Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10 v 13: "God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
Nobody is exempt from temptation! Not even Jesus who had a full on confrontation with the Devil who tried every temptation there was to get Jesus to sin. Jesus had a scripture to knock down every temptation with the contempt it deserved.
While we were sinners it was easy to give into temptation and encourage others to do the same, ignorantly believing that this was living the good life. We had no resistance to sinful behaviour, it was fun and games.
One of Jesus' most powerful blocks to temptation was fasting. Straight after His baptism He went into the desert and fasted for forty days ie no food for over 6 weeks. He lived on the power God gave Him, and the strength you get when you deny every lust of your flesh.
The strongest lust by far is the lust for food. Followed by money, power, alcohol, drugs, sex and worldly acclaim (fame). These are the common temptations everyone faces. So if you can deny the lust to gratify hunger, then you can deny the other lusts too. A three day fast on water only, with prayer and commitment can break any habit.
Jesus had an answer for the Devil in Matthew 4 v 10. He said Get behind me Satan because the Word says you shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve. This means that when you yield to your habit you are serving the Devil. He (the Devil) is testing you to see if you really worship and serve God only.
In James 1 v 13 -15 we read: "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man: 14 but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
James also said in 4 v 7: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you."
Therefore God cannot be manipulated by man or Devil. God is not testing your commitment to Him, but the Devil is. Whoever you yield to, that is your master. You can keep denying your drug habit, or any other habit, or you can fast 3 days on water only - no food, no sex, no alcohol, no drug, no TV, no work, no smoking, no entertainment.
Focus your life on Jesus for 3 days, and His ability to set you free. Truly submit your life to God in every way and be cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb of every sin, lie, denial, gossiping, theft, addiction, idolatry, fornication, bitterness and demon. Then resist Satan. Deny him. Say NO, get thee behind me Satan. I overcome you through the Blood of Jesus my Lord and my God. Satan WILL flee. The temptation will vanish.
Another day the Devil will test your commitment again. If you have continued to walk with Jesus in humility and gratitude, you will submit to God and resist that temptation and the Devil will flee. If you steadfastly stick to your guns you will be fully accomplished in overcoming temptation and know that you are free indeed. If you fill your heart and mind with praises to God, the Devil will look elsewhere for victims.
If you are full of pride after your first victory and boast about how you are now free and neglect to keep up the good work, the enemy will find your body a nice, clean, empty house and your original lust will return and bring seven worse demons with it and your condition will be far worse than before.
Do not mess with God's plan for your life. You will now be possessed or oppressed by those demons and they don't come out easily. Unless you are 100% determined to walk the rest of your life in God"s perfect will, don't even bother trying to get loose. This cycle applies to all addictive temptations. All lusts.
This is what happens when an addict caves in to pressure to 'take the edge off' as they say. Satan knows their breaking point very well and using his various deceptions brings the addict to it easily. If you stop and contest Satan's control by calling on Jesus to help you, you will then be able to resist his evil and he will leave you alone. You need to be alert and have Christian prayer support and someone you can call when there is a heavy attack.
Jesus says to John in Revelations: unless you overcome Satan and all his evil power over you, your name will be blotted out of the Lamb's Book of Life. Seeing that only those whose names are in this book on the day of Judgment will make it into Heaven, please use this exhortation as an incentive to overcome every temptation, lust, habit that offends the Lord.
Revelations 3 v 5: "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels."
Because I was ignorant of the devil and his methods when I was growing up, and fell into many stupid temptations, it is my quest in this life, through my own deliverance and personal experiences, to inform without compromise all who suffered from this same ignorance.
I found out that there was a hidden devil who hates every human being and plans their utter destruction and death with glee. He hates our God and uses His creation and its misery to hurt Him. The destruction of our souls and bodies reaches the highest Heaven, and Jesus was sent to destroy these works. Only He can undo the ravages of sin, lust and disease.
Trust Him with your life. He gave up His life for you!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we are grateful for Jesus our Lord every day. Forgive our bad habits and give us the strength to overcome them through the power of Jesus. We don't want to be slaves to sin nor serve the devil, we want to serve You in a good conscience. Today our ignorance is exposed and we know ourselves as frail and fragile souls. When we are weak, You are strong. Help us in our hour of need. In Jesus' name. Amen.