Dear Church Family,
This month of February, we will talk about temptation. Every one of us faces it. Jesus, the Son of God was tempted by Satan. Satan tried to make Jesus turn away from God. However, Jesus saw through the enemy’s schemes and remained firm. He was not going to turn away from His love and devotion to God (Luke 4:1-13).
There was more than one reason why Jesus came to earth. One reason He came was to personally identify with our needs and struggles. He understands how we feel. He knows what it is like to be faced by the tempter. He understands how we feel under the weight of temptation. The good news is that He also knows how to overcome Satan’s fiery trials. Jesus never lost one time! He is the greatest role model on temptation. He is undefeated in every category!
When we face temptation, remember we do not face it alone. Jesus will be there to help. He is with us, and He provides the strength we need to say “no” to every thought or imagination. When Satan whispers lies to defeat and discourage us, stand firm like Jesus did. We must put on the mighty armor of God, and stand firm (Ephesians 6).
God provides the strength we need to overcome temptations. He knows exactly what we are doing even before we do it. He knows the results before we even make the decision! Temptation is not a sin (Jesus experienced it), but sin is the result of our acting on the temptation. We can say “no” to all evil because Jesus lives in us. He has given us the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth and knowledge. Let us take our stand as a child of God. Let us claim His strength and victory!
One last thought… temptations are certain to ring our doorbell, but it is our own fault if we ask them in to stay for dinner! SLAM THE DOOR!!
In Christ, Mike
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