The father of lies constantly attempts to convince us that his deception is truth. He sets up “perfect storms” to entangle us in a web of fabrication in order to convince us that we should follow the sinful thoughts that his temptations plant in our mind.
Thankfully, as we mature spiritually, sin longer appeals to us. However, if these issues arise during a weak moment in our psyche, and we are swayed by satanic enticements, God always gives us a way to escape these corrupt suggestions (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Depending on our soul’s health and the strength of our spirit, we may or may not heed his temptations. Unbelievers use every case of a Christian’s demise as a “soap box” on which to call us hypocrites, to heap shame on us, to smear the name of God, and to espouse their anti-Christ rhetoric and propaganda.
The more we avail our self to the presence of the Trinity of God within us, the harmony of His fellowship with us, and His constant communion and communication with us, the more we walk in victory over Satan’s temptations and the stronger we grow in our faith in God’s faithfulness.
This enables us to think about lovely, positive, worthy, good, and faithful topics (Philippians 4:8) that change our focus from temptations to victories through Jesus’ presence within us (1 Corinthians 10:23). If necessary, our Daddy God will lovingly discipline us back onto the safety of His straight and narrow road (Hebrews 12:1-13; Matthew 7:13-14).
Victory over sin is much more fulfilling than submitting to the suggestions to sin, which come from our flesh, the world, and the devil. The blessings given to us now, and those awaiting us in Heaven, are worth the effort it takes to trust God to enable us to overcome temptations to sin. In this way, we please our Heavenly Father.
Prayer:
Father God, thank You that even if we fail to utilize Your methods to escape temptation, Your forgiveness awaits us. Thank You for restoring us when we fail You. As authentic Born Again Believers, however, we do not live in habitual sin because of Your grace, but in faithfulness to You, which is supplied to us through Your mercy (Romans 6:1-2; 1 John 3:8-10).
We want to exhibit true sorrow for our sins, because we know sin breaks Your heart, and hinders our fellowship with You. Your Word instructs us that true sorrow includes a thorough repentance, not simply a glib prayer murmured to quench our shame over our behavior. We want to walk in close communion with You each and every moment of our life.
Thought for the Day:
Satan exasperates and discourages our soul with temptations to sin, until we realize that the first thought of temptation is from him, and we do not cross the line into sin unless we entertain his plans for us; God uses these temptations to show us the true empty futility of living a sinful life.
