SATURDAY JULY 12, 2014.
'Blessed
is the man who perseveres under trial...' James 1:12 NIV
Are You Being Tempted?
You'll never be exempt from temptation. Each season
of life just brings temptation in a different form. When you're young you'll
struggle with things like the need for companionship and sexual fulfilment. In
business you' might be tempted to distort the truth, cheat and pocket the
money. When you become successful, if you're not careful you could become
ego-driven, controlling and opinionated. The truth is, you never become so
spiritual as to be exempt from temptation. After forty days of prayer and fasting,
Satan tempted Jesus. Remember, you are as vulnerable to attack after a great
spiritual experience as you are in your lowest moments. Satan understood Jesus'
assignment and he was out to stop Him from accomplishing it. And he is out to
stop you too! The battle you're in is not over the past, it's over the future.
In the face of repeated temptation Jesus defeated Satan by using the Word of
God, and you must too. Without it you have no defense. In what specific areas
do you struggle? What's your strategy for victory? What percentage of the time
are you successful? Which Scriptures have you memorized to help you conquer the
tempter when he comes against you? Look at Samson, God's champion: blinded,
chained, grinding corn like an ox in a Philistine dungeon. Sin has a blinding
effect, a binding effect and a grinding effect. Prisons are filled with people
who were too weak to stand up against Satan. Dreams crash daily on the rocks of
temptation. Move the ship of your life away from those rocks while you still can.
Taken
from the Word for You Today Devotional
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