Renewing Our Mind

Read: Ephesians 6:10-18

Read this verse very carefully:
"The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure."

- 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)

Many people misinterpret this verse by saying that God will not give us more trials than we can bear. Clearly, this is not addressing hardships, but is about the temptation to sin. Every recognized version of the Bible, which you read will give you this same word…tempted.

God does not diminish our trials, because He uses trials to work character in our life (James 1:3). He does, however, strengthen us to resist the temptation to sin. He wants us to walk away from temptation as victors, rather than to succumb to Satan’s trickery as his victims.

Temptation is common to all of mankind (1 Corinthians 10:13) and does not affect our Salvation. The first unholy thought is not a sin; it is a temptation. It is Satan’s tool to draw you away from spiritual pursuits. We only sin when we agree with and entertain those ungodly thoughts and quests. When we are tempted, God always gives us His wisdom to see right through Satan’s lies, if we will just take the time to pay attention.

One way we withstand temptation is by renewing our mind (Romans 12:2) with the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Another way to outsmart the devil is by pursuing eternal matters rather than allowing issues in the earthly realm to consume us. This is easier said than done.

Since we live in this world, its shackles continually pull us back to earth. Some people are spiritually immature and do not recognize Satan’s wiles. They give in to a wider range of fleshly, degenerate, fraudulent behavior that ends up bringing God’s judgment on their lives.

Others are less overtly sinful; yet, they are still excessively preoccupied with worldly pursuits. Some people are just idle gossips or full of anxiety or prideful about their own accomplishments. These are all sins, however, that God always gives us a way to escape from, if we will listen to His still, small voice.

If we make a commitment to follow Christ, then withstanding temptation gets easier every day. As we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, read the Bible, listen to the preaching of God’s Word, worship with fellow Christians and share with others what Christ is doing in our life, then Satan will find very little that he can use to tempt us to sin. This is especially true if we renew our mind by putting on the mind of Christ (Psalm 27:11).

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for the tools You give us to live a faithful life, which is victorious over sin. When Satan attacks, prepare us to do battle using Your armor (Ephesians 6: 11-14) as our defense.

Thought for the Day:

Our defense against temptation is to be fully dressed for battle (Ephesians 6:10-18).