"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." James 4:7-8 ESV
In my limited time on earth I have learned one thing; the only way to resist the devil is to submit to God's authority over our life and draw near to Him. When we draw near and submit, the enemy is defeated, each and every time. It is only when we don't submit to God's authority and draw near to Him for protection, that the enemy gains ground in our constant battle with him.
As I have walked the road that I was placed on, I have learned that there are certain things that I am drawn to more than others. Temptations that the enemy places in my path more than others. And I won't insult you by saying that I haven't succumbed to the pressure of the temptations in my life before because then I would be a "perfect" person and those that know me, have first hand knowledge that shows that is simply not reality. We all have sinful things that we are drawn to more than others we know. While I struggle with pornography and anger; you might struggle with drinking alcohol or gambling. While I struggle with my own pride and vanity; you might struggle with a poor self image and suicidal thoughts. There are all kinds of things that I can list that we each struggle with, I like to call these the bullets in the enemy's guns.
As I have grown in this walk with Christ, I have strayed off His path and tried to use my own GPS to find my way more times that I can count and it always ends up on a dead end with me pleading for Him to come rescue and forgive me. It is the times when I realize that the enemy has no power and that God has given me a "bullet proof vest" in the power of the Holy Spirit, that is when I am able to resist the enemy. It is only when I submit my control and draw near to God that victory is achieved, stress is relieved, and I can walk easily alongside God.
We all have to realize that God is here to help, not hinder or hurt us. We also have to remember that Jesus has suffered with every temptation the enemy can shoot our way. Remember the time Jesus spent in the desert being tempted by the enemy? It might not say that the enemy showed Jesus a Playboy magazine or offered Him various drugs and alcohol to dull His senses but I believe that Jesus faced the same level of temptation and quite possibly even more than we can actually imagine simply because He was in fact, God.
Paul says in 1st Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." Paul says that even when we face morally confusing situations, we should never think that they have no options other than sinful ones. There are always morally right solutions that don't require our blatant disobedience to any of God's laws.
We always have a choice!
So when the temptation that you suffer with rears its ugly head, submit yourself to God and draw near to Him for the ability to put that temptation down and defeat our common enemy.
In my limited time on earth I have learned one thing; the only way to resist the devil is to submit to God's authority over our life and draw near to Him. When we draw near and submit, the enemy is defeated, each and every time. It is only when we don't submit to God's authority and draw near to Him for protection, that the enemy gains ground in our constant battle with him.
As I have walked the road that I was placed on, I have learned that there are certain things that I am drawn to more than others. Temptations that the enemy places in my path more than others. And I won't insult you by saying that I haven't succumbed to the pressure of the temptations in my life before because then I would be a "perfect" person and those that know me, have first hand knowledge that shows that is simply not reality. We all have sinful things that we are drawn to more than others we know. While I struggle with pornography and anger; you might struggle with drinking alcohol or gambling. While I struggle with my own pride and vanity; you might struggle with a poor self image and suicidal thoughts. There are all kinds of things that I can list that we each struggle with, I like to call these the bullets in the enemy's guns.
As I have grown in this walk with Christ, I have strayed off His path and tried to use my own GPS to find my way more times that I can count and it always ends up on a dead end with me pleading for Him to come rescue and forgive me. It is the times when I realize that the enemy has no power and that God has given me a "bullet proof vest" in the power of the Holy Spirit, that is when I am able to resist the enemy. It is only when I submit my control and draw near to God that victory is achieved, stress is relieved, and I can walk easily alongside God.
We all have to realize that God is here to help, not hinder or hurt us. We also have to remember that Jesus has suffered with every temptation the enemy can shoot our way. Remember the time Jesus spent in the desert being tempted by the enemy? It might not say that the enemy showed Jesus a Playboy magazine or offered Him various drugs and alcohol to dull His senses but I believe that Jesus faced the same level of temptation and quite possibly even more than we can actually imagine simply because He was in fact, God.
Paul says in 1st Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." Paul says that even when we face morally confusing situations, we should never think that they have no options other than sinful ones. There are always morally right solutions that don't require our blatant disobedience to any of God's laws.
We always have a choice!
So when the temptation that you suffer with rears its ugly head, submit yourself to God and draw near to Him for the ability to put that temptation down and defeat our common enemy.
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