The Gift of Temptation

​Love you all, praying for you. 
 
I just love God’s Word – it is overcoming.  It tells you of temptation, and God’s plan for you in it.  Temptation is the gift of suffering.  God said Jesus suffered when He was tempted.  So temptation is a form of suffering.  The Bible says Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered.  Was this the crucifixion?  No, it couldn’t be, because if it was, He wouldn’t have learned obedience, until after his death.  But we know He fully obeyed long before Passion Week.  He obeyed his whole life?  He was sinless, or He couldn’t have been our Savior.  He learned obedience (demonstrated it, through suffering, hardship, persecution, and temptation).  Praise God, we now have a High Priest who suffered temptation like we do, but far more than we ever will.  And His victory over temptation can now be yours.  Temptation – is a God-given opportunity to evict the devil.  The temptation is not a gift from God, He doesn’t tempt us, but the opportunity to overcome and the power to do so is God’s gift.   The purpose of it is so you can get the crown of life!   You can overcome temptation by choosing grace!  God promised no temptation will overtake you that is not common to man, and God is faithful He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  God gives grace to say no to temptation – the desires and lusts of the flesh.  You resist the devil by turning – from every appearance of evil.   Choose Grace, Move your feet!  Praise God for the way out He promised, and declare that you will take it.  Then move your feet to what you should be doing right now.  You resist the devil with your mouth and your feet, and returning to obedience of what He told you to do in this hour.  “God, I thank you for the law of righteousness that now controls me!  That is far more powerful than the law of sin that used to control me.  I choose righteousness, I choose God’s grace to say no to (xyz) – whatever temptation arose.   God I praise you for victory – I will speak your Word of victory, I will never go back to sin, I move my feet right now, I will obey right now your assignment for me this hour.  I choose praise, and not complain, I choose peace not anger, I choose blessing not cursing, humility, not pride, I choose purity, not lust, I choose faith not doubt, I choose contentment not greed, I choose patience not impatience, I choose wisdom not foolishness, I chose belief and not fear.  I will choose You Holy Spirit who gives me victory and leads me in victory… God is my strength, an ever-present help in time of trouble. He answers when I call – He delivers me!  He’s answering right now, and I’m taking it!  He is my fortress, I will obey His Word, and Praise His Name, I will never be shaken.  He brings me from glory to glory.  I will never go back!  I’m free from sin in Jesus’ Name!   Thank you Jesus! 
 
As you recognize temptation, Choose grace, and move your feet, declaring that you will obey, that God’s power is greater, and move your feet right now – to what God called you to do in this hour… The devil has to flee, God said.  He has to try again at a more opportune time which will never come because you are growing in grace, from glory to glory.  But… if your heart is set on things below, rather than things above.  Then it will be a magnet that continually draws temptation to you.  James 1:12-15 – Blessed is the man (male or female) who endures temptation (who perseveres under trial) because, when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised those who obey him, (who love him).  When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.  If you’re struggling with temptation, if you’re getting a lot of it… it’s probably because the devil knows you’re easy pickings. Low hanging fruit.
 
I always thought temptation enticed you, it doesn’t.  It’s just an opportunity presented by the devil, a suggestion.  Read the verse - your own evil desire drags you away to the place you get enticed.  Your evil desire drags you away to where you are prone to fall.   Your heart has become a magnet for temptation, if you allow evil desires to remain in your heart.   You either fill it with God’s Word, and reject the evil desires of the flesh, and replace them… or those evil desires remain, and constantly drag you away, where you are easy prey to temptation.  So temptation is always at your door.  Gen 4:7 – If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it. (Subdue it and be its master).  Temptation isn’t enticement – it is suffering, but for a purpose, the opportunity to overcome so you receive the crown of life.  This is easy!  Or this is not easy.  If your heart is full of evil desires, rather than the Word of truth and life and changed desires, then temptation has a standing invitation in your life, and enticement is inevitable.  You are dragged away by those desires, you are easy prey.  
 
V15 – Then, after desire has conceived it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown gives birth to death.  Sin leads to death, no exception.  Doesn’t matter if you’re not saved, or you are saved.  Sin causes separation – and leads to death.  Desire is what gives birth to sin, temptation is just the opportunity taken by the devil to activate it.  If you are going to avoid sin, it’s more than just resisting the devil time and time again, it’s changing the evil desire of your heart that drags you away, where you’re easily enticed.  Changing the evil desire that conceives and gives birth to sin that brings death and becomes the standing invitation to perpetual temptation. 
 
Your mouth is the key – Speak His Word with your mouth into your heart.  Ask God to Change your heart, to change your desires, so you love him more than sin.  Give no place to the devil, give no place to sin, don’t let the devil have the least smallest foothold, demolish it.  Declare that You believe God’s Word and will obey His Word.  David said, “I have inclined my heart to obey God’s Word.”  David understood the power of the heart regarding temptation, and the power of his words to fill his heart, and change it’s desires.   David was overcoming temptation by his own words, by his own declarations – even before any temptation came!  You gain victory over temptation, not just in the throws of it, you gain victory over temptation before it comes.  Change your heart.  His Word will change your desires.  Ask God to change your desires by His Word, resist the devil, and as your desires change, because God’s power through His Word is changing them… then resisting the devil will be easier, and he will become an infrequent visitor instead of a never leaving guest.  
 
If you experience wave after wave of temptation, it’s because you haven’t changed your heart, and you haven’t resisted the devil, so he doesn’t flee, he just comes at you more.  He knows you’ll cave.   But if you ask God to change your evil desires into his righteous desires, and as you Speak God’s Word into your heart, which lets God do that work, then you will learn to resist immediately, and when the devil comes with a bigger wave, you just resist again, which makes you stronger, you get momentum of victory over him, you get praising and obeying, and move your feet to God’s will for you in this hour, instead of the sin the devil wants you to consider...  And the devil and sin are left behind, temptation becomes an overcoming habit, you get a crown of life, the joy of obedience, and the momentum of victory for the next time.  Learn to celebrate victory over temptation.  Let God remove the evil desires that drag you away to be enticed - by His Word planted in your heart with your own mouth, and your instant obedience habit.  And victory over temptation will be your norm.  The law of righteousness far more powerful than the law of sin that once enslaved you.  God has victory for you – it’s your birthright of your new birth in Christ.  You are a child of the King, New Kingdom, New Rules, Greater power. 
 
Love you all,
dad