I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT? (part-07)

I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT? (part-07)

TEMPTATIONS:
Trials are quite different from temptations. When we face trials
orchestrated by the Lord, the goal is to make us stronger in our
faith and increase our closeness with Him.

Temptations however are designed to destroy our fellowship
with the Lord, and ultimately make us fail in our obedience
to Him. When we do not have fellowship with the Lord and
are disobedient to His commands, we will have feelings of
overwhelming guilt, which cause discouragement instead
of lifting our spirits.

Temptations can come in many forms. It could be something
tangible like an intense desire to get a new car or some other
material item. It could also be physical or emotional in nature,
such as the excitement of a new relationship, consumption of
an unhealthy substance, or recognition from others.

We can allow the excitement of a new relationship to take us
beyond the boundaries God has established for couples. Instead
of turning to the Lord whenever we feel alone or discouraged
(due to our disobedience), we can be tempted to turn to drugs
or alcohol to numb those feelings. We can have an inferiority
complex or an overwhelming pride that causes us to be more
concerned about recognition from others than we are in how
we please the Lord. We need to ask ourselves, “Are the things
I do and the attitudes I have, motivated by a desire to please the
Lord, or are they driven by a desire to receive recognition and
praise from others?

James is aware that some may be confused regarding trials and
temptations, so he tries to assure us that God is not involved
with any temptations we encounter.
    When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.”
    For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
    (James 1:13)

Why do some people want to blame God for their temptations?
More than likely they do not want to admit that they failed in
resisting the temptation and are looking for someone (anyone)
to blame. We have heard others say things like – “God let this
happen to me!” or “Why is God chastising me?” or how about
“Sure I have a weakness to a specific sin, but God made me this way”.
The truth is we are all born with a tendency to sin.
    Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man,
    and death through sin, and in this way death came to all
    people, because all sinned (Romans 5:12)

Look at how Paul found relief from his sin tendencies;
he allowed his mind to become a slave to God’s law.
In other words, he began to think like God thinks.
    Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ
    our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to
    God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law
    of sin. (Romans 7:25)

Why is it important for us to be victorious over temptations?
It is because our sinfulness defines our status with the Lord.
    We know that anyone born of God does not continue
    to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe,
    and the evil one cannot harm them. (1 John 5:18)

    No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because
    God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning,
    because they have been born of God. (1 John 3:9)

God does not tempt us because He Himself is not tempted.
He knows our weaknesses and He does not want us to have
opportunities to fail when tempted. When we fail, it damages
our fellowship with God and He desires a close relationship
with us. He loves us and wants us to love Him in return.
When it comes to temptations, God wants us to be successful
in resisting them. This is one of the reasons He equips believers
with the Holy Spirit.
    And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
    advocate to help you and be with you forever (John 14:16)

    But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
    send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind
    you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26)

Quite frankly, we cannot resist temptations in our own strength,
but the Holy Spirit has the sufficient power required to resist.
Many ask the Holy Spirit to help them resist temptations, but
I think we are better served if we ask the Holy Spirit to turn
the temptations away before they enter our mind. Rather than
asking for His help, we are probably better off if we ask Him
to ‘fight the battle for us’.

The question we may have is, “If God has no part in the temptations
we face, then where do they come from?” It is obvious that anything
in opposition to God must be from Satan, but James says it begins
closer to home than that.
    but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire,
    he is dragged away and enticed. (James 1:14)

We are told that our temptations are generated from within ourselves.
If that is the origin of temptations, then we can see the importance of
asking the Holy Spirit to turn them away from us. The Holy Spirit has
the strength required to squelch tempting thoughts before they infiltrate
our minds. Think of temptation in these terms:
    Satan fires a flaming arrow in the form of a thought.

    If we hold on to that thought, it becomes a fantasy (we imagine
    what it would be like to partake in some sin without really doing it).

    Fantasies can affect us in many ways and eventually lead to
    a desire. These desires can affect our priorities, our focus,
    our emotions, our attitudes toward others, our relationships
    with others, etc.

    Once the desire has been created, we are faced with a crossroad of
    choices. We have to make a decision to either refuse the temptation
    or consent and partake in the sin.

    Note:
        This may seem like a step-by-step process, but the truth is
        everything just listed can happen almost simultaneously.

Believers who exercise wisdom will choose ahead of time to
resist the temptation. The scriptures assure us that we can resist
temptations, but not in our own strength. We need to submit
ourselves to the One who gives us the capability to resist.
    Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,
    and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

Resisting temptations begins with “submitting ourselves to God”.
Expressing our dependence on Him is the first step in resisting
temptations. How do we submit ourselves to God? We show our
submissiveness when we commit to giving the Lord control of
our lives. This means that we love Him and we have a desire to
obey Him in ALL things.

James implies that once we submit ourselves to God, He opens
our eyes to the source of temptations and encourages us to resist
the devil. If temptations originate in our minds, then it makes sense
that our first line of defense is to stop those thoughts before they
enter our mind. We also need to remove the ones that are already
there. Again, this is where the Holy Spirit can step in and become
our Secretary of Defense, but we have a responsibility to ask Him.

