the voice of the Father.
◾️ Satan knows The Word. Just because someone quotes scripture to you doesn’t mean they are a true messenger from God. When Jesus responded to the first temptation with, “It is written”, Satan changed his strategy. He shifted to quoting scripture out of context. He challenged Jesus to throw Himself off the pinnacle of the temple. Satan tried to bully Jesus into proving He was the Son of God. Jesus was confident in His relationship with the Father. He had nothing to prove, especially to His enemy! 2 Timothy 2:15(KJV) admonishes us … “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” It takes time to develop knowledge of the Word. As a Christian this must be a priority in our life if we want to be victorious. We cannot rely on others to spoon feed us the Word. We have to learn to feed ourselves. People can twist scripture to justify just about anything. When we know of heart of God we have a better understanding of His written Word.
◾️ The Word is a weapon. Even though Jesus was the Son of God, He responded to temptation with, “It is written”. Hebrews 4:12NKJV tells us: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Jesus could have rebuked Satan at the first temptation, but I believe chose to withstand the temptation to show you and I that we can overcome by following His example. Take a proactive approach to temptation instead of a reactive approach. Most of us know the things that are a struggle for us to overcome. Look up, write down, and memorize scriptures that address your issues, or encourage you to press through. Have those scriptures ready and available when you need them.
PRAYER: Father, I thank You that Your Word is more powerful than any temptation I will ever face. Thank You for the written Word, and for the voice of the Holy Spirit whom You sent to teach, lead and empower us. Give me the wisdom to discern Your voice over the voice of the enemy. As I study Your Word, Father birth spiritual insight and revelation within me. I am eternally thankful that, “greater is He that is within me, than he that is in the world”! Amen