The
devil, the flesh and the world are in the constant business of tempting us to
sin. These three sources of temptation play on our human needs and desires,
which are given to us by God.
They
seek to pervert our needs and to tempt us into gross immorality. However,
Christ in us enables us to withstand any temptation by giving us a way to
escape it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Thankfully,
we have Jesus, our great High Priest, who can empathize with our humanity. He
lived on this earth and was tempted, suffered and died with circumstances similar
to, but much worse than ours (Hebrews 4:15).
The
initial sinful thought, which enters our mind, is not sin. It is merely a
temptation to sin. Satan whispers the destructive idea in our mind, and we have
a choice to entertain or to dismiss that thought.
Temptation
influences us when pride and rebellion lurk in our heart and cause us to rely
on our self, and draw us away from having faith in God's faithfulness to
provide for us.
The
sins, which easily lure us away from holiness, are strongholds in our life.
These expose us to demonic attachments, which hold us in bondage. Also the
abuse we receive in life will encourage us to believe Satan's lies.
We
are freed from spiritual strongholds by confessing them as sin, surrendering
our life to Christ and obeying His Word in our every thought, word and deed, trusting
in His Spirit's direction for our life.
Christ
promises to fulfill all of our needs according to His glorious riches. We do
not have to trust anyone or anything else to provide for us (Philippians 4:19).
Prayer:
Father God, Jesus was tempted to meet
His own needs, but He used Your Word to put Satan in his place (Matthew 4:1-11).
Help us to hide Your Word in our heart, so that we do not sin against You
(Psalm 119:11).
Remind
us that we are crucified with Christ; and now we live in Him and by His faith
(Galatians 2:20). Thank You for accepting us into Your family (Ephesians 2:19)
and filling us with all of Your fullness (Ephesians 3:16-19).
Thought
for the Day:
Our
great High Priest increases in us as we decrease in our dependence on our self
and others and trust only in Him.
-
John 3:30
