Chapter 31 The twenty-sixth day grows in temptation

The twenty-sixth day grows in temptation Happy is the man who is tempted but does not give in and does wrong, For after he has passed the test, he will receive the crown of life, This crown is what God promises to those who love Him. (James 1:2, LB) Temptation is the spur on my path to holiness. —Martin Luther Every temptation is an opportunity to do good. On the path to spiritual maturity, even temptation can be a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block, if you understand that it is simply an opportunity to do good or evil.Temptations merely offer options.Even though temptation is Satan's primary weapon to destroy you, God uses temptation to help you grow.Every time you choose to do good and not sin, you grow in the character of Christ.

To understand this, it is necessary to recognize the traits of Jesus' character.One of the most succinct descriptions of his character is the fruit of the Spirit: "When the Holy Spirit rules our lives, we naturally bear good fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control .” These nine qualities are an extension of the "Great Commandment" Jesus gave us and a beautiful description of Jesus Christ.Jesus is the embodiment of perfect love, joy, peace, patience, and all the other fruits rolled into one.To have the fruit of the Spirit is to be like Christ.

So how does the Holy Spirit produce these nine fruits in your life?Did he bring forth these fruits at once?Could it be that one day you wake up and find that these nine qualities are suddenly fully realized in you?No, the fruit will ripen slowly. This statement will be one of the most important spiritual truths you will ever learn: God develops the fruit of the Spirit in your life by subjecting you to circumstances in which you would want to manifest exactly the opposite.Character building often involves choices, and temptation provides such an opportunity. For example: God puts unlovable people around us to teach us to love, because it doesn't take any character to love the lovable or the person who loves you.In sorrow, God teaches us true joy when we turn to God.Happiness is based on external circumstances, and joy is derived from fellowship with God.

God establishes true peace in us not by making things go according to our plans, but by allowing us to experience chaos and confusion.Everyone can feel peaceful and secure while watching a beautiful sunset and enjoying the relaxation of a vacation; but true peace comes through choosing to trust God when you fall into the temptation of worry and fear.Likewise, patience is learned in waiting, wrath, and impatience. God uses the opposite of spiritual fruit to make us choose.You cannot be said to be good if you have not been tempted to do evil; you cannot be said to be faithful unless you have been tempted to be unfaithful.Integrity is built in defeating the temptation to be dishonest; humility is built in our rejection of pride, and perseverance is built in every temptation you refuse to give up.Every time you defeat a temptation, you become more like Jesus!

What is the temptation? Fortunately, Satan's work is completely predictable.He has been using the same tricks since the foundation of the world, and all temptations have the same pattern, so Paul said, "...we are well aware of Satan's devices." From the Bible, we know that temptation There are four steps, which Satan also used to tempt Adam, Eve and Jesus. Step 1: Satan sees a desire in you, which may be a sinful desire, such as wanting revenge or domination, or even a legitimate, normal desire such as being loved, cherished, or feeling pleasure desire.Temptation begins when Satan proposes (through a thought) that you give in to an evil desire, or that you satisfy a legitimate desire in an improper way or at an improper time.Always beware of shortcuts, they are often temptations!Satan whispers to us, "You deserve it! You deserve it now! It will stimulate...comfort...or make you feel better."

We think temptation is all around us, but God says it comes from within.If you have no desires, no temptation can draw you.Temptations often start with our thoughts, not our circumstances.Jesus said, "For from within, that is, from the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, folly; all these evil things come from within out of..." James tells us, "There is a whole army of lusts within you." Step Two: Doubt.Satan is trying to make you doubt God's definition of sin: "Is this really wrong?" "Did God really say you can't do this?" "Didn't God forbid it for someone else?" "Did God not Do you like me to be happy?" The Bible warns us, "...Beware! Do not let evil thoughts and suspicions divert you from the living God."

Step Three: Deception.Satan is incapable of telling the truth, so he is called the "father of lies". All he tells you are lies or half-truths to replace God's words.Satan said, "You will not die, you will only be wiser like God. You will not be punished, and no one will know. Doing this will solve your problems. Everyone does it, it is only a small sin ’” But small sins, like a woman’s conception, will eventually come to light. Step Four: Disobedience.The thoughts you play with in your mind will eventually turn into actions.An idea breeds an action.You surrender to temptation.You believe Satan's lies so that you fall into the trap that James said: "A man is tempted when he is led away by his own desires. His desires conceive, and they bring forth sin; and sin, when it grows, begets death. I Dear brothers and sisters, don't be fooled."

overcome temptation It is important to understand temptation, but you need to have a clear way to overcome it. not subject to power Many Christians are frightened and demoralized by the thought of temptation, feeling guilty that they have not "surpassed" temptation.They are ashamed only of being tempted.This is a misunderstanding of maturity, because you are never free from temptation. At one level, temptation can be a form of appreciation.Satan need not tempt those who have followed him to do evil, they are already his.Temptation is a sign that Satan hates you, not a sign of weakness or worldliness. Temptation is also a normal phenomenon that people have to face while living in a corrupt world.Don't be surprised or discouraged by temptation. Since temptation is inevitable, let's be realistic: you can never completely avoid temptation.The Bible says, "When you are tempted..." not "If you are tempted." Paul counsels us: "Remember that the temptations you will encounter in your life will be the same temptations that others will encounter .”

