The Devil Made Me Do It!
DEFINITION: Jas: 1:13-15 “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: But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” What is hidden in the heart, God will bring to the surface.
1 Cor. 4:5 “Who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.”
Sources of temptation:
Satan: Mt. 4:1 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”
Men: Mk. 8:11 “And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with Him, seeking of Him a sign from Heaven, tempting Him.”
Self Lusts: Jas. 1:13-15 (see above)
Need for temptation:
Brothers and sisters temptation is very needful in the kingdom of God for there are areas of our lives that even we can’t see. I remember years ago I was sitting in a meeting when one of the men told me that I was a phony. I said, “Not so brother, what you see is what you get”. Each man in the room shook their heads saying that the man was right. I couldn’t believe it. I loved the Lord with all my heart and I thought I was following Him and everyone else saw what I couldn’t. It was devastating to me. So the Lord uses temptation (or trials, or testing) to bring to light the hidden things of the heart. 1Co. 4:5 “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”
Faith and patience tested:
Jas. 1:2-4 “My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But, let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
Faith tested:
1 Pet.l:6-7 “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, (in salvation, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”
Temptation is common to all:
1 Cor. 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation, also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
God delivers OUT OF IT!
2 Pet.2:9 “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished:”
Even Christ was tempted:
He was tempted in all ways as we are. Heb.4:15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Who are Those who yield to temptation:
Seed among the rocks Lu. 8:13 “They on the rock are they which, when they, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.”
We should restore them;
Gal. 6:1 “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
Blessed is he that endureth:
Jas. 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.”
CONCLUSION:
The very first step toward conquering temptations is to see it as temptation. To dissociate yourself from it. Not to think of it as something resulting from your tiredness, or illness, or poverty, or nerve-strain, which you feel you might well excuse yourself for yielding, but first, to realize very fully that when you have God’s voice and are going to fulfill your mission to work for Him and draw souls to Him, you must expect a mighty onslaught from the evil one, who will endeavor with all his might to frustrate you, and to prevent your good work. Expect that. Then when these little temptations, or big ones, come, you will recognize them as planned by evil to thwart God, then for the very love of Him you will conquer.”
IS TEMPTATION ALLOWED BY GOD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT?
In response to someone who said they didn’t think that God allowed Satan to tempt Christians under the new covenant. They said that the Devil could do anything he wanted to a Christian and that the Christian had the word to combat him with. True, we do combat him with the word, and only the word, but I will attempt to show scripturally that temptation for good only comes from God.
Lu. 22:31-32 “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
The word desired is ‘exalteo’ which means: to obtain by asking. It appears that Satan had to ask God for permission to sift Simon. Also by the rest of the verse, “I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not”, seems that God gave that permission and Jesus was encouraging him.
(Note:) Sifting was the way to separate the good from the bad. We know that Simon was sifted when he was asked three times if he was a disciple of the Lord. Jesus said “Simon, Simon ... He called him Simon because He was addressing his old unstable nature. Simon means wishy-washy, while Peter means rock. God allowed Simon to be tried so that after he passes the test and becomes stronger, he can strengthen his brethren.
2 Cor. 12:7-8 Paul said “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. And He said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee.”
Who sent the messenger of Satan to keep him humble before God? The messenger of course came from Satan but who ordered him? Paul had seen things that he couldn’t even tell us of what he saw in heaven. In order to keep him humble before men God gave him a thorn in the flesh to make him remember that he was just a man.
Why didn’t God supernaturally keep him from being exalted above measure? Why did God say, ”My grace is sufficient? God could have supernaturally zapped him and made him humble but that isn’t the way God works. God had to work humility into Paul on a day by day basis.
This was called a ‘temptation in Gal. 4:14. “And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.” This testing was called a temptation.
1 Pet. 1:6-7 “[You should] be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations. So that [the genuineness] of your faith may be tested, [your faith] which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested and purified by fire. [This proving of your faith is intended] to redound to [your] praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, is revealed.”
Who desires that your faith be proved? Who wants your faith to be genuine? Of course the answer is God.
Mt. 6:13 The Lord said to pray this .. “lead us not into temptation”. How much better it would be if all of us would listen intently for the leading of the Lord and then follow that leading instead of having to be tested, tried, and tempted!