What we allow into our mind
controls our heart, our actions, and our words.
    “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7a)

God made us with the inability of thinking two thoughts at the same
time. If we are thinking what’s right, we cannot be thinking what’s
wrong. For instance, if someone cuts you off in traffic, if your thought
is – “I wonder if they have some emergency situation”(child hurt and
taken to the hospital, wife having a baby, loved one at death’s door, etc.),
then you will have a difficult time thinking about the other person as being
an idiot. On the other hand if your thought is, “That person is an idiot”
you cannot be thinking at the same time, “How should I be praying for
that person who is in a hurry?”

Whatever we think is what we become, so we must guard our mind.
If we center our mind on the Lord Jesus, then we can prevent Satan
from taking away our pure-hearted devotion to the Lord. If we stay
in love with Jesus, then there won’t be any room for those wicked,
lustful, and prideful thoughts that bombard us all. We are not who
we think we are; instead, “what we think…we are.”

Paul also has some good advice for the Ephesians about battling
temptations. This is also good advice for those of us who are
living many generations later.
    Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
    Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your
    stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is
    not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
    against the authorities, against the powers of this dark
    world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
    heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of
    God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be
    able to stand your ground, and after you have done
    everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of
    truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate
    of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with
    the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In
    addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with
    which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of
    the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword
    of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:10-17)

Paul tells us that we are under attack and the best defense is to
arm ourselves with everything the Lord gives us for protection.
If you notice, most all of the armor is for defense – to turn away
the attacks from Satan. However, the last one (the sword) is
clearly an offensive weapon. Paul equates it to God’s Word, but
at the same time, he speaks of the sword of the “Spirit”. Again
we can see the importance of the Holy Spirit’s involvement in
our battles with temptations.

We can also use the weapon of our testimony against Satan.
Have you ever thought about giving your testimony to the
devil? Look at this verse in Revelation:
    “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb
     and by the word of their testimony”. (Revelation: 12:11)

When we give our testimony to the devil, we tell him who
we are – a child of God. When he comes against us with
lies and insinuations, we tell him that he is a liar and our
Savior said that he is a liar. We tell him,
    “I am not going to argue with you. I am not going to
     plead with you. I am not going to wrestle with you.
     I am going to give you the word of God which is the
     word of my testimony. My sins are under the blood of
     Jesus Christ. I am saved and I am inhabited by the Holy
     Spirit. My body is a temple of the Holy Ghost which I
     have from God. You, Satan, are trespassing on my
     Father’s property and in the name of Jesus, I am
     telling you to leave.”

Giving our testimony to the devil is not praying to him,
it’s just reminding him of who he is, who we are, what
Jesus said about him, who we worship, and how we are
commanding him to leave us alone.

The next time you feel tempted, give your testimony
to the devil. Keep a scripture handy that you can recite.
Then whisper, “Jesus, I trust you”.

We are in a war with a strong opponent, however God’s
Word gives us the ammunition we need, and the assistance
required to win the battle(s). Rather than allowing Satan’s
attacks to discourage you, rely on God’s promises to give
you encouragement to fight, and win!

Whenever the temptations are not turned away,
they grow and create additional problems in our lives.
    Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin;
    and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
    (James 1:15)

We can easily see the results of giving in to temptations
and continuing on the path of sin. There are basically
four steps as follows:
    1. Our own evil desires lead to temptations.

    2. When we do not flee the temptations, sin is inevitable.

    3. Once sin begins, it is likely to continue;
        it may even worsen and lead to other sins as we
        become discouraged and immersed in a sea of guilt.

    4. Ultimately, this sinful life leads to death. More than
        likely James means that sin becomes full grown and
        it ultimately results in death whenever we fail to
        accept the Lord’s offer of salvation. The scriptures
        are clear – whenever we reject the Lord’s offer of
        salvation, we will be separated from Him forever
        when we die.

We can see the devastating effects temptations can have on us.
They affect non-believers in an overwhelming, eternal way as
they develop a lifestyle that does not have room for the Lord.
However, they also affect those of us who are saved as we
experience a crushing guilt and become ineffective as members
of God’s ministry team.

In summary, we have seen that:
    Life’s experiences are tests which can help us to grow
    in our faith, our hope, and our capacity to love.

    When we persevere during the trials we face:
        – We become more sympathetic and helpful to others.
        – We realize the really important things in life:
              – We are reminded that life is a precious gift.
              – Our trust and dependence on God is increased.
              – We discover new opportunities for Christian
                witnessing and areas of service for the Lord.

We can’t explain why trials come our way, but we can
have faith that God is at work to bring something good
from them.
    – We need to remember not to blame
      God for the bad things that happen
       (not blaming God is one indication of a maturing Christian).

We are not responsible for everything that happens to us,
but we are accountable for how we respond to the things
affecting us.

When we rely on the wisdom and strength God provides,
we can persevere through the trials we face.

God did not make us ‘sufficient unto ourselves’. He wants
us to ‘depend’ on Him. He does not want our ‘independence’,
because it is an indication that we do not see a need for Him.

We need to ask God in advance to prepare us for trials and
temptations that may come our way. We need to be more
‘proactive’ than ‘reactive’ when dealing with temptations.