Scripture:
Hebrews 2 v 18: "For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted,
He is able to succour them that are tempted."
James 4 v 7: "Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
- As Jesus suffered temptation from the devil, so do we
suffer from it. It looks right at first but when you yield to temptation and
sin, it gives the devil rights over you that lead to bondage to drugs, sex,
theft, lies, adultery, murder and other evils. Its hard to break these holds.
- Yielding to sin puts you on the path to eternal
separation from God which is death. Jesus in His humanity never yielded to sin
to teach us that it is possible to lead a pure, holy sinless life without
becoming a monk.
- He also gave us a way of escape when we are tempted. 1.
Submit to God ie ask Him what to do to avoid sin. 2. Obey what He tells you to
do. Delete contacts like dealers, affairs; destroy drugs, weapons etc. 3. Resist - say NO - to the devil. 4. He
will flee. 5. Temptation stops.
- Never tempt God by bargaining with Him through
self-justification or putting yourself into a sinful situation on purpose to
prove your point. He will let you have your way and you will regret it. He does
not respond to emotional blackmail nor fleeces.
- We have the Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin by
pressing our conscience with alarm bells. He is our Teacher and Comforter.
Never ignore those alarm bells that warn of spiritual sinking sand. Take the
hand of Jesus and let Him lift you up.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thanks for giving us a way to escape
temptation and live our lives as a testimony to Your love. Lord, remind us of
James' words when we need them, so that we heed them. Amen.