IS TEMPTATION ... GOOD OR BAD ?
When God created man, He gave him a free will. God gave man an irrevocable free will. He wanted fellowship with man and He didn’t want man to worship Him out of compulsion but from his heart. So man has to make a choice, for good or bad. God will never usurp that free will. Man dedicates every power of spirit, soul and body to this end.
For this end, evil was necessary!
Isa. 45:7 Light cannot be seen to shine except there be darkness. Heat cannot be felt to warm except there be cold. Man cannot know his nature fixed on God, except by his refusal to fix it on the devil.
Adam being tempted, failed. Adam knew what God had said about not eating of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He chose to listen to his wife instead of God. God told Adam that the day that you eat of it you will surely die. Adam lived for another 800 years, so what did God mean? The day that Adam sinned he died spiritually. God in His mercy banished him from the garden to keep him from the Tree of Life, for if he had eaten of it also we would be condemned to eternal with no hope for salvation.
Sin entered and death by sin.
Rom. 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” When the devil caused Adam to sin he usurped the rulership of this world for God had given it to Adam in the beginning. Gen 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
Jesus had to be tempted also
His temptations started as far as we know when He was twelve. Luke 2:42-52. He had to choose whether to be obedient to His parents or teach others the Word of God. He slipped for God teaches to be obedient to your parents. Deu. 5:16
Before Jesus started His earthly ministry He was tempted for forty days by the Devil. Lu. 4:2 “Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.”
He was tempted in body, soul, and spirit
In body: He had to eat, sleep, and drink. In the fierceness of the conflict, tired, hungry, and strained, a decision had to be made. The stabbing suggestion, “use your new powers to make the stones into bread”. The fight was on. Was His body to be master or slave? Would He give
into it or the Spirit within Him?
The Answer: The Word was spoken. Not a powerless negative, a mere “No” which leaves the nagging temptation unrelieved; but a triumphant positive that swallows up the negative; “Man lives by every word of God”. His body became an instrument of God’s glory.
In soul: Greater than the body, it houses all the
powers of the personality, to think, to will to feel. The only man ever to be offered total world dominion when Satan “showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time”. They were His if He would submit to the wisdom of this world. The alternative technique to world domination, which was highly improbable and fantastic, was love, truth, self-giving, meekness, and faith expressed through a soul totally.
The Answer : The Word was spoken. Again the power of the positive to offset the lure. Thus the result was ultimate rulership as King of all Kings, and Lord of all Lords. “By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Rom. 5: 19
In Spirit: Yet spirit is deeper than soul. It is the essence of a man. If body and soul must be fixed in God through the stabilizing process of temptation, so must the spirit. Though we yield body and soul to God, we still have trouble keeping out of the center of the picture. Though Satan could not touch Jesus’ body or soul, he sought to touch His spirit. Let the people behold as He descends with supernatural power. Let them flock around this miracle worker. Let them see who He is; the Son of God with power. The masses will be at His feet. They will be as clay in His hands, to be molded to His pattern. The alternative?
To give Himself to show forth Another as life’s final meaning; to point to Another; so that from thought, word, and action stands forth the outline, not the visible Jesus, but of the invisible Father. To worship any flesh, even the flesh of Jesus, is idolatry. So on the pinnacle of the Temple the battle was fought and won confusing Satan and confirming the Son as a servant of the Father. This was the fulfillment of Rom.6:16-17 “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? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.”
The Answer: If we know the secret of the Spirit, we
do not meet the pull of the carnal with an ineffective “No” (the “thou shall not” of the law), which leaves the conflict unresolved, or at best gives victory only by the skin
of the teeth; but we meet it with the positive, the “Christ hath delivered us from the curse of the law”; the ringing declaration that the “I” who might respond to the temptation
is “crucified with Christ”. Not that the stimuli are not still present in the world or the capacity to respond in soul or body not still there, but the counteraction of Christ has occupied the whole man.
To be tempted and to conquer means another step toward Spiritual maturity. Temptation is not to be confused with sin. Human instincts and capacities are in themselves neutral, neither good nor bad. It depends on the choice we make after we are tempted, that is where the sin enters. The lusts mentioned in James means desires which are put there by God. The heart determines the choice.
