SEEKING THE LORD YOUR GOD (7 of 9)

THE BATTLE IS REAL,
BUT VICTORY IS ACHIEVABLE WHEN WE SEEK HELP
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.”
(Matthew 7:7)

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that
we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
(Hebrews 4:16)

MEDITATION:
If we are honest with ourselves, we all have needs at times.
We may need to feel loved, to be comforted, to be appreciated,
to be given advice, to be told we are worthy, to find direction
for our lives, to be encouraged, etc.

However, we also have the need to repel the temptations
which suddenly (or in some cases, constantly) invade our minds.
In our own strength we will have difficulty resisting these thoughts,
but we have an Advocate who knows the struggle we have, knows
us better than we know ourselves, and can relate to our challenges.
Not only that, but He has a proven record of being victorious over
the temptations which suddenly, or constantly, wage war in our minds.

When we face temptation, we need to remember, it is not a sin to be tempted.
Although temptation itself is not a sin, it is often the first step
to sinning whenever we fail to escort these thoughts out of our mind.
Think about this:
    If temptation is a sin, then Jesus was a sinner.
The scriptures tell us,
    “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize
     with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted
     in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

Jesus faced the same types of temptations that we face, but did not sin.
Think about the magnitude of that statement – Jesus felt what you feel.
He was just as much a man as though He were not God at all,
and He was as much God as though He were not man at all.
He was the God-Man, and praise God, Jesus never sinned,
even though He was pressured with many temptations.

ACTION:
Are you facing some temptation today that you think no one has ever faced?
Maybe you feel others have faced the same temptation
and they ‘gave in’ to it, so you think it’s not so bad if you yield to it as well.
If that were true, then your internal alarm (conscience) would
not be alerting you that something wrong is entering your mind.

Maybe you realize that others have had victory over the same
temptation you are facing, but you feel inadequate to win over
it as well.
The truth is, we are all inadequate in ourselves to be victorious
over temptations from Satan (the one who is relentless in his efforts).

How relentless is Satan in his efforts?
Even though he was unsuccessful in tempting Jesus for forty
days, he had no plans of giving up on his temptation attempts.
He had plans to continue tempting Jesus again and again.
    When the devil had finished all this tempting,
    he left him (Jesus) until an opportune time. (Luke 4:13)

If Satan was relentless in his efforts to cause Jesus to succumb
to temptation, then certainly he will continue his efforts on you.
But here is the good (great) news, when Satan departed, Jesus
wasn’t left alone but found Himself in much better company
(friendly company interested in His well-being).
    He was in the company of angels who attended to His needs.
    Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
    (Matthew 4:11)

We can see from the scriptures that Jesus had a very simple
and powerful way of turning away Satan’s intrusion in His life.
He quoted God’s Word and allowed the power of it to deal with
Satan, and we should do the same.
    Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is
    written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’
    (Matthew 4:10)

We should always keep some scriptures in our mind for
Turning away Satan and the pressure of his temptations.
Then, when we feel the pressure of his temptations, recall and quote
these scriptures in our mind (or even out loud sometimes) and trust
that God Will give us victory.

Too often we feel a need to ‘get involved’ in a war with a much
powerful foe, but we should exercise our faith by trusting that
God’s Word will overpower any attempts from the evil one.

Honestly, you are in a never-ending war with Satan and his schemes.
Sure you may win some battles, but you may still be losing the war
which continues to rage in your mind and challenge your self-control.
Consider his cleverness – if he can get us to procrastinate our
efforts to deal with his tempting, then he is winning the war.

It is time to stop fighting a losing battle in your own strength
and call for reinforcements; it is time to rely on the One who
was victorious over the vicious and relentless attacks from Satan;
it is time to view temptations not as a threat, but an opportunity
to express your faith and trust in the Lord; it is time to enjoy the
company of the ones (angels) who genuinely care about you and
your welfare.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me that I can have victory
over these constant attacks from Satan. Forgive me for my attempts
to defeat him in my own strength. Just as Jesus relied on You and Your
Spirit to assist Him in His battles, I too ask for Your help in repelling
the evil one who keeps trying to invade my thoughts. I too want to
trade the evil one’s presence for the company of angels who are
concerned about my victories, and not my failures. Thank You, Jesus,
for showing me that victory is possible, and that Satan can be turned
away whenever I quote God’s Word.”

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