Counsel on how to deal with TEMPTATION

I was talking to a very dear sister the other day and we were having a discussion about the “differences between “temptation” and “attacks” upon us by the demonic.

She asked me how the LORD had guided me during these times.


TEMPTATIONS: are more about the work that is done to bring us INTO the conformity of CHRIST. a REVEALING of our WEAKNESS' that they can be RESTORED.

ATTACKS: are more about a REVEALING of HIS POWER and AUTHORITY.

BOTH require: submission and surrender.

SO, I thought perhaps it would be a helps to others to share how the LORD has GUIDED my life on how to AVOID TEMPTATION and ATTACKS that come upon me.[/size]


Today I will just focus on one area “ TEMPTATION”.


Sorry again.. another long post..duh


Concerning TEMPTATION:


How do you handle temptation in your life?
Perhaps the LORD has guided you and given you COUNSEL already in this area to where you have gained some VICTORIES in your life.

HE is THE LORD, There is ONLY ONE HEAD, and HOW HE leads us is HOW we should follow.

I do not seek to change HIS GUIDANCE upon your life, but to offer OTHERS an opportunity to consider this as only a guideline and approach towards VICTORY over TEMPTATION and SIN.



]Here is how the LORD has taught me over the years on how to avoid “temptation” in my life.


As always I feel it is important to start with a “FOUNDATION” of what I believe:
(note, you may certainly skip to the study, as I have drawn a line between my BELIEVES and the actually study of SCRIPTURE)


I absolutely believe that everyone is subject to being TEMPTED from time to time. As long as we live upon this earth, and in this “flesh” we are going to have temptations before our eyes.

Of course if you disagree with that I would like to know how that is done.

I DO absolutely experience temptation in my own life, SOME temptations have no power in my life anymore, then just to find a NEW ONE pop up in my life, and just like everyone else, I must find myself in a place where I "DESIRE" HIM above satisfying my own flesh.

I do not believe TEMPTATION can be avoided completely, because we live in a kingdom of people that worship the god of this world. However THROUGH temptation we find our WEAKNESS and SEEK restoration, thus the "TEMPTATIONS in our lives" are left without POWER.

I believe the demonic has the ability to bring TEMPTATIONS into our lives. They will use “instruments” of this world to cross our paths for the purpose of temptation.

I do not believe the ‘demonic” can read our Hearts, but they have the ability to watch our actions and responses and know our weakness’.

I do BELIEVE: The LORD IS GOOD and ALWAYS “DESIRES” GOOD for HIS BODY.
There is NO GOOD without HIM and even IN MOMENTS Of temptation HIS DESIRE IS STILL GOOD.



Temptation, is something that I BELIEVE the LORD sometimes “allows” in our lives to REVEAL areas in our lives that need correction and conformity: ie in our character, and lifestyle. It is meant to ‘reveal” the weakness we have in our walls, so that we can seek “REPENTANCE/turning away” and be brought to NEW LIFE in the IMAGE OF CHRIST.

1 Peter 1; 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:



James 1:12 Blessed [is] the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him

The ENEMY tempts us for very different reasons, so that we: fail, to cause separation between GOD and man, and to cause the stings of death (health),so thathe can steal, lie and deceive. SEEKING to cause us to REBELL Etc.

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OK finally on with the STUDY:



]For ME at least, these scripture have offered me a great deal of GUIDANCE and good COUNSEL in the DIRECTION towards that narrow path on how to avoid and withstand TEMPTATION in my life:

I do desire to make this clear:

TEMPTATION would not be TEMPTATION, if it wasn’t something that you "YOUR FLESH" DESIRED and LUSTED for.


]I know for me, One of the MAIN driving FORCES behind not falling into TEMPTATION, is I have a tremendous fear of the LORD’S chastisement and I do not believe that ANYTHING can be hid from HIM. I ALMOST always think about..

]" IS this REALLY going to be worth the consequences if I travel this road"

That mightnot be the BEST approch, but "FEAR" is one of my MAIN motivations.


I honesty wish I could say it is always because I LOVE HIM that much, but I would be lieing if I didn’t say “I actually fear HIM that much”.

When I find myself in TEMPATION:


]MY first thoughts direct me TOWARDS the WORD.


]I think of the scriptures as the SWORD, and the tools for living in obedience.


Romans 6: 16 [/size]Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

When TEMPTATION comes WE WILL YIELD ourselves to ether SIN or to “OBEDIENCE” to the LORD’S precepts and principles.