Conclusion:
Let us be free and unafraid in Christ, not with bravado (lest we be led away), recognizing what the battleground is, who the enemy is, what the weapon of our victory is, and what the outcome is. SELAH
WHY TEMPTATION?
It reveals the real you! There’s nothing like temptation to show you what you’ll do if given the opportunity. It shows us ‘where we are and where we stand; and it plays an important role in what we will be in the future.
Deut. 8:2 “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or not.”
Deut. 13:3 “Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
It presents a lesson to be learned.
Our choice demonstrates whether the lesson was learned or must be repeated. If our choice was right, we are blessed, if our choice wrong, we are burned. God doesn’t give us commandments just to make us jump through hoops as a trained dog, but, He wants our lives to be full and rich. A given example is a mother telling her little child not to play in the street. “But mama, I can’t skateboard on the driveway and the street is smooth”. We know why the child shouldn’t play in the street but the child doesn’t understand.
Temptation has always been misunderstood.
It is thought of as something to be avoided at all costs, or something that is dangerous and will cause much pain and trouble, or something that will surely lead us into wrongdoing. All these conclusions are exactly opposite of God’s intentions. There is an old adage saying, “Don’t buy a horse until you try him”. Also we know not to buy a car until we try it out. Trying or testing shows us our standing, where we stand on certain aspects of our lives.
Temptation is not the cause of trouble or wrongdoing, it just presents us with a choice. You pull up to a red traffic light on a lonely road. The light is a long one. Do you go through it? If you do and there is a policeman around you will get a ticket. Would the temptation be worth it? The Greek word for temptation, pierasmos, which means: That which puts us to the proof, whether by good or malicious design. It is neutral, neither good nor evil. It simply reveals our hearts to us. Heb. 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Temptation brings on heat.
Steel must be tempered and put to the test under varying degrees of stress to see how it will react for its intended use. Untempered steel given too much pressure will break. So also is the Christian. Fulfillment of a promise, without preparation, can break us as well. Its purpose is not to make life difficult but rather to assist in the preparation needed to receive the good things God desires to give. Deut. 6:3-19 “If you obey these commands you will become a great nation in a glorious land ‘flowing with milk and honey’, even as the God of your fathers promised you ... listen, Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone. You must love Him with all your heart, soul and might. And you must think constantly about these commandments I am giving you today. You must teach them to your children and talk about them when you are at home or out for a walk; at bedtime and the first thing in the morning ... When the Lord your God has brought you into the land He promised your ancestors ... when He has given you great cities full of good things - cities you didn’t build, wells you didn’t dig, and vineyards and olive trees you didn’t plant - and when you have eaten until you can eat no more, then beware lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of slavery. When you are full, don’t forget to be reverent to Him and to serve Him and to use His name alone to endorse your promises ... You must not provoke him and try His patience ... If you obey Him all will go well with you and you will be able to go in and possess the good land which the Lord promised ... You will also be able to throw out all your enemies living in the land, as the Lord agreed to help you do.” You see, there were conditions placed upon their receiving. They had to make a choice whether to obey and possess the land or not obey and not receive God’s best.
Count it all joy.
Seen in the perspective of not being a thing to be avoided or feared, but rather to be rejoiced at because it is designed to prepare us to receive what we long to have.
Conclusion:
Temptation isn’t real unless it involves the actual possibility of failure - a moment where you face the issue squarely and it is almost a toss-up which way you will take. Temptation looks so sweet - so sensible - so logical - you are on the verge of trading what it offers for what God has said. When you have faced that kind of decision, you have moved from lip service to God to wholehearted willingness to obey Him regardless of what it may cost you.
HOW TEMPTATION WORKS
God gives us the outline to receive His promises. Promise, Principle, Problem, Provision.
Promise: God provides us with over 7,000 in His word. They are meant to be fulfilled! Unfulfilled promises are our doing not Gods.
Principle: This is the condition that must be met in order to receive the promise. Each promise has one!
Problem: This is the temptation in the wilderness. Do we meet God’s condition or not? Most of us bog down here because we don’t understand it is part of God’s pattern. When we pray for a promise and then stumble into a problem, we think we received a problem instead of a provision. The problem doesn’t come instead of - but as a part of - or
a means of obtaining the provision ... Jas.1:12 “Blessed is the man who shall endure temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive.”
