Recently, I received a frantic phone call from a friend. “Help! I am being tempted!” she exclaimed.
My friend was engaged to someone, but she ended up being drawn to another man’s charms. She couldn’t resist talking to him. Now this non-believer was being pricked by her conscience.
Her phone call caused me great alarm, and got me thinking about the attractive and deceptive nature of sin.
As the Bible says in James 1:15, sin mainly begins with a desire: “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
Eve desired what she saw and it was only a matter of time before the enemy convinced her that it was okay to eat that forbidden fruit.
I have heard young people say that they face more temptations because of the negative influence of their friends. But there truly is no age limit when it comes to temptation. We will face temptation as long as we are on this planet Earth.
Apostle Paul was constantly aware of the temptations of the flesh that he faced. We face the same kind of temptations too. Like Paul, we too are bombarded by the corrupted ways of flesh. (See my hubby’s post on temptations)
But the good news is that we have dominion over sin through Christ Jesus. The more time that we give ourselves to prayer and seeking the Lord, our desire to sin will fade. Prayer is a powerful tool that will help you to overcome the sinful desires of the flesh.
The more you seek God, read His Word, and follow His teachings, the more sensitive you will become to the Holy Spirit. As you become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit, you can exercise greater authority as a child of Jesus.
When Jesus found that the disciples were fast asleep, He told them: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Matthew 26:41).
There is a great example of how God honors those who desire to live a holy life in Genesis 20:3-6: But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also? Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister?’ And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.” And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.”
Notice in this passage that God was aware of Abimelech’s desire to stay pure and He was merciful towards this gentile king to help him withstand the pressures of temptation.
We may fall a thousand times, but never give up on pursuing God. It is only with His strength that we can live a holy and acceptable life unto God.
Maybe you are struggling with unforgiveness, bitterness, lust, unfaithfulness, prayerlessness, pride or whatever it maybe. It does not matter what it is. The Lord is able to give you complete victory.
Allow the Holy Spirit to work in you on a daily basis. His love for you is everlasting. He has not cast you aside. He knows all your struggles. Just call on the name of the Lord. He will give you victory.
We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!
