How do you deal with temptation? What has worked in your own life? What are some helpful Scriptures for this?
Dealing with Temptation advice?
- Thread starter CherieR
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For the first 49 years of my life, none of my efforts ever helped me at all. In fact, I kept becoming worse, and worse, and worse in my behaviors. It wasn't until I underwent a most Powerful experience with our Almighty God that my life began to change. Because pastors and teachers don't teach the Truth of the Gospel, I was unaware that what had happened to me was that I had received the Spiritual Circumcision of Christ. In other words, I had been relieved of the Adamic Curse as described in Romans 5. And this is what True Circumcision is; it is the cutting away of the Sinful Nature (Sarx), or, the Sinful State of a person.
Imagine what Adam and Eve felt as they crossed from Life to Death. They were perfect in their thinking, but after they disobeyed, the Curse of the Lord had been applied not only to all of creation, but they had been handed over to the Sinful Nature, or, the Mind of the Devil. Imagine their change of thinking and what it must have felt like as they went from perfect thinking to sinful thinking. It must have been unbearable. And this is the Purpose of Christ, to reverse that Curse that Adam and Eve had brought upon us all. Well, this is what happened to me. As I was Powerfully Indwelt by the Holy Spirit, I was being Purified of corruption, and that was the day that I had been Purchased by Christ. And once a person is Purchased by Christ, they do not belong to themselves any longer. They become the Holy Property of God and are thus given the Divine Nature and subsequently begin living by the Laws of the Spirit of Life. Now, these Laws are Effectual, meaning that they cause us to change.
There is also the Discipline of the Lord. And those who the Lord Loves, He Disciplines as does any good and loving parent. So in my prior years, I always wanted to change. I begged that God would relieve me of my alcoholism, addictions to sexual proclivities, lying, etc. But . . . I had yet to be Circumcised of the Sinful Nature; thus, my prayers were not heard, and therefore, I was unable to change despite how desperate to change I was. But after the Lord found me, Chose me, and Cleansed me, then and only then did my life begin to change. And this is exactly what our Bible testifies. In fact, you may not have known it, but I just quoted much of the Plan of God as it is in the Bible, but without quoting chapter and verse.
So if you want change in your life, I would learn Colossians 2:9-15. Study the Seven most unbelievable verses. There are rich in doctrine, as they are at the utter core of the entire Bible, for without Spiritual Circumcision, there is no heaven. Spiritual Circumcision is the fulcrum of our Faith. And again, no pastor or teacher taught me these things, but after my Spiritual experience, I began studying the Bible on my own and discovered exactly what had happened to me. So learn these Scriptures below and then pray for them to happen in your life. And know this . . . do not ever stop asking for these things to become a reality in your life. Do not ever stop praying for the Circumcision of Christ until you know for sure that He has done it.
Colossians 2:9-15 NLT - "For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 11 When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision--the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross."
You will be Free in Christ once Spiritual Circumcision has taken place, the cutting away of the Sinful condition of a corrupt heart.
And maybe you have already received this Circumcision . . . I do now know. But at least now you can better understand our plight . . . which is a matter of our heart.
Ezekiel 36:25-27 NLT - 25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations."
Deuteronomy 30:6 NLT - 6 "The LORD your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live!"
Romans 2:27-29 NLT - "In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God's law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God's law but don't obey it. 28 For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people."
These verses are either True of false. Not many heed to them, thus they make them false in their life. But this is up to you to decide . . . that these passages either apply to you or they do not. I submit that they do.
I believe in you.
Imagine what Adam and Eve felt as they crossed from Life to Death. They were perfect in their thinking, but after they disobeyed, the Curse of the Lord had been applied not only to all of creation, but they had been handed over to the Sinful Nature, or, the Mind of the Devil. Imagine their change of thinking and what it must have felt like as they went from perfect thinking to sinful thinking. It must have been unbearable. And this is the Purpose of Christ, to reverse that Curse that Adam and Eve had brought upon us all. Well, this is what happened to me. As I was Powerfully Indwelt by the Holy Spirit, I was being Purified of corruption, and that was the day that I had been Purchased by Christ. And once a person is Purchased by Christ, they do not belong to themselves any longer. They become the Holy Property of God and are thus given the Divine Nature and subsequently begin living by the Laws of the Spirit of Life. Now, these Laws are Effectual, meaning that they cause us to change.