Provision: The fulfillment of God’s promise. The pitfall is: We are apt to be caught unawares when the problem arises. We seldom see the connection between it and the promise. Therefore we are likely to become discouraged and fail. Expecting the problem keeps us prepared, and once we recognize the wilderness situation, we can usually go through it with less pain and in a shorter period of time.
The children of Israel
The new testament says they were our example. God gave the promise (inheritance), then the principle (ten commandments), then the problem (wilderness), then the provision (Canaan land).
Deut. 8:2, 12-18 “Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto thy fathers, as it is this day.”
The wilderness was a temptation, trial, testing, or proving. It was necessary in order for them to obtain their inheritance. THE PURPOSE OF THE WILDERNESS IS ALWAYS TO MAKE US RECOGNIZE OUR OWN INSUFFICIENCY AND GOD’S ALL-SUFFICIENCY. The Israelites died in the wilderness in spite of God’s provision of a promised land because they could never accept the problem as part of God’s plan. Temptation comes to provoke a decision. We either admit our insufficiency, and ask God to provide or we can refuse to see God’s hand in the problem, explode, and blame the whole thing on the terrible circumstances we have fallen into.
Alternatives in the problem.
ANOTHER LAP: Our initial response to the problem leads to an extended stay in the wilderness.
BLEACHED BONES: Repeated negative responses cause us to perish in the wilderness.
STAND AND ENTER: If our response is positive and we choose to stand on God’s principles through the problem, we are able to enter our provision with little delay.
CONCLUSION:
God can change our circumstances in an instant if He wants
When he doesn’t, it is because He wants change something in us. The circumstances are there to bring about what needs to be changed! If we harden our hearts in the wilderness, our bones will also bleach - we will perish in the problem instead of entering the fullness of God’s provision. God is not so much interested in your actions as He is in your reactions. Your actions denote or speak of what you do, while your reactions speak of what you are (Who’s you are). Temptation is nothing more than a test to see if you’ll stand on God’s word alone!
WHEN TEMPTATION WORKS
The Testing Question. When we are in the middle of temptation, God’s principle will always be questioned. We will call this the TESTING QUESTION, “hath God said?” It always doubts God’s word, or; Doubts God’s intentions, and seeks to dishonor God. It was the same thing used by Satan against Eve. If we know God’s word, the testing question will throw doubt on its validity, “You’ll not surely die, for God knows that when you eat of it, you will be like Him, your eyes will be opened”.
Questioning God’s character ... “He’s a mean old God. He doesn’t want you to be like Him or have any fun”. The testing question forces a decision. Until it has been faced there remains the possibility of; 1. Double mindedness. 2. Ego. 3. Self-will. 4. Weakness hiding in our hearts to trip us up at a critical moment!
The testing question always suggests a better way.
“God’s way is hard and could never lead me to fulfilling my dreams or ambitions.” It always presents itself in the form of deception, rationalization and excuses. You will find your reason or senses are likely to be in direct opposition to God’s word!
Abraham was promised a child although He and Sarah were very old. (86 and 76) Gen. 15-16. Their reasoning; Since Sarah was too old to bear, she thought her husband should have a younger woman to perform their task. Man’s way, taking the shortcut to God’s plan. Result: Trouble for the real children of God for the last 4000 years!
Thirteen years after Ishmael’s birth God reappeared to him to reconfirm His word “Through Isaac shall thy seed be called”. He was now 100 and Sarah was 90. (He didn’t know that he would live to be 175 years old and have another family, after Isaac’s marriage.
Second testing question came when he was told to sacrifice Isaac. Was it really God I heard? Did He really say to sacrifice Isaac? What about the covenant He made with Isaac? How can God keep His covenant with Isaac if you sacrifice him? What will Sarah say? Does any of this make any sense? How can a just God make me do such a thing?
“Abraham believed God and it was counted for righteousness”. Obedience alone will take you through to God’s provision. The four P’s worked! First, God gives us His promise. Next, He teaches us the principle. Then, He withdraws His manifest presence and we enter the problem. Now, we are faced with the question, “are you sure God cares about you?” “Well I think He does”. “But you don’t feel Him around anymore, do you?” No ... but ...” “See, God doesn’t care. He left you in the midst of this terrible situation”.
