Most of the time I can see it coming. An outlandish thought, followed by a thoughtless plan, followed by a reckless act. I make some attempt (usually I think a valiant one) to resist temptation, but at last I succumb, and end up doing a one-point into the ground. I tell myself that I'm mature enough in my faith that these temptations should not present much of a struggle. So why do the simplest temptations sometimes trip me up?
This question is as old as the Garden of Eden, and if it were me, eating a good-looking fruit would have seemed to be the right thing to do at the time too. I know God says "X", but I want "Y" so I choose "Y".
Often times I think I allow myself to be lulled to sleep while the enemy camps in my yard, casing my house. I watch him walk to the door, and tell myself "I'll get the gun out later if I need it."
Because of one distraction or another I will leave off reading God's Word (because "I know that; I've read it countless times") and My prayers become routine and thoughtless. I overestimate my own strength, underestimate my enemy, and forget where my help comes from. And I'm definitely not taking seriously the Lord's warning to be vigilant (1 Peter 5:8).
Charles F. Stanley wrote a great article on temptation, "When Temptation Knocks" where he says Jesus' successful approach to resisting temptation is the example for us. He has scripture (what God says) for every temptation readily at hand; not as an incantation to repeat, but as the knowledge and confession of what God says (and therefore supports) about the matter. It tells us About what God thinks about what we are about to do, (so we can flee from that) and who it is we are offending (so we can flee to Him).
"He never drew on his own wit. He never even relied on His own power. He simply responded with the truth of God's Word. That's all it took. Nothing fancy. Just the plain truth directed at the deception behind each of Satan's requests. Jesus verbally confronted Satan with the truth, and eventually Satan gave up and left." (Charles F. Stanley, "When Temptation Knocks")
The Bible is full of passages on this subject because the will of mankind has always been at odds with the will of God. Here are a couple of passages I find helpful:
"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 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. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen." (I Peter 5:6-11 NASB)
AND "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (Ephesians 6: 10-17 NASB)
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. " (I John 1:8-9 NASB)
DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE DRAGON IS TRYING TO TOAST YOU BEFORE YOU TRY TO DIG YOUR SWORD OUT OF THE SADDLEBAG.
©2010 Jim Canter.
Jim is the worship leader for Grace Church of Tallahassee - www.surefoot-surefoot.blogspot.com
Article Source: www.faithwriters.com