There is also the Discipline of the Lord. And those who the Lord Loves, He Disciplines as does any good and loving parent. So in my prior years, I always wanted to change. I begged that God would relieve me of my alcoholism, addictions to sexual proclivities, lying, etc. But . . . I had yet to be Circumcised of the Sinful Nature; thus, my prayers were not heard, and therefore, I was unable to change despite how desperate to change I was. But after the Lord found me, Chose me, and Cleansed me, then and only then did my life begin to change. And this is exactly what our Bible testifies. In fact, you may not have known it, but I just quoted much of the Plan of God as it is in the Bible, but without quoting chapter and verse.
So if you want change in your life, I would learn Colossians 2:9-15. Study the Seven most unbelievable verses. There are rich in doctrine, as they are at the utter core of the entire Bible, for without Spiritual Circumcision, there is no heaven. Spiritual Circumcision is the fulcrum of our Faith. And again, no pastor or teacher taught me these things, but after my Spiritual experience, I began studying the Bible on my own and discovered exactly what had happened to me. So learn these Scriptures below and then pray for them to happen in your life. And know this . . . do not ever stop asking for these things to become a reality in your life. Do not ever stop praying for the Circumcision of Christ until you know for sure that He has done it.
Colossians 2:9-15 NLT - "For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 11 When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision--the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross."
You will be Free in Christ once Spiritual Circumcision has taken place, the cutting away of the Sinful condition of a corrupt heart.
And maybe you have already received this Circumcision . . . I do now know. But at least now you can better understand our plight . . . which is a matter of our heart.
Ezekiel 36:25-27 NLT - 25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations."
Deuteronomy 30:6 NLT - 6 "The LORD your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live!"
Romans 2:27-29 NLT - "In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God's law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God's law but don't obey it. 28 For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people."
These verses are either True of false. Not many heed to them, thus they make them false in their life. But this is up to you to decide . . . that these passages either apply to you or they do not. I submit that they do.
I believe in you.
For a lot of us, knowing that being tempted is not sin. Know too that forgiveness is always available if we do sin.
1 John 1:
…8If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.…
However, sin should be the exception, not the normal. Romans 6 explains this clearly. Romans 7 states the dilemma that many Christians face. They know what they should and should not do but it seems impossible. The answer is found in Romans 8.
We need to know that only Jesus can live the Christian life. Substitute "saved" with "delivered" and it will become clearer. We are saved by grace, that we know as it is preached a lot. However, the word says that we are saved by the life of Christ (Romans 5:10). If we change this to "delivered" we can see that it means much more than going to heaven when we die.
It is far more than forgiveness for sin. It is Jesus living in us to be the motivation and power to live in a way that pleases God. When we see this, the pressure comes of us. It's no longer a matter of what we must do, but of what Lord Jesus has already done for us at Calvary. When Jesus does the living, everything is easy.
Romans 6. The whole chapter. (Biblehub.com Christian Standard Bible version
1What should we say then?a Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply?b 2Absolutely not!a How can we who died to sinb still live in it? 3Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptizeda into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?b 4Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death,a in order that, just as Christ was raised from the deadb by the glory of the Father,c so we too may walk in newnessA of life.d 5For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death,a we will certainly also beA in the likeness of his resurrection. 6For we know that our old selfa a was crucified with himb so that the body ruled by sinB might be rendered powerlessc so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7since a person who has dieda is freedA from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ,a we believe that we will also live with him, 9because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead,a will not die again. Death no longer rules over him.b 10For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11So, you too consider yourselves dead to sina and alive to God in Christ Jesus.A
12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obeyA its desires. 13And do not offer any partsA of it to sina as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God,b and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the lawa but under grace.b
From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God
15What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?a Absolutely not!b 16Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someoneA as obedient slaves,a you are slaves of that one you obeyb — either of sin leading to deathc or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin,a you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handedA over,b 18and having been set free from sin,a you became enslaved to righteousness. 19I am using a human analogya because of the weakness of your flesh.A For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. 20For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.a a 21So what fruit was producedA then from the things you are now ashamed of?a The outcome of those things is death.b 22But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God,a you have your fruit, which results in sanctificationb — and the outcome is eternal life!c 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.a