I ask myself such questions as:

WHO will MASTER my thoughts?

Who will I lead myself to as a servant?

Whose VOICE am I surrendering myself to?


James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

FIRST CLUE:
.The LORD does NOT tempt us with UNGODLINESS, what is UNHOLY.


James 1: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

James 1: 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death


A man/woman is TEMPTED, based on his OWN LUST and DESIRES: (and by the way, EVEN NEED sometimes)


The question then becomes will we allow ourselves to be ENTICED by these LUST and DESIRES?



IF one allows themselves to “MEDITATE” on the temptation, then the “ENTICMENT” begins to bring about “CONCEPTION/BIRTH” and whether you want to believe it or not, what we MEDITATE UPON, reveals itself in ACTIONS, reflections of what OUR HEART “DWELLS” upon.

]HOW DOES the LORD tell us to deal with TEMPTATION:



For me, there are THREE general STEPS the LORD has given me to GUIDE me during the times of TEMPTATION:

A VERY IMPORTANT POINT I DESIRE to MAKE HERE:


ONE can not RESIST SATAN, unless one has FIRST SUBMITTED to GOD. To seek to RESIST SATAN first is to it out of your OWN POWER/flesh and WE are NOT able to fight SPIRITUALLY through the FLESH.

SUBMIT to GOD.

BY ALLOWING the HOLY SPIRIT to do HIS GREAT WORK of “REVEALING” the WORD of GOD to our HEARTS, MINDS.


***THIS 2nd part is the “REASONABLE SERVICE” of the BELIEVER.

What will you do when TEMPTATION comes?

Will you seek the “GUIDANCE” of the WORD and SPIRIT, that you NOT be overcome by temptation?

Will you use the TOOL/SWORD that the LORD has DECLARED as our WEAPON of choice.



OR will you simple surrender your flesh over to your own LUST and DESIRES? and SUFFER and concern yourself with the consquences of that choice later?

NOTE: REMEMBER the HOLY SPIRIT only EMPOWERS what is “OF” GOD, what is righteous and TRUTH.

• TO “CAST DOWN/bring to death” thoughts and imaginations that EXALTETH ITSELF “AGAINST” the “KNOWLEDGE OF GOD”>>> what is HOLY AND TRUE, bringing OURSELF/ our thoughts into “the OBEDIENCE of the MIND OF CHRIST”. (that is the POWER of the SWORD/WORD and the HOLY SPIRIT that dwells within us.)

• Then we are ABLE to RESIST the devil, through the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT and the WORD of GOD.

]James 4: 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you



2 Cor 10: 5 [/size]Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;



CONCLUSION:


1. The KEY to avoiding TEMPTATIONS, that bring us to SEPARATION, is the SURRENDER, not in the RESISTING.



2. Remember it is an “EXERCISE” of FAITH towards GODLINESS in principal and precepts. We are being CONFORMED and TRANSFORMED into the IMAGE Of CHRIST. This is a part of the JOURNEY of our salvation.



3. Remember the LORD came NOT to CONDEMN us but to SAVE US and CONFORM US into that IMAGE that is PLEASING to the FATHER.



4. Through MOST temptations, we are finding our WEAKNESS’ in our spiritual growth and walk. We must continue this RACE until CHRIST RETURNS.



ENCOURAGMENT:


So CONTINUE in the WORD, don’t allow SATAN to STEAL our HOPE, joy, or peace.


WE have a MEDIATOR: JESUS CHRIST
When we “FAIL” during temptations, we must GO to the LORD and seek repentance, ALLOWING the FORGIVENESS to come for the RESTORATION of the RELATIONSHIP, and then rise up in POWER and strength to begin that journey over and over again until the OBEDIENCE comes.

Through our SUFFERINGS and TRAILS we find obedience, as He did.


NEXT TIME that temptation comes upon us, we will have GROWN in FAITH and We will not be so EASILY led to astray into sin.

We will have grown in HIS STRENGTH and in HIS CHARACTER.

Blessings donna


**I hope that was of some helps to others who are suffering in areas of temptation.

A few scriptures for encouragment to continue the race before us:

Just a few scriptures that might also help us, in the assurance that HE is FOR us, not against us, and that THOSE that SEEK HIM, dilentgy and with purity of HEART, will not be found ‘wanting”.

Blessings donna.

1 Sam 12: 14  If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God:

1 Phil 1: 6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ:

1 Peter 1: 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1: 6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

1 Peter 1: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1: 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

2 Peter 1: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.