Being tempted is not a sin. Jesus was also tempted, but it was not a sin.Temptation becomes sin only when we yield to it.Martin Luther said, "You cannot keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building nests in your hair." Likewise, you can't keep the devil from tempting you with evil thoughts, but you can choose to stop them. Evil thoughts haunt you and prevent them from taking action. For example, many people don't understand the difference between physical attractiveness or sexual attraction and lust, which are not the same.God made everyone a sexy individual, and that's good.Being attracted or moved by a beautiful appearance or the opposite sex is a natural and natural reaction given by God.Lust, however, is a deliberate act, choosing to think or do with the body what the desire desires to do.You can be attracted, even aroused, without choosing to sin by indulging in lust.Many people, especially Christian men, tend to feel guilty about God-given hormonal effects.When they unconsciously notice an attractive woman, they think it is lust and feel ashamed.But attraction is not lust, unless you start dwelling on that imagination.

In fact, the closer you are to God, the more Satan will try to tempt you.The moment you become a child of God, Satan is like an assassin trying to kill you.You are his nemesis, and he plotted to corrupt you. Sometimes when you pray, Satan will distract you and shame you with fantastic and evil thoughts.Don’t panic or be ashamed. Understand that Satan will try his best to stop you because he is afraid of your prayers. Instead of blaming yourself with “Why do I have such evil thoughts?”, accept that this is Satan’s trick to distract you, and Immediately turn your attention back to God. Recognize your patterns of being tempted and prepare to respond

In some cases, you will be more easily seduced by temptation, and even fall immediately; while in other cases, temptation may not be tempting to you.Circumstances that stumble you are often your weaknesses, and you need to identify them, for Satan must know they exist.He knows exactly what will trip you up and keeps luring you into those situations.Peter warns us, "Wake up. The devil is on the run, and nothing pleases him more than taking a dozing man." Ask yourself, “When am I most tempted? What day of the week? What time of day?” Ask, “Where am I most tempted? At work? At home? At home? At a bar? At an airport or in a hotel?” Ask, “Who am I most tempted with? Friends? Co-workers? A group of strangers? How do I usually feel when I'm most seduced?" It could be when you're tired, lonely, depressed, depressed, or under stress, or it could be when you're sad, angry, worried, or after you've accomplished something , even after experiencing a spiritual peak. You should recognize the typical patterns in which you are most prone to temptation, and then prepare to avoid them as much as possible.The Bible tells us many times to be on the alert lest we fall into temptation.Paul said, "Give no chance to the devil." Wisely planning your life reduces temptation.Heed the counsel of Proverbs: "Plan carefully what you do....Stay away from evil, go straight ahead, and take no step from the right path." "The man of God shuns evil, go your own way, and you will keep yourself.” ask God for help Heaven has a 24-hour emergency hotline, and God wants you to turn to Him when you need to overcome temptation.He said, "Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will glorify me." "God! Help me!" "Help!" I call these prayers "microwave" prayers because they are quick and short.When temptation comes, you don't have time to pray at length, you have to cry out immediately.It was also an instant prayer for David, Daniel, Peter, Paul, and thousands of others when they were in trouble. The Bible guarantees that our cry will be heard because Jesus sympathizes with our struggles. He faced the same temptations. Never sinned." If God looks forward to helping us overcome temptation, why don't we look to Him often?Frankly, sometimes we simply don't want to ask for help!We want to give in to temptation even when we know it’s wrong; in those moments we think we know what’s best for us better than God. Sometimes we are ashamed to ask God for help because we fall into the same temptation so often, but God never gets annoyed, bored, or impatient because we keep asking for help again and again.The Bible tells us, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and obtain favor as a timely help." God's love never changes, His patience endures forever.Even if you have to call on him two hundred times a day to defeat a certain temptation, he is still eager to give mercy and grace; you power. Temptation helps us keep relying on God.Just as a tree grows stronger after being hit by the wind and rain, every time you resist temptation, you become more like Jesus, and when you stumble—it will, it will not be fatal.Instead of giving in or giving up, look to God and expect him to help you, remembering that a reward awaits you: "Blessed is the man who endures the trial; for when he has passed the trial, he will receive the crown of life...  .”