I would suspect that for many during this season, Satan is extremely busy. When he's not trying to proactively raise hell, he's on the prowl trying to get the saints to stumble and fall. Many tests will come our way, as the Father continues to prepare us for the Kingdom Move that He's about to release in the earth. In the meantime, we must learn to defend against the wiles of the Devil (Ephesians 6), and we must build ourselves up for The Endurance of Temptation.
In order to fight against the temptations of the Devil, you must have Endurance. We no longer live (if we ever did) in a culture of Patience. Everybody wants everything right away and immediately. However, this is not the Way of God. God wants us to learn how to wait; and part of the waiting process is learning how to Endure. Therefore, part of the challenge of battling the temptations of the Devil is learning how to Endure. It's not going to be just "one round" and the fight is over. Battling temptation is just that, a Battle. But it's a Battle that we've already won in and through Jesus Christ. All we have to do is learn how to fight so that we can exhibit The Endurance of Temptation.
One of the keys to The Endurance of Temptation is our Love for the Lord. A lot of times we associate fighting against sin and evil with spiritual strength and maturity. This of course is true, but a lot of it really has to do with how much we love the Lord. A lot of us are committed to the Lord, we're faithful to the Lord, but do we really love the Lord? When I ask that question, I'm asking are you really "in love" with Him? Is it all about Jesus, or is He simply "the Head of your life"? If we look at it in the Natural, if you're courting or married to somebody and you "really love them", then it doesn't matter who tries to come and "talk" to you, there's no capacity. Why? Not necessarily because you're not attracted to them but because your heart is somewhere else. When Jesus really has our hearts, our capacity to offend and insult Him with sinful actions, attitudes and behavior is severely diminished. If we find ourselves yielding to sin more often than not, I would challenge us to check our Love Index for Christ.
The next key to The Endurance of Temptation is checking the source. So many times we feel like we'd be ok with temptation if it weren't for some "outside" or external force trying to lure us to go against the Divine Will of God. Of course this is true to a very large extent, but the scripture says, "every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed" (James 1). Satan has to have something to work with. That's why Jesus said prior to His Crucifixion, "the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me" (John 14). Satan has to have something to work with in regards to temptation. Therefore, in order to better handle The Endurance of Temptation, give the devil less to work with. Examine and identify the various sources of lust and desire in your heart. Don't be naive or in denial about what your weaknesses are, be honest, with yourself and with the Lord. Once you deal head on with what your personal inclinations towards lust and sin are, then you give the Holy Spirit the room He needs to crucify the flesh with the affections and lusts (Galatians 5).
Saints, I don't have to tell you, Satan is busy. And let me assure you, he's going to get even busier because his time is short. But we have nothing to worry about nor fear; greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world (1John 4). But remember, we're going to have to fight. We must remain Sober and Vigilant (1Peter 5). We can't get slack and laid back. We must remain watchful and prayerful. If we do, God will give us the strength to handle The Endurance of Temptation.
NOTE: Effective Monday, August 8, 2016 this blog will move to thykingdomcomeinc.wordpress.com
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