Overcoming Temptation

We are entering the third week of Prayer & Fasting. I could sense a deeper presence of God as I prayed this morning. I truly believe that God will draw near to those who choose to draw near to Him. I am thankful that the death of Christ made it possible that I could enter into the presence of God and offer Him my praise as well as my petitions. 

I would like to share a brief snippet from the message that I shared at New River on Sunday. The enemy certainly seeks to bring all types of temptations into our lives but we can rest assured that God is aware of each of these and that He has provided a way of escape for each of us.

I Corinthians 10:12-13, “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. ¹³ The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.  And God is faithful.  He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.  When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” (NLT)

The Spirit encouraged the Apostle Paul to teach us that satan, our arch-enemy has a arsenal full of strategies, devices, or tactics that he will use to overthrow and overwhelm us. Let us remember that the ultimate goal of satan is to bring spiritual defeat to our lives. But we can rely on the Truth of God to provide the strength; courage and boldness that we need to resist and rebuke these tactics of satan. There are schemes and deceptive plots being designed by a very real enemy who is always planning his next move against you and against me. Romans chapter 8 is a treasure house of spiritual Truth as we understand the inspiration that the Spirit placed in the Apostle Paul’s heart. The Spirit reminds us that we are free from sin because the Spirit of Christ lives in us. The Spirit reminds us that we are sons and daughters of God because we have been adopted into the family of God and we have the privilege of calling God, “Abba Father.” The Word reveals this truth to us; “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (v. 26) (Emphasis added)

I am making the choice to depend on the promises and provisions of God to lead and guide me down and through the path of life that lies in front of me.