Friday, January 4, 2013

Fighting Temptation


"Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the Devil."  Matthew 4:1

Temptation-to entice to sin; put to the test, make a trial of.


Test- a trial intended to ascertain quality, value, or character; to examine.

Temptation today is strong, real, and literally in our face everyday.  But temptation is not something that has just evolved. It has been around since the beginning. 

It began with Adam and Eve, two people created by God, made perfect. They were the first to be tempted and to give into temptation. 

Through them we see how strong and powerful it is and why it is important to keep our eyes on the Lord.

I have wondered through this new study, why Eve never called on the Lord, and then it hit me, why do I not call on Him.

I too, like Eve have been tempted and have believed or given into those temptations. Satan is so good at twisting things around and making them look good, sound good, feel good, taste good. 

So why, why in those times did I not cry out to Him immediately? Why did I think I could handle it on my own?

Why did I give in?

Why do we give in? 

Jesus tells us He will give us the strength to overcome and resist temptation if we will just look to Him for help.

He knows what we are going through. He was tempted too. 

And He showed us that we can overcome them, just like He did-with the Word.

There will always be temptations, but a lot of them can be avoided by eliminating them from our lives.

The more we fill up on Jesus the less we fill up with the world.

Jesus we come boldly to the throne where mercy is found and grace and help is given. We are in constant need of Your strength and protection. Clothe us with the protection of Your Word. Amen