If only Eve had felt God’s presence. If only Abraham had felt god’s presence. If David had only felt God’s presence.
If Moses and the Israelites had felt God’s presence. If the ten spies had felt God’s presence. God’s purpose in withdrawing His manifest presence is to make us face the temptation and the testing question on the basis of His principle alone! Satan cannot succeed in drawing us away from God’s principle unless there is already a measure of doublemindedness in us.
In Jn. 14:30 Jesus said, “Satan is corning and he has no claim on me - he has nothing in common with me There is nothing in me that belongs to him - he has no power over me”. (Amplified)
CONCLUSION:
God will reveal what is hidden in your heart. He will give you a promise, then He will put conditions (principles) on it. Then He will withdraw His manifest presence to see how you will handle it. Then if you pass, He will provide. If not ... One more time around the mountain. God wants to free us from dependency on our feelings and learn to stand on His word alone!
TEMPTATION CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
1. The Promise: God makes His promise to you. (Over 7,000 in the word for Christians).
2. The Principle: This is the condition placed on His promise. There is always a condition ... “If you will, then I will”.
3. The Problem: This is where you have to make a choice. God presents a problem or difficulty and then withdraws His manifest presence to see how you handle it. In fact, the absence of a sensation of God’s presence is one of the characteristics of the time in the problem. If we panic
in the problem, as the Israelites did - time after time -
and cry out to God to come and help us, He will; but the result will be another lap around the mountain and an extended stay in the wilderness. You are the one who stands in the delicate balance of temptation, and the outcome depends
on your decision. The testing question will always appeal
to what is in your heart, and it can be a frightening experience to see what is hiding down there!
4. The Provision: The fulfillment of God’s promise.
Choose Good or Evil
1. God wants us to trust His judgment and take His word for what is good or evil. Satan comes with the clever suggestion that you ought to “be enlightened and know what the public is exposed to in this day and age”. We don’t need to be familiar with evil in order to choose good. Familiarity
with evil is dangerous even when it goes by the label of enlightened understanding.
2. This quest for the knowledge of good and evil got the better of Eve. It was an open door to the tempter.
3. Don’t blame it on the Devil! When you are tempted, don’t put the blame of the temptation on him. He will only be allowed to come around as long as you need him. If you are drawn away from God, it will be by your own desires.
C. ANOTHER ROMAN ROAD: ROMANS 5 - ROMANS 6 - ROMANS 7 - ROMANS 8
1. ROMANS 5 The Promise: “For if, because of one man’s trespass death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor)
and the free gift of righteousness (putting them in right standing with Himself) reign as kings in life through the One, Jesus Christ ...” Rom. 5:17 AMP
2. ROMANS 6 The Principle: “So look upon your old sin nature as dead and unresponsive to sin, and instead be alive to God, alert to Him, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Do not let sin control your puny body any longer; do not give in to its sinful desires. Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give yourself completely to God - every part of you - for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hand of God, to be used for His good purpose”. Rom.6:11-13 NLT
3. ROMANS 7 The Problem; “It seems a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned, but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant but instead
I find myself still enslaved to sin. So you see how it is: my new life tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin. Oh, what a terrible predicament I’m in! Who will free me from my slavery to this deadly lower nature? ... Thank God! It has been done by Jesus Christ Our Lord. He has set me free”. Rom. 7:21-25 NLT. We are self willed people trying to be good in our own strength. This is the most subtle form of rebellion “look at me! I’m loving good - i don’t smoke - I don’t steal - I don’t commit adultery”. God will place us in situations where our own efforts at being good, fair, or loving will hopelessly fail. There are times I wanted my family and neighbors to see a Christian like nature in me, and I have struggled to overcome the personal failures I know are unfit for someone who is supposed to “reign in this life”. The only way to come through the problem into the provision is to let Christ do it for us. Letting Jesus do God’s perfect will in us and through us is the only way it can be done!
