How do I resist temptation?
Yesterday
Our focus was on ‘how’ each one of us is tempted.
Today
Let’s scope out ‘how‘ we resist temptation.
Open GODcha to the Book of James.
NOTE:
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Or, you can use your hardbound Bibles and follow along.
You can print off this post and put in a Notebook!
Let’s Begin With Prayer
Lord, we come today earnestly seeking You, to be taught, to learn, to be convicted and encouraged. Open our eyes and ears, and grant us the understanding we need. May we put into practice what You teach us. Thank you.
LOOK at What God Says
Let GODcha point the way.
Where should we start?
READ the Word
Let’s read James 1:13-16 asking the 5W’s and H.
Let’s pick up where we left off yesterday.
We LOOKED at Jesus seeing:
There are 3 areas of lust that tempt us.
Satan is allowed to tempt, targeting the mind.
Jesus resisted with the Word of God.
Let’s see ‘how’ we resist temptations.
God Uses Truth to Explain Truth
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Because Temptations Begin in the Mind
Let’s check out 2 CR that are NOT in GODcha, but will help us understand ‘how’ we resist temptations.
1. According to 2 Co 10:5, what must we do?
We are to destroy every thought that comes against the knowledge of God by taking them captive to the obedience of Jesus.
We see: Temptations begin with thoughts,
that come against the knowledge of God, and
we must hold them captive.
Understand: Just ask Jesus to take the thought away,
Ask Him to hold it captive,
To not allow it to come to your mind any more,
And He will.
Holding your thoughts captive will become like 2nd nature to you – like weeding a garden.
But, if you don’t take care of those thoughts when they pop into your head – they like those weeds – will take over.
2. What does Rom 12:2 tell us to do?
We are not to be conformed to this world but, to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
We see: We are TRANSFORMED by renewing our minds.
How do we renew our minds?
Understand: The only way we renew, reprogram, our minds is with the Word of God!
Again we see: how important it is to saturate ourselves in the Word of God.
Now THINK and REASON
We know we are tempted by our own lusts, and God allows Satan to tempt us.
‘How’ do we resist Satan?
Check out Ephesians 6:10-18.
1. What must we do?
Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might
2. How do we do this?
By:
Putting on the full armor of God
Taking up the full armor of God
3. Why is this necessary?
So we will be able to:
stand firm against the schemes of the devil
resist in the evil day
stand firm.
We see: we must put on the armor of God to resist and stand firm against Satan who tempts us.
Let’s Stop a Minute!
Are we just going to just read this?
Or, are we going to absorb and understand what Paul just said?
What does it mean to put on the armor of God in order to stand firm?
How do we do this?
How do we make this practical in our lives?
LOOK At Each Piece of Armor
We Stand Firm By:
a. Girding with Truth
The devil is a liar. (Joh 8:44)
LISTEN. . .
What lies am I being tempted with and/or believing?
Have I lied in my temptations?
Respond to God. . .LIVE it out!
Jesus is:
the Way to God;
the Truth about God;
the source and way to Life, and thus how to live. (Joh 14:6)
To Stand Firm:
Embrace Jesus. Embrace Truth. Know Truth. Walk in Truth.
Hold to Truth, the Word, by letting it hold you, direct you, and lead you.
Hold to the Truth of who God is and who you are in Christ, living by His Spirit and His power, and He is in control of your life.
LISTEN. . .
Am I embracing Jesus?
Am I saturating myself in the Word to hold to Truth?
Do I turn to the Word letting it control me?
Do I turn to the Word to lead and direct me, to make the right choices and decisions in my life?
Respond to God. . .LIVE it out!
b. Putting on the Breastplate of Righteousness
We receive the gift of righteousness when we believe the gospel. (Rom 5:17)
To Stand Firm:
Let the breastplate of righteousness protect us from sin, so live right before God.
LISTEN. . .
Have I believed and received the gift of righteousness?
Am I practicing righteousness in my temptations, or am I being unrighteous in my temptations?
Will I confess my sins, and be cleansed of any unrighteousness?