1What should we say then?a Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply?b 2Absolutely not!a How can we who died to sinb still live in it? 3Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptizeda into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?b 4Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death,a in order that, just as Christ was raised from the deadb by the glory of the Father,c so we too may walk in newnessA of life.d 5For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death,a we will certainly also beA in the likeness of his resurrection. 6For we know that our old selfa a was crucified with himb so that the body ruled by sinB might be rendered powerlessc so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7since a person who has dieda is freedA from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ,a we believe that we will also live with him, 9because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead,a will not die again. Death no longer rules over him.b 10For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11So, you too consider yourselves dead to sina and alive to God in Christ Jesus.A
12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obeyA its desires. 13And do not offer any partsA of it to sina as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God,b and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the lawa but under grace.b
From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God
15What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?a Absolutely not!b 16Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someoneA as obedient slaves,a you are slaves of that one you obeyb — either of sin leading to deathc or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin,a you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handedA over,b 18and having been set free from sin,a you became enslaved to righteousness. 19I am using a human analogya because of the weakness of your flesh.A For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. 20For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.a a 21So what fruit was producedA then from the things you are now ashamed of?a The outcome of those things is death.b 22But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God,a you have your fruit, which results in sanctificationb — and the outcome is eternal life!c 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.a
I've been struggling with temptations too, we all have our own bad habits which we desperately want to break. As long as we live, there's always a struggle between the flesh and the spirit, there's always this part of your brain that controls emotions and feelings trying to overpower the other part of your brain that controls reason and logic. In other words, I know this is wrong, I know this is bad for me and I shouldn't do it, but I just can't help it. I can resist it for a while, but after a while there's no more strength in me to restrain myself, then I finally give in, and tormented by the guilt and regret. Temptation is real, God puts us through it to test our faith, and Jesus was personally tempted by Satan at the end of his 40-day trial, that's why we have to pray, "Lead us not into temptation," in the Lord's Prayer. These folks above have given you a lot of bible portions on this topic, all I can add is, confess your struggle inside, and pray for the spiritual fruit of disciple, yield to the Holy Spirit, let Him deliver you from temptation.
Some practical advise I can give is, first, try to talk about it with your friends and family, and share your stuggle with them. Don't fight it on your own, you can't win it on your own. Seek help, and reciprocate. Also, depending on what particular tempation you're facing, search for resources about that, get educated in that area, learn about the deadly consequences and solutions from a scientific, secular view, such as how an unhealthy diet can lead to insulin resistance and inflammatory disease, how porn consumption fries your neurons, makes you numb and contributes to sex trafficking, etc, just raise your awareness of the cost.
And last, a habit loop is consisted of cue, routine and reward, a bad behavior is usually the routine, which we are compelled to do for a momentary hormonal reward. It's easy to identify to routine and the reward, but it's hard to identify the cue - what's the signal that triggers your behavior? Could be a particular time of the day, a negative emotion, some place, some sight, some message, it's usually very subtle, it seems like an nsignificant trivial issue, but that's where the devil gets to sneak in and take a foothold, so it's important to identify it. Once you do, you know the routine that will come next, that's where you intervene by replacing the old routine with a new one. Follow the Holy Spirit and prioritize your life, keep in mind if there's any work that ought to be done, then go for it, leaving no idle space in your mind for the devil to build a workshop. Don't react to it at the moment, but PRE-decide what you would response, make a plan in advance. Pastor Crag from New Life Church has a sermons series titled "Pre-decide" on Apple Podcast, highly recommended.
Some practical advise I can give is, first, try to talk about it with your friends and family, and share your stuggle with them. Don't fight it on your own, you can't win it on your own. Seek help, and reciprocate. Also, depending on what particular tempation you're facing, search for resources about that, get educated in that area, learn about the deadly consequences and solutions from a scientific, secular view, such as how an unhealthy diet can lead to insulin resistance and inflammatory disease, how porn consumption fries your neurons, makes you numb and contributes to sex trafficking, etc, just raise your awareness of the cost.
And last, a habit loop is consisted of cue, routine and reward, a bad behavior is usually the routine, which we are compelled to do for a momentary hormonal reward. It's easy to identify to routine and the reward, but it's hard to identify the cue - what's the signal that triggers your behavior? Could be a particular time of the day, a negative emotion, some place, some sight, some message, it's usually very subtle, it seems like an nsignificant trivial issue, but that's where the devil gets to sneak in and take a foothold, so it's important to identify it. Once you do, you know the routine that will come next, that's where you intervene by replacing the old routine with a new one. Follow the Holy Spirit and prioritize your life, keep in mind if there's any work that ought to be done, then go for it, leaving no idle space in your mind for the devil to build a workshop. Don't react to it at the moment, but PRE-decide what you would response, make a plan in advance. Pastor Crag from New Life Church has a sermons series titled "Pre-decide" on Apple Podcast, highly recommended.
