Being Faithful in the Time of Temptation
?Being Faithful in the Time of Temptation
Zac Poonen |??13?March 2022
?God has allowed Satan and our lusts to be so strong, so that we don't ever imagine that we can conquer them with our own strength. We are compelled to seek for God's power. The Israeli spies saw themselves as grasshoppers when they saw the size of the inhabitants of Canaan (Num.13:32,33). Yet Joshua and Caleb trusted in God's power and entered the land and slew those giants. We need that spirit to conquer ALL our lusts. So, keep saying, in faith,?“I can, and I WILL conquer Satan and all my lusts, through the power of God”.
“As you keep on resisting and suffering, you will finally become willing even to die rather than to sin."
In every temptation, two roads are open to you - (i) the way of pleasure, and (ii) the way of suffering, where you deny the flesh the pleasure it is craving for. The latter way is the way of?“suffering in the flesh”?(1 Pet.4:1). As you keep on resisting and suffering, you will finally become willing even to die rather than to sin. Then you?“resist sin unto blood”?(Heb.12:4).
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An athlete disciplines himself in so many areas. Even so, you must discipline your bodily desires, if you want to overcome against Satan and your lusts and finally win in this heavenly race. Paul said,?“I discipline my body and?make it do what it should do, and not what it wants to. Otherwise after having preached to others, I myself will be disqualified” (1 Cor.9:27?- Living).
Temptation comes to us as a thought in the mind. We must resist it immediately. But when we start out seeking for victory, we don't usually succeed in resisting it until we have indulged in it for a few seconds at least. This is because of the way of life that we have been used to, for so many years. We must keep on battling until we get this initial time-delay in resisting, down to zero! Where we have sinned, we must confess immediately and repent and mourn.
When we find the pressure of temptation too much at any time and fear that we may yield to it, we must cry out for help immediately, just as Peter cried out for help when he was beginning to sink in the sea (Matt.14:30). This is what it means to run to the throne of grace for help. Your fleeing from sin and your struggling against sin are both a proof to God that you are determined to overcome sin in your life. And God will help you mightily.