Respond to God. . .LIVE it out!
c. Putting on the Gospel of Peace
We have peace with God (reconciled); (Rom 5:1)
We are to be at peace with one another; and (Jam 4:1-7)
We are ambassadors of peace. (2Co 5:18-21)
To Stand Firm:
Being an instrument of peace wherever you go.
LISTEN. . .
Am I at peace with God and others?
Am I a peacemaker?
Respond to God. . .LIVE it out!
d. Taking up the Shield of Faith
By faith we are saved, and we live by faith. (Eph 2:8)
We must trust in the promises and power of God,
Using specific Truths from the Word of God to quench the fiery darts of the enemy.
To Stand Firm:
Reaffirming your faith and trust in God to protect and provide.
LISTEN. . .
Do I have faith? Am I saved? Am I living by faith?
Am I trusting in God’s Word, and using it to quench the fiery darts of Satan?
Respond to God. . .LIVE it out!
e. Taking the Helmet of Salvation
When we believe the gospel we are saved and given the mind of Christ. (1Co 2:16)
We must let Christ renew and control our minds with the Word of Truth. (Rom 12:2)
The ONLY way to replace the world’s ideas and thinking is to replace it with God’s Truth!
To Stand Firm:
Thinking on the Word, in every situation. Thinking pure and right thoughts.
LISTEN. . .
Am I letting the Word soak into my brain to renew, reprogram, my mind?
Respond to God. . .LIVE it out!
f. Taking the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. (Heb 4:12)
To Stand Firm:
Use the Word of God to counter Satan’s tactics.
And speak the Word of Truth to help others.
LISTEN. . .
What am I doing to saturate myself in the Word of God, in order to take up the Sword of the Spirit?
Am I reading, meditating, memorizing, and studying the Word of God?
Respond to God. . .LIVE it out!
g. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.
Check out Mat 6:9-13 where Jesus taught us how to pray!
What are we to specifically pray according to Mar 14:38?
To Stand Firm:
Pray!
LISTEN. . .
Am I praying? How am I praying for myself and others?
Do I pray not to be lead into temptation?
Now do you understand what all is involved in putting on our armor?
Respond to God. . .LIVE it out!
What Have We LEARNED?
Let’s Sum It Up
We LEARN:
God does allow each one of us to be tempted by Satan, the devil.
When we are tempted, we need to:
Battle standing firm in the Lord and the strength of His might, putting on our armor which is the Word of God.
Know the Word of God.
Resist with the Word.
Pray.
That’s It For Today!
Mull over all you are learning about being tempted and ‘how’ to resist temptations!
We Need to Understand:
That the way we respond to temptations, and
where we put the blame
is another ‘test’ that proves our faith.
Record In Your Notes
Take a minute to put what you have LEARNED in your Notes, but also in your hardbound Bibles next to Jam 1:13-14.
Video Tutorial > Notes Tutorial>
A suggestion: I copied these Truths about the armor and pasted them in my Notes, in Ephesians Chapter 6, and also jotted them there in my hardbound Bible.
This will make it easier to find in order to review and/or share with others.
Turn What We Have LEARNED into Prayer
Perhaps…
OH FATHER, how grateful we are for Your Holy Word and Your Spirit who is leading and guiding us into all Truth. Practical Truth for our daily living. Oh Father, we praise You Who are holy and pure! Oh, help us to get into our heads and hearts that each one of us is tempted when enticed by our own lusts. Whether You allow Satan to do the tempting or not, we who are ‘in Christ‘ have the ability to say NO to temptation.
Once again, I ask You to forgive us for blaming You and/or others and not taking responsibility for giving in to our lusts. Forgive us for our ignorance and giving Satan so much credit. Help us to stand firm against the schemes of the enemy by putting on our armor daily. And help us to grow in our knowledge of Your Word, which we need in order to resist as Jesus did. In the name of Your Son we pray and ask these things! Amen.
Stay tuned, this all will become very practical in the next few days.
Next: we will focus on what happens if we don’t resist the temptation
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