C
ChristianTonyB
Guest
It’s simple Cherie… James just simply said that we must submit to God and resist temptation, and the devil will flee from us. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less! So when tempted, just ignore it and turn away.
That's not enough. Old habits must be replaced with new oens, just as old wineskin must be replaced with a new wineskin.
What has brought victory for me has been KNOWING.
Knowing that sin is defeated, a thing that I am dead to to the praise and glory of Jesus and His death and burial and resurrection.
I am now ALIVE.
It is also a great help to know that when we sin, we sin IN THE LIGHT, before we used to think our deeds were in the dark and hidden, but they are in full view.
Keep confessing the cross and our death with Christ.
This was a great help to me.
I have been crucified, crucified with Christ
I live no longer I but Christ lives in me
and the life that I now live
I live by the faith, the faith of the Son of God
Who loves me
who loves me
and gave Himself for me
He loves me
He loves me
and gave Himself for me.
... don't struggle.
1. Prayer
2. A trusted accountability partner
3. Consistently read God's Word that applies to that certain temptation
4. Know how to fight within spiritual warfare
5. Grace within the knowledge that there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.
And more, we must be Enabled to Submit. No one can simply Submit to Christ upon their own volition. Before a person can Submit to Christ, they must be freed from the captive Nature of the Devil. And, there is only one who can set a person free from the captive Nature of the Devil, and it is Christ. After all, this is the Purpose of Christ, which is to perform His Holy Work upon the unregenerate hearts of His Holy Elect. And in by doing this Work, there is a Holy Effect, such as being Enabled to Submit.
What has worked the best is busying myself with positive behavior instead of trying to stop the negative ones. Paul gave me the idea. (Husbands love your wives)
For example: if I want to stop lusting after women focus on loving your wife more. Occupy yourself on how you can demonstrate love to your wife. That will pretty much take so much thought time that there isn't any room left for lust. (Because women are still a huge mystery)
C
ChristianTonyB
Guest
The OP’s question was, how do you deal with temptation! The best illustration of that was by Jesus, and how He dealt with the devil when He was driven out into the desert by the Holy Spirit, to be tempted by the evil one. How did Jesus respond?
Now if we are talking about what we should be doing about developing godly character…you’re absolutely right. We need to resist temptation as well as produce an abundance of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
Look, what I'm trying to say is, whatever the temptation is, it must lose its appeal. Most of it is just a temporary dopamine rush, when it wears off, there's still that craving for true satisfaction, and it must be replaced with something else, otherwise any resistance is futile, the temptation will always come back because nature abhors vacuum. There gotta be a long term plan and a clear end goal. And when your mind is set on the mission, then no temptation can distract you from that.
The best way I know of to resist temptation is to sell out 100% to Christ. There's not one good answer for everyone, but you have to do whatever it takes.
So many people in this day think they can have their cake and eat it too. They're doubleminded.
Ok, you asked for scriptures, however, the advice from the first reply I read was just beautiful stuff to read from the heart of a believer made me rejoice in the truth we all have been given of God's love and seeing the testimony of Jesus in others shows me we truly are all in this together as the body of Christ.
There are just so many characters allowed in a reply, so I can't put all the scriptures given about being tempted and the tragedy that ensues by it, I saw James 4:7 and Galatians 2:20 mentioned, and as with those I'm going to say it's all about Jesus, and without Him we can do nothing, John 15:5.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
1 Corinthians 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.
2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2 Corinthians 10:6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
Isaiah 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Isaiah 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
Isaiah 1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Ephesians 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Colossians 3:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Colossians 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
Colossians 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Colossians 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
Colossians 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
James 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.
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:
James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
James 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
I don't know if this wall is full yet but I'm going to pause and also share a few scriptures of why I'm still rejoicing about the first reply I read in this thread of the vital importance of seeking God's love transforming us into spiritual beings good for The Masters use.
Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
Galatians 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
We will never be able fix ourselves enough, but God can set us free in following Him. In following Him we'll come to know His love and His peace which only He can give.
Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Ephesians 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Ephesians 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Ephesians 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Ephesians 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Ok I had to remove Ephesians 4:22-32 off this wall to fit it in, sorry
There are just so many characters allowed in a reply, so I can't put all the scriptures given about being tempted and the tragedy that ensues by it, I saw James 4:7 and Galatians 2:20 mentioned, and as with those I'm going to say it's all about Jesus, and without Him we can do nothing, John 15:5.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
1 Corinthians 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.
2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2 Corinthians 10:6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
Isaiah 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Isaiah 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
Isaiah 1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Ephesians 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Colossians 3:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Colossians 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
Colossians 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Colossians 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
Colossians 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
James 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.
