July 7, 2020

Good Morning Fellow Travelers,

Read: 1 Peter 5:8-10

“No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1Co 10:13 WEB)

We have been looking at positive promises Christ gave us through His Word concerning temptation. The Apostle James brings a profound promise that has the potential to set us free from the lie that we can never be relieved from temptations and tests.

James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Are you seeing the truth in this promise? If we submit to God and resist the devil, He will flee. That the temptations we face are too strong to withstand is really nothing more than an excuse. This is simply our carnal wills crying out to be satisfied. Your temptation may be a moral challenge like Joseph’s, or a money temptation similar to the rich young ruler, or temptations in your thought life.

There are only two responses to temptation. We either give in, or we resist and turn away. The sequence in yielding is clearly outlined in James 1:14-15. We are tempted, then we are drawn away by lust. Lust conceives and bears sin, and sin when it is finished brings us to death. What is it that dies? It is our resolve to be faithful and pure. Our will receives a fatal blow. So many lose hope and hardly have the will to go on because they know that a bridge once crossed is easily crossed again. This is the road to death. Sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. The wages of sin is death. What is the path to victory? It is resisting the devil. Only then will he flee.

I want to close this discussion with a beautiful thought and a challenge. I believe that I Peter 5:8-10 provides the secret to the victory that you are seeking. Resist the devil steadfastly in faith, and cast your temptation before the Lord. You are serving a mighty God who will help you. Remember that God wants to bring you to glory after the suffering on this earth, so He helps you to be perfect, established, and settled in Him. You are equipped with the resources of God. If you use these resources, the devil cannot conquer you any longer. Seek victory with all your heart and may God bless you as you strive to live fully for Him.

~ James Baer