4. ROMANS 8 The Provision: “So there is now no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life giving Spirit - and this power is mine through Christ Jesus - has freed me from the vicious circle of sin and death. We aren’t saved from sin’s grasp by knowing the commandments of God, because we can’t and don’t keep them; but God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent His own Son in a human body like ours - except that ours are sinful - and destroyed sin’s control over us by giving Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. So now we can obey God’s laws if we follow after the Holy Spirit and no longer obey the old evil nature within us. Rom.8:1-4 NLT
CONCLUSION:
“And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into His plans”. Rom. 8:28 NLT
Note: When you ask God to save you from your difficulty you must trust wholly in Him. If you do not, and your prayer and faith were genuine, then He must answer your prayer for
help as a rescuer does that of a drowning man who is struggling to save himself. He must first render him still more helpless and powerless until he is wholly at the will and mercy of the rescuer.
TEMPTATION (A Synopsis)
A. What is going on in my life? Why is everything happening to me this way? I love God with all my heart, why all these trials?
B. Let’s study the word temptation. MAT 6:13 {“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”} The word “Temptation” described in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance is #3985; peirasmos, pi-ras-mos’; from 3985; a putting to proof (by experiment [of good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or provocation); by imp!. adversity:-temptation, X try.
——————————— Dictionary Trace ——————————--
#3985> peirazo, pi-rad’ -zo; from 3984; to test (obj.), i.e. endeavor, scrutinize, entice, discipline:-assay, examine, go about, prove, tempt (er), try.
Think of this ... temptation is not temptation unless there is a possibility of failure otherwise it would not be tempting. We must try to realize how sin can come through temptation. 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: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed”.
L.S.D. Lust, Sin, and Death. First comes the temptation or trial in the area of weakness in your life. You have two choices: Respond God’s way ... or follow your own weakness. If you follow God’s way you will be strengthened James 1:2 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
We’re always given a choice. God gave us a free will and therefore He allows us to use our options. God’s way ... or ... Our way?
What is temptation for?
1) To reveal our heart to us. 1 Cor. 4:5b “who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts:”
The tell tale story of old Joe, the wonderful Christian, who came into an inheritance and now we never see him anymore. He is carousing, drinking, and doing things not becoming a Christian. “See, it’s that filthy money that did it”.
No, money is neutral unless you have a love for it. All that change you see in our Joe was there all along, God just wanted Joe to see that it was there. When you witness a riot and people are breaking windows, setting fires, and looting, it simply means those people were just looking for a way to vent their true nature.
2) To give you a choice. If all were good where would the choice be? Therefore God had to create evil (NOT SIN) Isa. 45:7 “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these [things]” You wouldn’t know the warmth of a fire unless you felt the cold. You wouldn’t know light unless there were darkness. You wouldn’t know good unless there were evil.
Examples of Temptation
1. Why did Eve have to be tempted? She wanted to be like God. Gen 3:1-7 Key verse V6 “And when the woman saw that the tree [was) good for food, and that it [was) pleasant to the eves, and a tree to be desired to make {one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Remember LSD. She Lusted for being like God and Sinned by disobeying God and eating it, and for that she Died spiritually.
2. Then why did Adam have to be tempted? He had another God before Jehovah ... Eve! He knew that he was going to lose Eve for she had disobeyed a direct order from God and He didn’t want to. He didn’t stop to think that God made her and He could make another Eve. God had to show who was first in his life...Eve.
3. What about Abraham, was it possible that he loved the “child of his old age” more than God? Genesis 22: 12 “And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only {son) from me.”
4. What about David? He was a man after God’s own heart. There was adultery and murder hiding in his heart. II Sam. 11:1 “ And it came to pass, alter the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth [to battle].... But David tarried still at Jerusalem. And it came to pass in an evening tide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the King’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman {was) very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and inquired alter the woman. And [one) said, [Is) not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her;” When we understand how temptation works , I believe David had seen her before. It was a time when Kings go to war. David was a King. His Generals went but he didn’t. I think he stayed home (even when Uriah wouldn’t) because he knew that she would be there bathing alone. Remember how temptation works ... LSD!
CONCLUSION: The very first step toward conquering temptation is to see it as temptation. To dissociate yourself from it. Not to think of it as something resulting from your tiredness, or illness, or poverty, or nerve-strain which you feel might well excuse yourself for yielding, but first, to realize very fully that when you have God’s word and are going to fulfill your mission to work for Him and draw souls to Him, you must expect a mighty onslaught from the evil one, who will endeavor with all his might to frustrate you, and to prevent your good work. EXPECT THAT. Then, when these temptations come, you will recognize them as planned by evil to thwart God, then for the very love of Him you will conquer.