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:
James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
James 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
I don't know if this wall is full yet but I'm going to pause and also share a few scriptures of why I'm still rejoicing about the first reply I read in this thread of the vital importance of seeking God's love transforming us into spiritual beings good for The Masters use.
Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
Galatians 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
We will never be able fix ourselves enough, but God can set us free in following Him. In following Him we'll come to know His love and His peace which only He can give.
Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Ephesians 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Ephesians 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Ephesians 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Ephesians 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Ok I had to remove Ephesians 4:22-32 off this wall to fit it in, sorry
The battle is within your mind and heart you can win at the point of evil thinking being conceived in the mind and letting it fester in the heart.
if you control the rules of battlefield in the mind and heart , it’s only a matter of time you want the inner word to regulate the mind and heart the “ but I say “
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
Matthew 5:27-28 KJV
by allowing this inner commandment to enter the heart it’s going to. Ring a battle inside to light that we didn’t know was there or we could fight
our problem is hear already inside us
“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
Mark 7:21-23 KJV
so we need the word that cuts at that problem. We only commit some sins because we allow lustfuk ideas about others into our mind and heart. Other times we hold a grudge against someone and look for revenge , other times we sin because we love material things and money too Much , we’re greedy for the world but not giving toward Gods people in need
the root of sin is on the mind and heart. We watch violent movies and sexually explicit images and then wonder why our thinking is corrupt. The world is full of things like that to dim our light , but the. There’s the gospel the glorious face of Christ that fills us with light and life to focus upon and apply to life
what we take in on a regular basis is going to root in us and become what we think a lot about and start to desire and pine for crave really.
we can start taking in the light , praying , confessing and repenting , pleading with the lord what’s in our heart and make the decision we belong to him now and arent free to keep living for our own pleasure. We have a better purpose now , to exemplify the gospel as best we can and share it with the world
If we choose to start making the gospel part of Our daily intake , God will do a lot quickly in our mind and heart and begin to open up our eyes to what’s going on in this world
what’s in the mind and heart is going to come out but we can repent now and clean it up beforehand
C
ChristianTonyB
Guest
Yes, I understand what your and other posts are getting at, and it appears valid. I see that the advice given seems to have three dimensions to it. The first being the ability to distinguish the difference between what is right and wrong, the second is to work yourself into an environment where right would most likely dominate, the third is to flee/turn your back on wrong should it come your way irrespective. That does seem a valid strategy to me. Have I read that right?
First let me say, although you probably already know, you are not alone. Many of us struggle with these questions as well.
The world, our flesh, and the devil assault us every day.
Our struggle is not a one and done. Yes we are saved, but we still inhabit our dead bodies that try and tell us they are still alive.
Yes we can resist the devil and he will flee, but he’ll be back, especially if we stumble.
And of course the World is in our face every second.
Every moment of every day we either walk in the flesh or walk in the Spirit. We can’t do both at the same time.
So how do we walk in the Spirit?
Well first we have to feed the Spirit by reading and meditating on the Word EVERY day. Jesus is the Word, the Bread of life.
Like the manna in the wilderness we cannot collect tomorrow’s Word (Bread) today.
For me personally, Whenever temptation arises and I take that thought captive, and ask Christ to remove that thought, He has never failed.
But the assaults will come back again.
I would start with those two, and then let the Word and Holy Spirit daily confirm you to the Mind of Christ.
one thing THAT MANY chritians fail to understand is
1. being tempted is not a sin
2. You are going to be tempted & tested
3. as long as you have flesh and breathing the flesh will always desire what God said not to do.
how to battle :
1. pray always with all kinds of prayer
2. live the word of God
3. Separate yourself from people, things, and places where you know you have stumbled.
4. when you stumble do not submit to condemnation
5. be fast to repent and draw near to the Lord.
Having the mid-set every victory is the opening for another battle to be won. Rebuke Moral licensing because when you have a long time of what you think is good behavior. Deal with the lust in your heart that you think to know one knows about including God.
Admit you like what you find doing that God said do not do and ask The Lord to set you free from it Then Separate yourself from that which influences you to sin.
Call on the Lord, Submit to God resist the devil and He will flee from you. IF you have a problem with perversion remove the things that stimulate the flesh in that way. BUT know the flesh will still bring into your mind those things but you will have the victory over it IF you trust the Lord and in His word. without faith it is impossible.